Western Union CEO and leadership

Hikmet Ersek, with more than 30 years of executive experience in global financial services, leads Western Union - one of the world’s most global money transfer & payments companies, with a legacy of innovation that extends back more than 167 years.

Under Hikmet’s leadership, WU has built a global payments business, with cross-border offerings for individuals, small businesses, NGOs, educational institutions, financial institutions & others, backed by investments in best-in-class compliance operations.

Hikmet has been committed to evolving & diversifying the company to meet the needs of customers worldwide. He spearheaded the growth of WU’s innovative digital platform, which enables customers & businesses to quickly move money online, on mobile & through social media. The integration of this digital platform with WU’s vast retail network gives the company a unique ability to serve customers across the online & offline worlds.

Hikmet’s career in financial services began with Europay/MasterCard in Austria in 1986. A decade later, he joined General Electric (GE) Capital, where he also represented the GE Corporation as the National Executive in Austria & Slovenia.

A citizen of both Austria & Turkey, Hikmet’s international background & role as WU's CEO have made him a passionate global advocate for diversity & the rights of migrants & refugees. He has been recognized as Corporate Responsibility Magazine’s 2012 Responsible CEO of the Year, Austrian Citizen of the Year in 2016, Best FinTech CEO 2018 by the FinTech Breakthrough Awards, and as Manager of the Year 2018 by the University of Economics Vienna (Wirtschafts Universitaet Wien).

Hikmet currently serves as the Austrian Honorary Consul for Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico. He is a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum and the Business Roundtable.