Q&A: American Express’ Charlotte Wise on leadership, mentoring and inclusive hiring

Charlotte Wise, commercial director at American Express, won the Women in Open Banking Woman of the Year – UK & Europe award at the Open Banking Expo Awards 2024. In this Q&A, she discusses leadership qualities, inclusive hiring approaches, mentoring and industry role models.

1. In your role as commercial director at American Express, what are your responsibilities?

As commercial director for Pay with Bank transfer, American Express’ leading Open Banking payments solution, I play a fundamental role in defining American Express’ Open Banking strategy within the UK market. I have the pleasure of leading a high-performing team that cover all facets of a high-growth Open Banking payments provider, inclusive of sales, business development, implementation, customer success, product and marketing.

2. As the leader of a team at American Express, what do you view as essential leadership qualities?

At American Express, we emphasise three core leadership behaviours: Set the Agenda, Bring Others with You, and Do it the Right Way. These are core fundamentals that are essential when it comes to leadership.

When thinking about my own leadership style, I focus on complementing these fundamentals with my own style which is centred on enthusiasm, inventive thinking, and driving a very results-oriented culture aligned to our vision.

3. How have you approached inclusive hiring in your role, to establish a genuinely diverse team?

Establishing a genuinely diverse team starts way before the hiring process. I am an advocate for building teams where diversity of thought and background is celebrated and believe this is fundamental to driving innovation and delivering great results.

In the past I have done this by creating a team culture of open communication and feedback, making sure individuals feel empowered to contribute ideas, encouraging one another to collaborate and share thoughts, to ensure everyone’s strengths are realised to achieve the best outcome for American Express.

When it comes to hiring specifically, I take active steps to eliminate bias and create an inclusive hiring process from start to end. For example, when considering the talent pipeline, I leveraged my network to seek out and meet with individuals that had the right skills to succeed in an Open Banking role, but who had not previously considered Open Banking as a career path due to a limited understanding, and then mentored them in preparation for open roles.

Additionally, when writing job descriptions, I recommend using text analysis tools that highlight language bias and provide suggestions to write in a more inclusive manner to encourage a more varied talent pool. When reviewing CVs, focus on transferrable skills versus pre-existing Open Banking knowledge, as that was heard in feedback as a barrier to entry.

Finally, always ensure a 360-degree approach to interviewing, and consider candidates in formal interview settings, as well as practical tasks, such as case studies, to assess how they perform across a variety of scenarios in front of a diverse panel.

4. What has been your experience with mentoring – both being a mentor and receiving mentoring – and how valuable has it been to your career progression?

Mentoring is invaluable for career progression because it fosters growth, learning, and diverse perspectives. Being a mentor sharpens leadership skills and provides inspiration through the ambitions of mentees, while receiving mentoring offers guidance, experience, and insights from seasoned professionals. Both roles support continuous improvement and build a foundation for long-term success.

Both mentoring and being mentored have been invaluable to my growth. As a mentor, I’ve gained insights and inspiration from ambitious individuals and thoroughly enjoyed seeing mentees achieve their dreams. I have also been fortunate as a mentee to learn from the experiences and advice of exceptional leaders.

One of my favourite mentor roles was slightly unusual – it was a ‘reverse mentoring’ scheme where I mentored a senior leader at American Express on generational differences in the workplace. We formed a great bond which has been maintained over the years, offering me access to a great sounding board.

One piece of advice when it comes to mentoring is being intentional and clear on what you seek from the relationship. This helps to maximise its impact and make the best use of both people’s time.

5. How important are role models in encouraging the next generation of women in Open Banking and payments?

Role models are vital in inspiring the next generation of women in Open Banking and payments. They provide representation, showing what’s possible, and instil confidence in aspiring leaders.

Role models can also be allies who advocate for fairness and challenge inequities, and I believe these role models can sometimes be overlooked, yet play a significant role in standing up for what is right and taking action to drive change. Open Banking is still a relatively nascent industry, affording all of us the opportunity to harbour inclusivity and equity from the outset.

We can all be role models to encourage the next generation of future female leaders by taking small steps to support diversity in the industry. A good example of this is becoming a member of the Women in Open Banking initiative, attending events and, where possible, supporting the mission to make Open Banking the industry of choice for future female leaders.