When Monique Herena joined American Express in 2019 as the top HR executive, her new title, chief colleague experience officer, reflected her priority for the role. In fact, that priority eventually led to redefining the entire HR function as the Colleague Experience Group. The changes were about much more than semantics, says Herena, but rather a strategic reframing that has moved the needle on EX in a way that meaningfully impacts the bottom line.
“I really wanted to completely sync up the human resources strategy with the business strategy, which has always been a hallmark of everything I do,” says Herena, noting she also wanted the employee experience to mirror the mobile-first, user-friendly experience customers encounter with American Express. “I wanted our colleagues to have an experience where they have easy ways to get what they need, when they need it. When you start to improve the most important and most frequent journeys for colleagues, people really feel the investment.”
It’s a philosophy that has overlaid everything from learning to benefits to internal mobility, with sprawling talent wins that helped earn Herena the title of HR Executive’s 2026 HR Executive of the Year. Along with HR Leader of Distinction Nirit Peled-Muntz of HiBob, Herena will be honored at the Icons Award dinner at HR Tech next month, followed by a celebration with the Institute for Leadership & Work in Boston.
Streamlining learning for impact
In a recommendation letter for the HR Executive of the Year award, CEO Steve Squeri said Herena was adept at aligning the vision for HR with the Framework for Winning, the company’s strategic plan.
“She took what we do so well for our customers and applied it to our colleagues, putting them at the center of all we do with a vision of providing the best colleague experience to fuel growth,” Squeri wrote. “The Colleague Experience Group’s (CEG) vision, mission and strategy she designed are focused on driving deeper connections with all colleagues across the business so we can gain a deeper understanding of their needs and improve their experiences so they can be and deliver their best.”
Herena’s work streamlining learning and development is a prime example of her efforts to strategically enhance the colleague experience for American Express’ 77,000-person workforce. Earlier this year, the organization launched Amex U, an enterprise learning ecosystem unifying previously disparate learning into one integrated experience.
“We had a lot of learning happening across all the different business units, but we’re at a size and scale where it just wasn’t efficient or the best way for colleagues to experience and access learning,” Herena says.
Colleagues now have access to more than 20,000 on-demand courses, including workshops and hands-on experimentation, with an emphasis on bite-sized offerings and self-paced learning. In just two months, the program reached more than 45,000 unique users—about 1,400 per day—and more than 231,000 course completions through sessions that cover leadership, business and technical skills.
The offering was designed with an end-to-end perspective in mind: Making learning more available, digestible and meaningful in order to enable employees to enhance the skills they need to advance their careers with American Express, and in a way that helps the organization drive toward business goals.
That investment in learning is paying off. In the last three years, 40% of Amex colleagues have moved into new roles or been promoted. At the same time, more than 80% of workers surveyed through Amex’s annual Colleague Experience Survey now say they feel equipped to manage their careers and are satisfied with the development conversations with their managers.
Doubling down on benefits investment
Herena’s work to enhance employee experience has paid dividends: Last year’s Colleague Experience Survey found that 91% would recommend the company as a great place to work. Amex has also received a number of external awards for EX: It ranked No. 4 this year on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” after seven years running of being in the top 10, and 26 years on the list.
This year, the Business Group on Health recognized Amex for the 15th time, with its Excellence in Global Health & Wellbeing, Mental Health & Health Equity Award.
Benefits is one space where Herena has innovated and invested in pursuit of a stronger colleague experience.
Among the enhancements added in recent years are new mental health training, increased bereavement support, free financial wellness tools, and family support—including free consultations with doulas and expanded IVF and cryopreservation resources. She also led the enhancement of Amex’s Healthy Minds program, doubling the number of free sessions offered and ensuring access to licensed counselors. As of June, more than 23,000 colleagues and family members registered, taking part in more than 122,000 counseling sessions.
In its annual survey, the colleague experience team found that about 90% of employees report that the company’s benefits offerings now support their wellbeing.
Notably, the decision to invest in employee benefits comes at a time when some organizations are slashing their offerings in an effort to keep up with rising costs.
But Amex views employee benefits not as a cost, but rather a long-term investment. “It really pays dividends if our colleagues are healthy and able to be at their best for our customers and each other,” Herena says.
“Investing in our colleagues means that we’re investing in our business growth. Backing our colleagues means showing up for them in the moments that matter, at every stage of their life,” she adds. “And that can be in times of growth or in times that are a little tougher.”
Change leadership: the key to AI transformation
AI integration is also increasingly becoming a key driver of colleague experience. While HR leaders across industries are facing pressure to move fast on AI transformation, to become true “architects” of work in the age of AI, they need to move intentionally, focus on job and org design, and emphasize effective change leadership, Herena says.
“It’s about using human judgment, taking all the information you have and asking, ‘Is this the right area in which to apply technology or automation to move faster and create value or not?’ ” she says.
Such decisions need to be undertaken with a focus on colleague experience and core values. At Amex, that includes doing what’s right, respecting one another and working cooperatively.
Building trust is also central to these values. In an environment where AI transformation is happening quickly and employees are worried about job displacement, trust between employees and leaders is going to require frequent communication and an emphasis on transparency, Herena says.
“That’s the way trust is built. We don’t pretend that things don’t change on a daily basis, and many times within the same day,” she says. “As the external environment changes, we need to change with it to innovate, provide great service and experiences, and compete effectively.”
While flexibility is critical, HR can also help anchor the workforce around those things that aren’t changing: leadership behaviors, values, and the foundations of the business strategy. Learning to balance adaptability and stability requires today’s HR leaders to remain focused on the importance of education.
“We’re all learning as we go through this,” Herena says. “The most important thing you can do—and what you can control—is to be a learner. Be open to learning, doing things differently, and adding value, whatever your role is.”
Squeri says Herena embodies what it means to be a “courageous and transformational change leader.”
“We are a 176-year-old brand, and while it is important to respect the past, you also need to build on it, innovate and challenge the status quo,” he wrote in his recommendation letter. “That is what Monique does every day at American Express.”
Since joining Amex, Herena “laid out a new vision, mission and HR strategy to support the strategy of the company,” says HR Executive of the Year judge Fred Foulkes, professor emeritus at Questrom School of Business and interim co-director and founder of the Human Resources Policy Institute, now known as the Institute for Leadership & Work. “One has to be impressed with all that she has accomplished,” he says.
Her influence extends far beyond the walls of American Express, Foulkes adds.
“In addition to her visible leadership at AmEx, she has given back much to the profession—from serving on several prominent HR advisory boards to teaching at leading colleges and universities,” he says. “She is an outstanding role model for students and future HR leaders who want to contribute and make a difference.”
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