management team
Our management team executes strategies around the world to adapt our business to the needs of the marketplace and help millions of people live easier lives.
Christina A. Gold
President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
As the president and chief executive officer for The Western Union Company, Christina Gold is responsible for the financial and overall operational performance of the $5.3 billion company - a worldwide leader in money transfer, bill payment and prepaid services. Based at Western Union's global headquarters in Englewood, Colorado, Gold has executive management oversight of a network of more than 400,000 Agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In addition, she oversees an employee base of over 6,900 people located in 50 countries.
Prior to joining First Data Corporation, the former parent company of Western Union in May 2002, Gold was president and chief executive officer of telecommunications and e-commerce services provider Excel Communications. She also had a distinguished career with Avon where she served as president, Avon North America, and was credited with a significant turnaround of the cosmetic brand's U.S. business. Ms. Gold was recognized in 2003, 2006 and 2008 by Fortune magazine as one of America's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business. Gold was recognized by Forbes magazine on its annual "100 Most Powerful Women" list as No. 56 in 2007, No. 90 in 2008, and No. 76 in 2009. BusinessWeek also named her as one of the top 25 U.S. managers in 1996.
Gold serves on the board of directors of ITT Corporation and New York Life, is a member of the Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy and serves on the Advisory Council of The Fulbright Center.
Gold is a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa and was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa in June 2009. She received the Award of Distinction - Faculty of Commerce & Administration from Concordia University in Montreal. She also received the "Batisseur," an honorary degree from the Professional Business School of Montreal, in recognition of her distinguished service to the business community.
Liz Alicea-Velez
Executive Vice President, Latin America/Caribbean
As executive vice president of Latin America/Caribbean for Western Union, Liz Alicea-Velez has executive management oversight for all Western Union sales, service, marketing, systems/operations, financial and support functions throughout Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean - the largest remittance receiving region in the world.
Alicea-Velez joined First Data Corporation, the former parent company of Western Union in 1992. In her career with the company, she has held a number of increasingly senior-level positions, most recently serving as senior vice president of the Latin America/Caribbean region. Prior to joining First Data, Alicea-Velez held positions in both the software and Spanish-language television industries.
Born and raised in the Bronx, New York, Alicea-Velez holds a bachelor's degree in psychology from Adelphi University and a Master of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.
Guy A. Battista
Executive Vice President and President of Western Union Financial Services, Inc.
As executive vice president and president of Western Union Financial Services, Inc., Guy Battista is responsible for ensuring both consumers and Agents experience flawless service in support of the money transfer business. Battista's focus includes customer service, along with risk and settlement operations. Battista is also responsible for corporate-wide real estate and physical security/fraud investigations. He is based in Englewood, Colorado at Western Union's global headquarters.
Prior to his roles with Western Union, Battista served as executive vice president and chief information officer for First Data Corp., the former parent company of Western Union, from March 2001 to 2006. He oversaw the information services group responsible for supporting information technology needs, including network/data center services, for the company's core lines of business. Battista has more than 30 years of information technology experience. Prior to joining First Data in 1990, Battista held several senior technology management positions at Shawmut Corp. in Boston.
Battista previously served on the board of advisors for the University of Colorado at Denver, helping to develop a masters program in Information Technology.
Ranjana Clark
Executive Vice President, Global Payments and Global Strategy
As Executive Vice President, Global Payments and Global Strategy, Ranjana Clark is responsible for the company's Payment Services division as well as its global strategy development. She is based in Englewood, Colorado, at the company's global headquarters.
Prior to joining Western Union in March 2009, Clark spent 20 years with Wachovia Corporation and Wells Fargo & Company, recently serving as Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Wachovia and Head of the Wholesale Customer Experience Group at Wells Fargo. During her career with them, Clark played a number of other critical roles as well, including Head of Wachovia’s Treasury Services Division, Head of Strategic Planning for Wachovia Corporation, and Head of Strategic Development for the Capital Markets Division. During her early career, Clark spent five years with Deutsche Bank in Mumbai, India.
A native of India, Clark graduated with a B.A. in Economics from Delhi University. She went on to pursue an M.B.A. at the Indian Institute of Management at Ahmedabad with an emphasis in Marketing followed by an M.B.A. in Finance at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University. In 2008, Clark was named to U.S. Banker magazine's 25 Most Powerful Women in Banking list. She has been on their Top 50 list every year since its inception in 2003.
Hikmet Ersek
Executive Vice President and Managing Director, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific Region
Hikmet Ersek, executive vice president and managing director for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Asia Pacific Region, is responsible for all areas of Western Union's business in the region, including sales, marketing and finance. Ersek joined First Data Corporation, the former parent company of Western Union in September 1999 as regional vice president for Western Union's Southern Europe region, later also taking on the Central and Eastern Europe region. In 2004, he was appointed senior vice president for Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, recently moving into the executive vice president position. He is based in Vienna, Austria.
Ersek also worked at Europay/MasterCard from 1986 until 1996 after a professional career as a basketball player. Before joining Western Union in 1999, Ersek was at GE Capital for 4 years.
A native of Istanbul, Ersek has a degree in Economics and Business Administration from the University of Economics, Vienna, Austria.
Gail Galuppo
Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer
As executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Gail Galuppo is responsible for directing Western Union's global branding, marketing strategy, sales management and product development. She is based in Englewood, Colorado, at Western Union's global headquarters.
Galuppo, who joined Western Union in September 2007, formerly was the chief marketing and customer officer for Standard Chartered Bank. In that role, she was responsible for marketing and brand strategy for the consumer banking business across Asia, the Middle East and Africa. In addition, Galuppo has 19 years of marketing, brand strategy and customer relationship management experience and has worked in senior-level positions with Sears Holdings Corp., GE Capital Card Services, Discover Card Financial Services and the Illinois CPA Society.
