American Express appoints Sharon Chew as VP & GM of Global Merchant Services Asia

By Gloria Mathias

American Express has announced the appointment of Sharon Chew as the Vice President & General Manager of Global Merchant Services Asia.

In her new role, Sharon will be responsible for all aspects of card acceptance, including payment processing, client management, merchant partnerships, and the development of new payment technology to drive merchant acceptance for American Express cards in the region, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and India markets.

Detailing her appointment, Werner Decker, Executive Vice President & General Manager, GMS International, American Express said, “We are making tremendous progress with our vision to significantly increase American Express card acceptance, where it matters most, for our high-spending customers. Sharon’s extensive experience across the payments landscape in Asia will help us fuel the shift to cashless payments with greater advances in the digital services ecosystem while further enhancing card acceptance.”

Sharon Chew added, “I am excited about this new role and am looking forward to strengthening our existing merchants, acquiring partnerships, and forging new relationships while further expanding our reach in the region. With its diverse customer base and evolving payment landscape, Asia is a unique market for American Express, where we are committed to enhancing our merchant value proposition.”

Sharon first joined American Express in 2004 and, during the initial 16 years, held leadership positions across consumer and network businesses, leading product and marketing, supporting proprietary issuers, and supporting bank partners across 17 markets in Asia.

Prior to rejoining American Express recently, Sharon was the General Manager for Loyalty Solutions for Asia-Pacific at Mastercard, overseeing loyalty engagement for financial institutions, digital partners, and strategic merchants across Australia, Greater China, North and South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

With over 20 years of experience in the payments space, Sharon has led large-scale enterprise projects and business transformation initiatives with a proven track record of leadership and results across local, regional, and global teams.