American Express 2001 Annual Report Download - page 27

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 27 of the 2001 American Express annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 84

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84

Employees
Time and time again, our people have proven that they can overcome whatever
challenges they are presented. This was clearly the case during 2001 – a year of
unprecedented events and difficult business conditions. The creativity and ded-
ication that I have seen throughout the year are a key part of our success and
will help keep American Express strong, growing and focused on supporting
our customers.
On a personal note, I want you to know how proud I am of the people of
American Express. As I have often said, our people are our greatest asset. We
remain committed to strengthening a workforce that provides strong compet-
itive advantage. We measure our progress in this area each year through an
employee survey. In 2001, nearly 70,000 employees and financial advisors par-
ticipated in the survey, rating the company even higher overall than in past
years. We achieved or exceeded our long-term targets in 7 of the 12 dimensions
measured, including “employee satisfaction,” which attained an 82 percent
favorable rating. To improve our results to the degree we have, in light of the
many challenges we faced during the year, as well as the fact that the survey
was administered during the weeks surrounding the September 11 disaster, is
a significant accomplishment.
The company also continues to be recognized by leading publications as one of
the top corporate employers. That public recognition contributes to our efforts
to attract employees. Among the publications citing us were Fortune,which
ranked American Express among the “100 Best Companies to Work for in
America,” “50 Best Companies for Minorities” and the “Top 50 Best Companies
for MBAs.” We also appeared on Working Mother’s list of “100 Best Companies
for Working Mothers,” Globe & Mail’s “The 35 Best Companies to Work for in
Canada,” and The Sunday Times’ “50 Best Companies to Work for in 2001” in
the United Kingdom.
Board of Directors
We continue to benefit from the wise counsel and guidance of our Board of
Directors. In 2001, we were pleased to welcome to the Board: Ambassador
Charlene Barshefsky, Senior International Partner at the law firm of Wilmer,
Cutler & Pickering, and former United States Trade Representative, and Peter R.
Dolan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
axp_25