AI Issue 7 2017

8 Acquisition International - July 2017 Tech billionaire Dr. Andy Khawaja of Allied Wallet feels honoured to be given the prestigious CEO of the Year – California accolade. We invited him to share his inspiring insights into leading others and helping them to succeed in life, just as he has. irstly, can you tell me what Allied Wallet does? Allied Wallet is a globally recognised payment services company, and we enable businesses in 196 countries to succeed by simplifying their payment acceptance solutions and enabling them to accept nearly any payment method. We specialise in multi-currency solutions, state-of-the-art fraud protection, and we lead the industry in innovation because we’ve created a payment services company that connects so many different payment methods. Whether you need online credit card processing, mobile point of sale, a digital wallet solution, prepaid cards, or even ACH – we can do it and you’ll have it all in one easy to manage system. We make it simple to make money in an industry that can be very complicated and confusing. That’s the beauty in Allied Wallet. How does it feel to be awarded CEO of the Year - California? I feel very honoured to be recognised as CEO of the Year. I feel like my hard work and passion for what I do is recognised. I’ve been awarded and featured all over the world from the television shows to magazine covers to keynote speeches and expert commentaries, and it is always an honour. It’s an opportunity for me to give back; at least, that’s how I take it. I love to advise and mentor and educate people. From my own team to entrepreneurs all over the world, I want people to succeed and do better. I want them to be persistent and work hard for their goals. When I’m awarded, it’s also an award for my team and it motivates us to keep up the good work. How does it feel to be a CEO in California? What do you feel the region has to offer for a firm such as yours? I do travel a lot. I travel most of the year and I spend a lot of time in Europe, Asia, the middle east, and in New York - but there is something special about California. There is so much opportunity here. Los Angeles is where I live and where I call home, and it’s great to be in a city that is so motivating and moving at all times. Having one of our headquarters Company: Allied Wallet Web: www.alliedwallet.com FollowYour Dreams F 1704AI51 in L.A. is very beneficial for us and allows us to meet many of the companies face to face that we do business with on the west coast. Tell me about your office in California - and its vital role in the work of Allied Wallet? Our headquarters in Los Angeles, California is a giant, constantly turning gear in Allied Wallet’s success. From developers to sales and underwriting to compliance, we have a huge team working in that office to take care of customers all over the world. Our L.A. office is very important and much of our success and innovation is birthed within our building in California. Can you tell me the moment your first has the ambition to become a CEO? From a very young age, I had an entrepreneurial spirit in my bones. I’ve always been a leader and I’ve always had the passion to work hard and reach my goals. But my first ambition to become a CEO came from my thirst for improvement in the way people do business. I wanted to create and innovate new methods for people to safely, securely, and simply accept payments. I had a vision, and I worked very hard to make that vision a reality. Tell me about your journey towards becoming a CEO - what did it involve? I can tell you that it wasn’t easy, but I never gave up. A CEO’s journey is never easy and running a global business requires a lot of dedication and hard work even in the face of doubt from others around you. But it has been a beautiful journey. I’ve been able to see businesses improve and succeed and increase their profit beyond their dreams and this is satisfying for me. Making a difference and creating a solution that truly helps entrepreneurs like myself is very fulfilling. How long have you been a CEO for now? Apart from my other projects and ventures, I have been Allied Wallet’s CEO since I founded it over ten years ago. What would a typical day as a CEO involve? I usually wake up very early, sometimes 4am, and I arrive at the office before most of my team. I want to set an example and there is a lot to do. Many of my team members show up early just after me and we eagerly get started. I work with all our departments in a hands-on way because I want to be part of it. By working with them directly, I can see where our company can be streamlined and how we can do better. It allows me to have the best understanding of our business and our practices. “As the CEO and Founder of a multi-billion- dollar company, I’ve led my team to global recognition for our payment solutions and even our workplace environment..”