Mastercard announces new CEO

Mastercard announced that Ajay Banga, President and Chief Executive Officer, will transition to the role of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors of Mastercard Incorporated on January 1, 2021. Mastercard’s Board unanimously elected Michael Miebach, Chief Product Officer, to become Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors on January 1, 2021 and, as part of the transition, he will become President of the company, effective March 1, 2020. As President of the company, Miebach will oversee the sales, marketing, products, services and technology organizations.

“As the company moves into this next phase of growth, we have a deep leadership bench--with Michael at the helm--to take us to the next level,” said Banga.

“He has a proven track record of building products and running businesses globally. Over his career, Michael has held leadership positions in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and in the U.S. across payments, data, banking services and technology. During the course of Michael’s 10 years at Mastercard, he has been a key architect of our multi-rail strategy--including leading the acquisition of Vocalink and the pending transaction with Nets--to address a broader set of payment flows. He’s also a visionary who kickstarted much of the work behind our financial inclusion journey. I am excited to continue working closely with Michael and supporting Mastercard’s success when I become Executive Chairman.”

Mastercard’s current Chairman, Richard Haythornthwaite, will retire from the Board after more than a decade of exceptional service when Banga assumes the role of Executive Chairman.