Leadership frequently appears in unexpected ways, in the ability to bring changes from scratch and to make a difference starting from the grassroots level. Oleksandr Shchybun is a perfect example of such a kind of leadership, humble and determined. He evaluates his success not on the corporate position but on systems implemented, difficulties overcome, and people empowered. Before joining the ranks of the global finance and compliance community, his journey started in a modest Soviet-era multi-family house in Ukraine.
As a child, Oleksandr used to spend his time playing football in a courtyard with neighborhood kids. This simple experience helped him understand what team spirit, resilience, flexibility, and discipline mean, values which he adhered to in his career since then. These early lessons in collaboration and perseverance would later shape not only his professional conduct but also his academic ambitions. Determined to transform practical instinct into strategic expertise, Oleksandr pursued an MBA from the University of Surrey, where he deepened his understanding of organizational leadership, financial governance, and global business dynamics. The program bridged the gap between his lived experiences and the structured, analytical thinking demanded by the world of international finance and compliance.
Now working as MLRO at Remittance360 Ltd, he applies the knowledge obtained both in his childhood and through his graduate education in building robust compliance systems and a governance framework, fostering an atmosphere of responsibility and mutual trust within the company.
The Crucible That Shaped a Leader
When the Soviet Union collapsed, and Ukraine emerged as an independent nation, a generation of young Ukrainians stared at an open horizon, and Oleksandr stared straight at Kyiv. His first choice was the Academy of Internal Affairs, a military-style institution with notoriously high entry standards. Applicants were required to be in excellent physical condition, clear entrance and physical training tests, and pass a psychological evaluation. The Academy operated on strict military discipline, with barrack-style housing and a curriculum that left little room for the faint-hearted.
Oleksandr earned his place there in 1994 as a cadet. What followed was an education that extended well beyond textbooks. The Academy trained him in forensic accounting, evidence collection, suspect and witness interrogation, hostage negotiation, and weapons handling. His classmates were a cross-section of post-Soviet society: fresh-faced recruits, hardened veterans who had served in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion, serving officers pursuing advanced qualifications, and female cadets entering law enforcement at a time when that path was far from conventional. He graduated from the academy with a bachelor’s degree in law, but he realized his true potential lay elsewhere.
Building a Career in Global Compliance
In June 2009, Oleksandr spotted an advertisement for a compliance manager position at American Express. Something about the role resonated immediately; it echoed the structured, rules-based world of law enforcement, but transplanted into the high-stakes arena of global finance.
At American Express, his remit centred on implementing and maintaining US laws within the company’s operations across Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union. Under the US Patriot Act’s counterterrorism financing provisions, Oleksandr developed internal procedures for customer identity verification, product risk evaluation, and territorial risk assessment. When the situation required it, he traveled personally to high-risk client locations to verify physical operations and confirm the presence of genuine anti-terrorism compliance measures in their corporate records.
He also administered the company’s obligations under the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, reviewing staff requests to extend gifts, meals, entertainment, and hospitality to clients, assessing whether those activities crossed the line into impropriety or created unfair advantage for the firm. He conducted FCPA training for staff while managing automated OFAC sanctions screening, investigating potential matches, and escalating confirmed ones to US authorities. What distinguished Oleksandr in this period was not just technical competence, but tenacity. When foreign business partners opposed the inclusion of US regulatory clauses in contracts, saying the terms were too strict, he stood firm.
Expanding Global Compliance Leadership
In May 2012, Oleksandr joined Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation — ENRC Plc, as a compliance officer in London. The scope of the role was immediate and expansive: ENRC operated across Brazil, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, Switzerland, and Kazakhstan.
He developed and rolled out ENRC’s worldwide compliance policy on counterterrorism financing and anti-money laundering, anchoring the framework to the UK Anti-Bribery Law of 2010 and UK Customer Due Diligence standards. He then drove that framework into the company’s regional offices, traveling to locations around the world to conduct audits, deliver compliance training, and personally manage due diligence on prospective clients. His sign-off was a prerequisite for any new contract. He exercised that authority without hesitation, including turning away clients who refused to provide identity documentation.
