Ajay Banga

CEO, Chairman-elect, President | Mastercard

191st

in Fortune 500

275th

in Forbes Global 2000

Mastercard’s revenue has tripled under Ajay’s leadership, which saw a strong focus on furthering global payment processes and ensuring data integrity. Awarded the Padma Shri Award in 2016 and the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2019, he will step down as CEO in January 2021 and become senior chairman. Prior to his leadership at Mastercard, Ajay began his career at Nestlé India, PepsiCo, and later joined Citigroup where he eventually became CEO of the Asia Pacific region. Ajay completed his bachelor’s degree from Delhi University and received his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Apart from his leadership at Mastercard, Ajay actively engages in social initiatives. He is a co-founder of The Cyber Readiness Institute. Among his several roles, Ajay currently serves as the Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce and was a founding trustee for the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum. In response to the outbreak of coronavirus, Mastercard has partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust to donate $125 million towards accelerating COVID-19 treatment access.

Fun Fact: Ajay and his wife Ritu met while studying at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. They were kicked out of class for playing “knots and crosses” which led to their first date.