Voice of Experience: Susan Lawson, Vice President, American Express Digital Technologies

By Michelle Hendelman, Editor-in-Chief

For Susan Lawson, Vice President, American Express Digital Technologies, her career path in technology wasn’t exactly linear, in that she did not major in technology nor pursue a career in tech directly after school. However, when she decided that technology was the industry in which she wanted to establish her career, she returned to school to complete her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Computer Science. Susan explained, “I went into the aerospace industry to build flight simulation artificial intelligence systems.”

Susan leveraged the power of networking when she made her move to American Express. “I was based in Houston at the time, and established a great professional relationship with a person in my company working on artificial intelligence in Phoenix,” she said.

She continued, “He moved to American Express where they were building a new team to develop expert systems. He thought of me, recommended me and recruited me to work for American Express.”

Career at American Express

Susan came to American Express to work on expert systems and eventually transitioned into the Advanced Technology Group within the company. “We were focused on exploring new technologies being developed at the time that American Express could really benefit from. This was at the time that the World Wide Web was just getting started, so there were a lot of opportunities in that space,” said Susan.

Since the technology was so dynamic and critical for American Express’ business, the company created a separate group, as an extension of the Advanced Technology Group which became the Internet Development Group. Susan joined the web group and began developing secure internet capabilities globally for American Express.

“I have spent the majority of my career in the interactive and digital domain, which of course has expanded into mobile technologies and other interesting areas,” said Susan.

She is especially proud of the work she did early in her career supporting the international businesses of American Express. “Getting these markets established with secure websites for cardmembers was a breakthrough for American Express, and I love it when the work I do makes a big difference for the company. It’s exciting and very rewarding,” said Susan.

According to Susan, another highlight in her career was co-leading the complete re-architecture of American Express’ website, which supports millions of cardmembers every day. “This was a huge team, leadership, and technical endeavor that was extremely successful,” explained Susan.

Currently, in addition to research and development of new interactive and payment capabilities, Susan is spending a lot of time advancing collaborative development methodologies at American Express.

Women in Technology

Susan emphasized the importance of confidence for any woman working in the technology field. “We can do much more than we think,” said Lawson, “women need to recognize their own talents and abilities and never hold themselves back from opportunities.”

According to Susan, it is very important for women in technology to continually increase their skills, stay sharp, and remain relevant. “Stay technical as long as you can,” said Susan. “At American Express, and at other companies I am sure, there is a lot of value placed on having a strong technical skill set.” She also advised women to seek help and guidance, ask for feedback, and act constructively on that feedback.

Susan also addressed the fact that for women entering the technology field, they might have to look a little harder for female role models, mentors, and sponsors for support and guidance. But as more women enter the technology field, she is looking forward to seeing a reversal in this trend.

“Where we are now in technology is much different than where we have been historically,” Susan noted. “This is a good time to be entering the industry because many companies are focusing on giving women opportunities and trying to rebalance the ratio of women across all career levels. It is certainly a great opportunity for growth,” she added.

Susan encouraged her female peers in the tech industry to pay it forward by making themselves accessible to young women forging a career in the industry right now. “It’s important to recognize the barriers they face and help them with their career advancement,” said Susan.

Women at American Express

According to Susan, there are a number of women’s initiatives that have been developed at American Express within the last five to seven years. She noted, “Specifically, there is a Women in Technologies Network and its mission is to drive and enhance value for the company and its employees by creating a gender intelligence culture that attracts women, develops them, and ultimately retains them.”

The network is very active and it gives women an outlet where they can talk to other women and gain knowledge and support from their colleagues. “There is also an Executive Women’s Network that offers opportunities for growth, sharing, and training. Much of this is because Ken Chenault, our CEO, has made gender diversity a key initiative on his agenda.”

Outside the Office

“I do love to travel,” said Susan, who spent most of her time growing up overseas. Susan is also an experienced scuba diver. She recently returned from her latest adventure in the Galapagos. “It’s incredible to see how life there has evolved on such a different path from the rest of the world,” said Susan.