Kenneth Chenault’s life runs alongside the modern history of Black America — and now he is telling it in his own words. Equal to the Task: A Life Forged Between America’s Promise and Its Truth arrives November 3 from HarperCollins Leadership, the first memoir from the man who led American Express for nearly two decades. Readers can preorder it now; it publishes in hardcover, ebook and an audiobook edition read by Chenault himself.

Born in 1951, when segregation was still written into the laws of the land, Chenault joined American Express in 1981 as director of strategic planning and climbed, step by step, to the very top — becoming, in 2001, the first Black CEO of American Express. He led the company for almost two decades, through the aftermath of 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis, building one of the world’s largest customer loyalty programs, Membership Rewards, and a global reputation for customer service. When he stepped down, Warren Buffett — the company’s largest shareholder — called him “the gold standard for corporate leadership and the benchmark that I measure others against.”

Instead of the usual victory lap of board seats, Chenault made a surprising second act: he joined General Catalyst, the venture capital firm where he now serves as chairman and a managing director, backing fast-growing companies built on technology for both profit and purpose. The memoir reflects on that whole arc — the mentors who shaped him, the values handed down by his ancestors, parents, teachers and heroes, and what moral leadership demands in a crisis. “In these pages, I share how I managed the opportunities and challenges encountered over the course of my life and career,” Chenault writes. “In doing so, I hope to convey the values I hold most dear.”

The endorsements read like a boardroom roll call — Buffett, Airbnb cofounder Brian Chesky, Katie Couric, Adam Grant, Harvard president emerita Drew Gilpin Faust and Earvin “Magic” Johnson, who credits Chenault with jump-starting his own business career. Equal to the Task is a rare thing: an inside account of Black leadership at the very summit of corporate America, from a man who had to be equal to every room he entered.

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