CORAL GABLES, FL, July 10, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Odilon Almeida Jr. has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who. The prestigious recognition is a testament to his remarkable achievements and outstanding leadership in business, finance, fintech, technology, and consumer goods worldwide. With over 40 years of experience, Odilon AJ. has significantly impacted these industries, making him a highly respected and esteemed business leader.
Profile of Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes are selected for position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field.
With impressive global leadership roles with tenured international publicly listed companies, Odilon AJ partners with enterprises for value creation through board participation, private equity advisory, or direct investment. He is currently the managing principal of AJ. Holdings Co, and operating partner at Advent International. He serves on the boards of four companies: NCR Atleos, Votorantim Bank, Vanto Group and Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. For the past eight years, Odilon AJ was a board member of Millicom International and chairman of its Compliance and Risk Committee.
From early 2020 to the end of 2022, Odilon AJ had an impressive tenure as President, Chief Executive Officer and Board Member of ACI Worldwide, a leading global software company that provides mission-critical real-time payment solutions to the world's largest banks and corporations. Over a short period, he strategically positioned the company as the global leader in real-time payments, expanded EBITDA margin by more than 500 basis points and drove mid-single-digit organic revenue growth, a noteworthy achievement after a decade of stagnant or declining revenue. The company reached the rule of 40 in 2021, scoring 43 for the first time, and continued to accelerate revenue growth in 2022. Having accomplished his mission at ACI Worldwide, he retired as a Global CEO and transitioned to private equity.
From 2002 to 2019, Odilon AJ held increasingly senior general management and operating roles at Western Union, the global leader in cross-border money movement with $5.6 B in revenue. He was President of Western Union Global Money Transfer, where he headed WU's $5 B consumer business in over 200 countries and territories and its digital offering in over 90 countries. Previously, he was President of the Americas and Europe, President of the Americas, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Latin America and the Caribbean, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of South America, and Regional Vice President of the Southern Cone, Americas. Before joining Western Union, Odilon AJ was the Founder and CEO of the venture capital firm ADDventure Inc. From 1998 to 2001, he was Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Digital Ventures at BankBoston International. Earlier, he held marketing and operating positions at Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive.
A solid educational foundation shapes Odilon AJ's success. He received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the Mauá Institute of Technology in Sao Paulo 1983. Almeida earned a Master of Business Administration from the Getulio Vargas Foundation in 1986. He has furthered his credentials with multiple certifications, including in artificial intelligence from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, making corporate boards more effective from Harvard Business School Executive Education, strategy under uncertainty from the Wharton Institute of Executive Education, and managing corporate resources from the International Institute for Management Development.
In addition to serving on multiple boards and working with private equity, Odilon AJ maintains membership in the Latino Corporate Directors Association and the Young Presidents' Organization, connecting him to a community of executives to share his knowledge and gain insight from others. His contributions to Brazil, particularly, were honored with the Barão de Mauá Award in 2018. He was also honored with the Caboré Award for marketing and was named best marketer of the year in 1995. He credits his success to four values that guide his personal and professional life: integrity, accountability, diversity and respect. Odilon AJ also mentors young professionals to invest time in self-reflection and self-improvement, believing personal growth will lead to professional advancement.
Beyond his career, Odilon AJ enjoys remaining physically active by participating in triathlons and competing in volleyball, which he once played professionally. He founded the LOG Foundation, a nonprofit focused on disaster relief and education, to help give back to the community. Mr Almeida's primary goal for the future is to continue creating abundance for the people and causes he cares about and to have a lasting impact on the world. To that end, he intends to prioritize meaningful relationships and spending time with the people he loves, even as he continues to provide leadership in the business world.
About Marquis Who's Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who's Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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