Amy Buckner Chowdhry

Amy Buckner Chowdhry is an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. She is the founder of AnswerLab, a user experience (UX) research firm.

Early life and education

Buckner Chowdhry was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and East Asian Studies from Vanderbilt University, graduating magna cum laude and inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. After Vanderbilt, she spent three years in Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan working with the Ministry of Education and later for St. Benedict's High School.

Career

AnswerLab

In 2004, she founded AnswerLab, serving as its CEO until 2024 before transitioning to board chair. Under her leadership, the firm partnered with Google, Amazon, Facebook, American Express, Wells Fargo, and FedEx to help enhance products through research-driven insights. During her time as CEO of AnswerLab, she prioritized inclusivity and a high-quality work environment. Under her leadership, AnswerLab developed the "Human-Centered Work Project."
Under her leadership, AnswerLab also secured a growth investment from Shamrock Capital in September 2022.
AnswerLab received multiple accolades under her tenure:

Later career and philanthropy

After stepping down as CEO in 2024, Amy became board chair of AnswerLab and turned her focus to philanthropy in her native East Tennessee.
Her initiatives center around:

Public speaking

Post AnswerLab's transaction with Shamrock, Amy has spoken on topics such as entrepreneurship, finding the right partner for exit, and leading/scaling an organization with your personal values at BrainTrust Live, Kayo Private Equity Conference, and PEI Women in Private Markets Summit North America.
While leading AnswerLab, Amy frequently spoke at industry events and contributed to thought leadership in UX, DEI, and human centered work. She has written for Entrepreneur, Inc. and UXmatters.