'Colleague experience officer' | Amex ditches the 'HR' term and builds a new function. Will it work?

In a time when many companies are adding flashy titles to their C-suites, American Express’s recent name change for its HR department might seem like just another superficial move.

However, according to Chief Colleague Experience Officer Monique Herena, this change reflects a broader business pivot and a reimagining of the HR function at Amex.

“It wasn’t about just coming up with the next cool name,” Herena recently told Fortune. “For HR, it was a strategic decision aligned with the Amex vision and strategy.”

This change came shortly after Steve Squeri became Chairman and CEO of American Express in early 2018. Squeri introduced a new vision for the company to “provide the world’s best customer experience every day,” and hired Herena for the top HR role in early 2019.