CEO Today UK Awards 2021

79 CEO TODAY UNITED KINGDOM AWARDS 2021 Financial Services About Ismail Ahmed For Ismail, founding WorldRemit was the culmination of 20 years’ experience in the money transfer industry - spanning academic, consulting and in-house roles. Before setting- up his own business, he worked for the United Nations Remittance Programme, helping African money transfer companies comply with tough anti-money laundering rules introduced after the 9/11 attacks. Ismail has published widely-cited research on the effect of remittances in Somaliland following the country’s civil war. He holds an MSc and PhD from the University of London and an Executive MBA from London Business School. www.worldremit .com Firm Profile As a student in London in the 1980s, Ismail Ahmed needed to send money home to his family in East Africa. Every transaction meant a long journey to an agent who charged a small fortune in fees. In 2010, he decided to try to make a difference in an industry that supports millions of people exactly like him. Ismail’s vision, to help people like him improve the lives of those they care about, is at the heart of everything we stand for today. With the help of co-founders Catherine Wines and Richard Igoe, Ismail founded WorldRemit to bring an offline industry to an online future. Now led by CEO Breon Corcoran, we’re taking the revolution that Ismail and his team started in London, worldwide. We believe in helping our customers’ hard work go further. We’ve helped millions of children to go to school, helped thousands of people to receive medical treatment and, every week, we help tens of thousands of people to pay their bills. Over the last ten years, our business has grown to serve 5.7 million customers, using 70 different currencies, across 130 countries worldwide. With various options for sending transfers to loved ones overseas, including bank deposit, mobile money, and cash pickup, we’ve made it convenient for you to send money, and for your family and friends to receive it. Over 90% of our transfers are authorised within minutes, and with more than 125,000 five star reviews, you can be sure that your money is in safe hands. We pride ourselves on hiring a diverse team from different cultural and professional backgrounds. With 1000+ employees around the world, there are more than 30 nationalities in our London headquarters alone. We also have regional hubs around the world - in the Philippines, the United States, Nigeria, Poland and Cameroon. Ahmed Founder of WorldRemit Ismail