Farewell Ken Chenault

Elizabeth Tam January 31, 2018

Today marks the end of an era at American Express as our CEO Ken Chenault passes the torch to Steve Squeri on his final day at the company.

I have been working at AMEX since June of 2015 and it by far has one of the best work cultures and work/life balance. I think this goes to show what great leadership Ken has, can’t wait to see what changes Steve will make.

I had the pleasure of speaking with him today, his last day at the company. Ken was very down to earth and really eager to meet everyone and even take some photos - it was actually rather humbling.

One thing that really resonated with me, is Ken’s ambition and drive. In a conversation yesterday, he discussed his future plans not only in the digital world, but to give back the community. Can I please be as swagger as Ken? (He said that word quite a lot yesterday). However, he did say as much as he loves AMEX he had missed out on opportunities to spend time with friends and loved ones. My advice to you, which I am sure Ken will agree with is seize every opportunity and spend time with those that you love.

My biggest takeaway on a personal level, Short people and events who are a waste of time (Silly finance reference made my Ken yesterday)

Ken has truely made an impact at the company, in the black community and the globe.

Wishing Ken the best of luck in the next chapter of his life, you are going to do great things!

Grammy Weekend 2018

Elizabeth Tam January 29, 2018

This weekend marked the 60th Annual Grammy Awards! I am so excited that the Grammys were held in NYC after 15 years of being in Los Angeles! I was fortunate enough to hit a few pre-Grammy parties on Saturday.

This weekend I attended The Soiree Gala at BB Kings & a private pre-Grammy party at the W Hotel.

The Soiree Gala

At the Soiree Gala, I saw a few performances and met a few of the artists one of which, Kay Morris, was a "Considered Grammy Nominee" performing that night! In fact, I guess I played the part so well, that she asked me to take a selfie with her and thought I was also performing that night.

W Hotel

Next stop was the W Hotel in Times Square for a private party where Lexy Panterra performed a few song. I will be honest, I did not know too much about Lexy prior to Saturday night, but she had a great voice!

Sadly I did not make it to Clive Davis' or Diddy's Parties, but I had a great time. Cant wait until next Grammy Week, I hope the Recording Academy brings the Grammys back to NYC soon!

Why do I love the Grammys so much? Well, I actually I have quite the ties with music...

Here are some fun facts about my ties to the music and the industry (in semi chronological order):

I can play the piano, clarinet & recorder
I was very involved with "street teams" when I was in HS, in fact I was VP of the Greg Raposo (formerly of Dream Street) Street Team and NY State Leader of the Stevie Brock Street Team.
I interned at a Warner Music for 1.5 years in college (2 semesters on the label side & 1 semester in corporate). I had the pleasure of interning with Liz Rosenberg during my time at WBR.
I LOVE going to concerts

Congratulations to all of the Grammy nominees and winners!

Big shoutouts to Bruno Mars & Jay-Z on your big wins!

First Photoshoot of 2018

Elizabeth Tam January 27, 2018

Today I had the pleasure of shooting with Babs Photography and had my makeup done by Selma Makeup NYC!

We shot in studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Things to know when shooting, always be ready for anything, and know there may be a long wait time in between shoots!

Barbara and Selma were amazing, I can’t wait to shoot with them again!

Outfit:

Dress: JCrew

Shoes: Marc Defang

Jewelery: Swarovski

Looking toward the weekend

Elizabeth Tam January 26, 2018

Got Florida on my mind...

It is supposed to warm up this weekend in NYC! What do you have planned for the weekend?

SASF Young Professionals Thank You

Elizabeth Tam January 19, 2018

As many of you may or may not know, I am the President of the Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation (SASF) Young Professional Council.

SASF is the largest provider of free after school programming in the greater NYC area. As a product of NYC public education from K-12, I can definitely relate to the students and have seen the impacts of the NYC education system first hand. I am so happy to be a part of this organization.

Thank you to SASF Young Professionals Council for an amazing year & I am so proud to call myself your President.

I can’t wait to see what great things we will accomplish in 2018 for Sports & Arts in Schools Foundation!

How I spent my weekend...

Elizabeth Tam January 18, 2018

This weekend I spent my weekend painting my NEW APARTMENT!!!!

First off, I want to say thank you to my parents and my friends (Torres & Brohan), who came out to paint with me this weekend!

Who knew painting would be so much work? We spent the entire 3 day weekend (we had MLK day off) painting and still have to do a second coat on the walls, trim and doors.

I think it will hopefully be done soon enough, but if anyone wants to come and help, I would greatly appreciate it!

For those of you who are looking to paint your house or apartment, here are a few tips/things I have learned:

Painting order: Ceiling, Walls, Doors, Trim
Spackle, sand & wipe down the walls (in that order) before you begin painting
3M Blue Tape & Frog Tape (Green Tape) are your friends - these are used to make sure you paint straight lines or do not paint over unwanted areas
- Blue Tape - is a bit stretchier and less sticky, this is good for ceilings and is a bit cheaper than green tape
- Green Tape - is stickier than blue tape, thus it is good for places where the lines are very important, such as trimmings

Stay tuned for more tips, as I am sure I will learn a lot more as I begin my journey as a homeowner!