It was a demanding posting, and one that confirmed his standing as a compliance professional capable of operating at the highest levels of corporate governance. During this period, he expanded his expertise by earning a certificate in Financial Crimes Investigation from Utica College, which recognized Financial Crime Compliance as a growing specialized field.
When ENRC delisted from the London Stock Exchange and relocated to Luxembourg, Oleksandr considered launching his own compliance firm. Before he could do so, MoneyGram came calling.
Reaching the Pinnacle of Global Compliance Leadership
Oleksandr regards his appointment at MoneyGram as the pinnacle of his corporate career. Following a rigorous interview process, he joined the London team as Senior Regional Compliance Manager, overseeing compliance officers across Romania, Ukraine, and Russia, while managing the company’s operations in Israel, the Former Soviet Union, and Eastern Europe.
He reported directly to the Vice President of Compliance, who in turn reported to the Chief Compliance Officer in the United States. Within the compliance hierarchy of a major international financial institution, Oleksandr held a position at the third tier from the top.
The role required substantial people management, direct reports were distributed across multiple countries, regular business travel, and the authority to set policies and procedures for an entire enterprise. In 2014, he traveled to MoneyGram’s financial crime analytics center in Texas, where he trained alongside senior managers from Canada, Mexico, and the United States in automated processing of personal financial transactions for financial crime detection.
The Startup Chapter
After MoneyGram, Oleksandr made a deliberate turn toward entrepreneurship. He joined Remittance360 Ltd, a money remittance startup built by Ukrainian professionals in London, as the compliance officer responsible for creating the compliance function from scratch. No inherited frameworks and established procedures. Just expertise applied to a blank page.
“You have nothing, and you need to create everything for Compliance, from scratch basically,” he says.
The team obtained FCA regulatory approval in the UK, navigating the licensing process during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the world’s financial regulators were managing unprecedented operational strain. They secured a foreign payment system license in Ukraine and signed deals with local Ukrainian banks while building partnerships across the European Union. The pandemic tested the business model: the original plan for a physical walk-in office network became unworkable when public premises closed globally. But the leadership team adapted under pressure.
Sharing Compliance Expertise Beyond the Boardroom
Oleksandr is a compliance professional, author, and lifelong learner who believes that expertise should be shared to create a wider impact. Alongside his professional career, he writes books on compliance, studies French, and spends his weekends gardening, reflecting his well-rounded and disciplined approach to life.
He authored Compliance and Risk Management for Charitable Organisations, available on Amazon, after recognizing that many charitable institutions lack the compliance frameworks commonly used in the corporate sector. He has also contributed thought leadership articles to ACAMStoday, the publication of the Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists, where he examined complex compliance challenges involving charitable and volunteer organizations in the UK and Ukraine.
During his tenure at American Express, Oleksandr earned the CAMS certification from ACAMS, a qualification he considers foundational to his career. He describes it as an industry benchmark that validates the expertise required to become a compliance professional and practice anti-money laundering compliance effectively.
Advice for Future Leaders
Oleksandr believes that a great leader inspires and develops future leaders. His first piece of advice to anyone seeking a leadership role is to invest in the growth of those around them, to teach subordinates the skills they need to advance, not merely to perform their current duties. His second is to lead visibly: to demonstrate the standards you expect through your own conduct, not merely articulate them.
For those entering compliance, he counsels a combination of deep research, rule-following, and ambition. Oleksandr advises, “Understand the profession clearly before entering it. Work within established frameworks at large institutions that absorb the rules, practices, and professional habits they have refined over decades. And when opportunity presents itself, pursue it without hesitation: ask for the salary increase, apply for the promotion, follow the relocation if the career advancement is real.”
His message to anyone watching from the outside is direct: “Don’t be afraid of changes. Get experience, look around, and detect potential. Don’t get stuck in one industry; explore new opportunities. Success has many faces and forms, and sometimes a bad opportunity turns into further development and growth.”
