Gordon, 51, will join AmEx in early September under the title of executive vice president and chief information officer, reporting to Stephen Squeri, group president, global corporate services.

He fills a vacant position left open since January, when the previous CIO, Toby Redshaw, left the company.

Most recently, Gordon served as enterprise CIO and chief technology officer at Bank of America, following top IT posts at Best Buy and The Timberland Company. He announced his departure from the Charlotte-based bank earlier this year.

Gordon has advised various government agencies in the areas of national cyber security and emergency preparedness, and he served on the US National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee (NSTAC) by Presidential appointment.

Describing the move to American Express as an "irresistible opportunity", Gordon continues: "I'm excited to join the company at this critical time, as American Express continues to transform the customer experience to better meet the needs of our increasingly digital society."