TOM ISEGHOHI

FORMER EXECUTIVE V P  & CORPORATE CONTROLLER, AMERICAN EXPRESS

Tom Iseghohi is an experienced executive with more than 18 years of corporate business experience with leadership roles in Finance, Strategy, Purchasing, Sales, Marketing and Operations. 

In his current role as Corporate Controller, Tom is the Chief Accounting Officer of the American Express Company and is responsible for leading the major critical financial processes for the company.  Responsibilities include internal and external reporting, financial policy and control.  He also leads critical external interfaces with the Board, analysts, rating agencies and the SEC.  In a very active legislative and rigorous accounting rule-making environment, Tom is successfully leading the company’s compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley legislation and manages the SEC relationship.  He runs the company’s disclosure committee, the CEO/CFO attestation process and is among a handful of individuals, including the CEO, CFO, General Counsel and General Auditor, who are responsible for all external reporting decisions. 

The role is somewhat unique in that it also includes leadership accountabilities for a $7 billion procurement organization and a financial operations organization.  Tom manages a global team of 3,000 people with locations in every continent, including a team of 1,000 people in India and a $300 million budget for his finance organization.  Since arriving at American Express two years ago, he has strengthened the talent, improved processes, driven improved financial control, enhanced quality, delivered $57 million in cost reductions and is on track to deliver another $24 million in efficiencies in 2003.  In addition, the procurement organization is on track to deliver incremental reengineering saves of $160 million to the Company.  The establishment of a global excellence center for financial tools and processes has been crucial to improvements in quality and cost.

Tom is a member of the Global Management Team, which is made up of the top 50 senior executives in the company and is involved in critical strategic decision-making.  In addition, Tom has joint responsibility with Al Kelly, Group President, Consumer and Small Business Services, for development and implementation of the corporate diversity strategy.

Prior to American Express, Tom served as Executive Director of Purchasing, eBusiness and Strategy for Ford Motor Company's $96 Billion Purchasing Division.  Tom played a key role in Ford Motor Company’s recognition as a leader in minority supplier development.  He sat on Ford's Global Strategy Committee and served as the secretary of the President’s Operating committee.  While at Ford Motor Company, Tom also ran Finance for Global Manufacturing as Assistant Controller of Global Vehicle Operations, was instrumental in the tripling of the profitability of Mustangs as Director of Strategy and Controller of Product Development for Performance and Luxury Cars  (Jaguar, Aston Martin, Mustang, Lincoln and Thunderbird), reengineered Global Logistics, ran Global Car Pricing for the $150 billion Marketing and Sales Division and led the restructure of European Logistics.

Tom joined Ford Motor Company from Pepsi, where he held positions in Finance, Sales and Headquarter Staff.  His last assignment at Pepsi was as CFO of a $2 billion Division.  In his assignment as National Group Manager of Sales Operations, Tom redesigned and implemented "The Driving Force" and refocused the sales force from non-value added activities to allow more time to sell and grow the business.  Sales grew significantly as a result of this initiative. 

Tom obtained his undergraduate degree in Accounting and Computer Science from Bethune-Cookman College and his MBA in Finance and International Business from The Ohio State University.