Ajay Banga

Ajay Banga is president and chief executive officer of MasterCard and a member of its board of directors. Prior to joining MasterCard in 2009, Mr Banga was chief executive officer of Citigroup Asia Pacific, responsible for all businesses in the region, including institutional banking, alternative investments, wealth management, consumer banking and credit cards. He joined Citigroup in 1996 and held a variety of senior management roles in the United States, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa. He was also responsible for Citi’s brand marketing and from 2005 to 2009 oversaw its efforts in microfinance. Mr Banga began his career at Nestlé, India, where for thirteen years he worked on assignments spanning sales, marketing and general management. He also spent two years at PepsiCo, where he was instrumental in launching its fast-food franchises in India as the economy liberalized. Mr Banga is a member of the board of overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College and a member of the board of governors of the American Red Cross. Mr Banga is a member of President Obama’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations. He serves on the US–India CEO Forum and is chairman of the US–India Business Council. Mr Banga is also a member of each of the following: the executive committee of the Business Roundtable, the international business council of the World Economic Forum, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Economic Club of New York and the Business Council, on which he is a vice chair. Mr Banga serves on the board of directors of the following organizations: the Financial Services Roundtable—where he is chairman-elect, the New York City Ballet and the Partnership for New York City. He also serves on the International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management (SKOLKOVO). He is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association and was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012. From 2007 to 2012, Mr Banga served on the board of directors of Kraft Foods. He has also served on the board of trustees of the Asia Society, the New York Hall of Science and the National Urban League, among others. He received a BA in Economics from Delhi University where he graduated with honours and is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.