Speakers

Considered the “technical heartbeat” of Technology, as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) organization Hilary Packer’s team is responsible for setting the technical strategy for Amex; defining architecture principles, standards and patterns; driving technical innovation; overseeing digital workplace strategy, engineering, and enablement; and fostering technical excellence across the company’s Technology group. Under Hilary’s leadership, the CTO organization promotes more streamlined ways of working, plus drives innovation and incubation of new products. Technology R&D is a key function of the CTO organization, in partnership with other Technology teams.

Hilary has more than 20 years’ experience as a technologist in financial services, most recently as Senior Vice President of Amex’s Digital Experience Engineering group, where she led the development of seamless digital experiences with best-in-class platforms delivering personalized, intuitive, and secure experiences, as well as the integration of external partners into the Amex tech ecosystem.

A member of the Technology Leadership Team, Hilary is a visible champion of a strong engineering culture and professional development, serving as head of the steering committee for Technology’s Technical Bar and executive sponsor of the Technical Career Path. She currently serves as Global Executive Sponsor of Amex’s Women in Technology network. She is a member of the National Advisory Board for the Computer Science & Engineering Department at the University of Michigan, a past volunteer with Girls Who Code, and for several years, has volunteered as a scholarship reviewer for the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

She joined the company in 2019 as Vice President leading Digital Acquisition & Loyalty. Previously, she held several engineering executive roles, including positions at Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Deutsche Bank. Hilary earned her Bachelor of Science degree in computer science at the University of Michigan and her Master’s in software engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

Away from work, her passions include geeking out over new technology, hiking, travel photography, Michigan football, and sundowners on safari in Africa. She is based in New York. Her first computer was a Mac Plus.