Hikmet Ersek is president and CEO of The Western Union Company. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as the company’s chief operating officer. Ersek joined Western Union in September 1999. He began his career in financial services in 1986 at Europay/MasterCard in Austria. In 1996, Ersek joined General Electric (GE) Capital. He also represented the GE Corporation as a national executive in Austria and Slovenia. Ersek is a member of the World Economic Forum International Business Council. In 2012, he received The Opening Minds Corporate Leadership Award from the Institute of International Education and Corporate Responsibility magazine’s 2012 Responsible CEO of the Year Award. Ersek serves on the board of directors for Teach for All. He also represents Austria as honorary consul for Colorado and Wyoming. Ersek has a master's in economics and business administration from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.