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Former Amex CEO Ken Chenault has yet another new gig, this one at General Catalyst

He’ll be one of the highest-profile black venture capitalists.

Venture capitalist Ken Chenault Lacy O'Toole / CNBC / NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Ken Chenault is everywhere in Silicon Valley.

In the last month, the longtime American Express CEO has been announced as the new board member at two of the region’s biggest companies, Facebook and Airbnb. Now he’s joining as the sole chairman of the venture capital firm General Catalyst.

“Without a doubt, he is one of the most accomplished, respected, and well-liked CEOs in the Fortune 100,” the firm said in a blog post announcing his hire. “It may be obvious, but to us, that last bit is the most important part.”

Chenault will bring much-needed diversity to the venture capital industry — only 2 percent of venture capitalists are black, according to the National Venture Capital Association.

“GC is not just a top VC firm with powerful personalities,” Chenault said in a statement. “They are in it to win for all the right reasons.”


This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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