Erik Rathke is an operator, leader, and systems thinker who brings military precision and corporate discipline to financial services. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of HSI Wealth Strategies, where he leads marketing, recruiting, training, human resources, and finance initiatives to establish HSI as the premier financial planning firm for airline pilots.
Prior to joining HSI in August 2025, Erik spent nearly twelve years at Citigroup, where he most recently led the Home Depot Credit Card Digital portfolio, driving over $5 billion in annual spend and more than one million new accounts annually. Throughout his tenure at Citi, he held progressive leadership roles across the Global Consumer Bank in Product Management, Relationship Management, Digital Transformation, Strategy, Credit Risk, Governance, and Fraud Prevention. His performance earned him two prestigious recognitions: the Leaders in Excellence Award in 2016 and selection for Citi's Leader Accelerator program in 2019.
Erik's corporate career was preceded by nearly twelve years of distinguished service on active duty in the United States Air Force as a C-17 Instructor Pilot, where he accumulated nearly 3,000 flight hours, including 1,000 combat hours. As Operations Flight Commander for the Special Operations Low Level program, he led an elite flying unit, and was competitively selected for the Phoenix Mobility program, reserved for the top one percent of Air Mobility Command's eligible officers.
Erik continues his military service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve, contributing to the recruitment and evaluation of future Air Force officers and the training of more than 1,000 Academy Liaison Officers across the country. He and his wife, Sarah, have four children and are relocating from Georgia to Colorado.
Erik holds a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Touro University. He is also a graduate of Air War College.
Board & Community Service
Erik founded and served as Chair of the Atlanta Citi Salutes organization and later served on the National Citi Salutes Leadership team. He has served as Atlanta Chapter President for the Air Force Academy's Association of Graduates and is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. He has volunteered with FourBlock, which assists veterans transitioning to corporate careers.