By Josh Beckerman
American Express Co. said President Edward Gilligan died after
becoming seriously ill on a flight home to New York on Friday
morning.
Mr. Gilligan, who was 55 years old, was widely considered the
heir apparent to Chief Executive Kenneth Chenault.
Mr. Gilligan was named the company's president two years ago and
joined American Express in 1980 while still a student at New York
University. He had served as vice chairman beginning in 2007.
"His contributions have left an indelible imprint on practically
every area of our business," Mr. Chenault said in a letter to the
staff.
Mr. Gilligan is responsible for the company's global consumer,
small business services, merchant services and network services
groups.
At the time of Mr. Gilligan's 2013 promotion, the company
credited him with increasing its share of online spending, enhanced
social media efforts and international expansion into new areas of
loyalty marketing.
He is survived by his wife, Lisa, and children Katie, Meaghan,
Kevin and Shane.
Write to Josh Beckerman at josh.beckerman@wsj.com
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