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NAPLES — Phil Heasley, after 15 years of leading Naples-based electronic payments pioneer ACI Worldwide, has announced he plans to retire, effective the end of 2019.
The company, which handles some 20% of the world’s payment activity and did $1.01 billion in sales in 2018, has hired Russell Reynolds to assist it in identifying potential CEO candidates, according to a statement. Heasley will stay with the company in a consulting role for three months following his retirement to ease the transition, the statement adds.
“It has been a great privilege to lead ACI over the past 15 years,” Heasley says in the statement. “I am very proud of how we have strengthened our position as an innovative leader in this dynamic marketplace. The ACI operating model is fully in place and gaining traction among key customer segments globally. I believe this is an opportune time for me to step aside and let a new leader guide ACI into the future. I am proud of all we have accomplished together and am confident in our team’s ability to build on this momentum. ACI has a deep bench of talent and the entire organization remains focused and well-positioned to execute on our strategy and drive long-term shareholder value.”
When ACI named Heasley president and CEO in 2005, he had already had a distinguished 30-year career in finance technology. He was chairman of the board of Visa from 1996 to 2003, and prior to that he was chairman and CEO of First USA Bank and president and CEO of U.S. Bancorp.
When Heasley joined ACI the company was based where it was founded, Omaha, Neb. Heasley oversaw a move to New York City, and then, in 2012, relocated the firm to Naples. Revenues have more than doubled since 2011, from $465.10 million to surpassing $1 billion in revenue in 2014. The company has some 3,800 employees worldwide.
“On behalf of the entire board of directors and all ACI team members, I thank Phil for his significant contributions to ACI and his many years of dedicated service,” ACI Chairman David Poe says in the release. “During his tenure, Phil successfully advanced ACI’s position as a global leader in real-time electronic payments. Among Phil’s many accomplishments, he transformed ACI to include a successful cloud-based business.”
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