Galuppo holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Western Illinois University.
Robin Heller
Executive Vice President, Operations and IT
As executive vice president of the Operations and Information Technology division of Western Union, Robin Heller is responsible for strategically aligning, prioritizing and synchronizing Western Union's global service strategies through product delivery, customer service initiatives, technological solutions and integration projects. Prior to her current appointment, she was senior vice president, Global Operations for First Data Corporation, Western Union's former parent company, from November 2004 until September 2006. From July 2003 to November 2004, Heller served in a similar capacity with Western Union. Prior to that time, she was senior vice president, Sales, Marketing and Operations for Western Union Commercial Services from July 2002 until June 2003 and senior vice president, Operations and Client Management for IPS, a First Data subsidiary, from July 2000 until June 2002. Heller is based in Englewood, Colorado at Western Union's global headquarters.
Prior to joining First Data Corporation in 1998, Heller served as senior financial analyst at the First National Bank of Omaha in the strategic planning department. She currently serves on the board of directors at the University of Colorado - Denver School of Business, on the board of directors for Junior Achievement, Rocky Mountain Inc. and is also on the Wise Woman Council for the Women's Vision Foundation in Denver.
Heller received her master's of business administration degree from the University of Nebraska in Omaha and her bachelor's degree in business administration with a major in finance from Iowa State University.
Anne M. McCarthy
Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs
As executive vice president of Corporate Affairs for Western Union, Anne McCarthy oversees global media relations, employee communications, reputation management, public affairs, community relations and the Western Union Foundation. McCarthy is based in Englewood, Colorado, at the Western Union global headquarters.
McCarthy joined Western Union in 2007 after working for four years as the senior vice president of Global Communications for SAP A.G., where she led communications activities for the Customer Solutions and Operations division. In addition, McCarthy has worked in senior-level positions throughout the world at E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Polaroid Corporation, IBM Corporation, Sara Lee Corporation and Ogilvy Public Relations worldwide. She currently serves on the board of trustees for Alliance for Choice in Education, Colorado UpLift, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science and the Arthur W. Page Society. Additionally, McCarthy is an ambassador for MercyCorps, a Trustee of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and is a member of the Wise Women Council.
McCarthy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Michigan State University and has completed executive education programs at The Wharton School, the University of Pennsylvania and at INSEAD at Fontainebleau.
Scott T. Scheirman
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
As executive vice president and chief financial officer, Scott Scheirman is responsible for the leadership and direction of the Finance organization of The Western Union Company including the Investor Relations, Treasury, Tax and Internal Audit functions. In addition, Scheirman is the past Chairman of the Western Union Foundation's Board of Directors and currently serves as a director.
Prior to his current appointment, Scheirman held a variety of positions with First Data Corporation, Western Union's former parent company, most recently serving as the senior vice president and chief financial officer for Western Union from 1999 to 2006. Prior to joining First Data, Scheirman was responsible for leading multiple audit services for public and non-public clients for Ernst & Young. He is based in Englewood, Colorado, at Western Union's global headquarters.
Scheirman holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Northern Colorado, and is a Certified Public Accountant.
David Schlapbach
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
As executive vice president, general counsel and secretary, David Schlapbach is the chief legal officer responsible for the company's legal and regulatory compliance matters.
Prior to his current appointment, Schlapbach held a variety of positions at First Data Corporation, Western Union's former parent company, since joining it in 1996, including Deputy General Counsel - International, with responsibility for First Data's legal matters outside the United States. In this capacity, he worked in First Data's Paris office for four years, returning in 2004 to become general counsel for Western Union. Prior to joining First Data in 1996, Schlapbach was an attorney at the law firm of Blackwell Sanders Peper Martin LLP in St. Louis, Missouri. Schlapbach also serves as the chairman of the Board of Directors of the Western Union Foundation.
Schlapbach earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Virginia, a Master of Arts degree from Stanford University, and a Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School.
Stewart A. Stockdale
Executive Vice President and President, The Americas
As executive vice president and president, The Americas, Stewart A. Stockdale is responsible for Western Union's consumer business in The Americas region, including profit-and-loss responsibility for all Western Union direct-to-consumer products in this market.Prior to joining Western Union in June 2008, Stockdale served as president of Simon Brand Ventures and as chief marketing officer of Simon Property Group. Stockdale was responsible for all marketing and consumer ventures-related businesses within Simon including: payment systems, media, consumer data, business development, sponsorships and events, corporate marketing, mall marketing, public relations, and Simon.com, and reported to the CEO. Additionally, Stockdale also held senior positions with such multinational companies as Conseco, Inc., MasterCard, American Express and Procter & Gamble.
Stockdale holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in marketing from the University of Denver and completed The Executive Program at the University of Virginia's Darden Graduate School of Business Administration. Stockdale currently serves on the board of The Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and Gleaners Food Bank.
Grover Wray
Executive Vice President of Human Resources
As executive vice president of Human Resources, Grover Wray is responsible for Human Resources strategy, including recruiting, deployment, development and total rewards for over 6,900 people in 50 countries. He is based in Englewood, Colorado at Western Union's global headquarters.
Prior to taking his current position in September 2006, Wray joined First Data Corporation, former parent company of Western Union in October 2005 as senior vice president, human resources for Western Union. Prior to joining First Data, Wray served as vice president, leadership and professional development and staffing, for Janus Capital Group from 2004 to 2005. In addition, he held the role of chief human resources officer of North America for Heidrick and Struggles from 2003 to 2004. From 1988 to 2003, he held increasingly responsible senior management roles at Arthur Andersen LLP, culminating in the role of managing partner of human resources in North America.
Wray holds a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Organizational Behavior degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.