New York, N.Y., October 26, 2017 – Ajay Banga, president and chief executive officer of Mastercard, will be honored by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents America’s leading global companies. Banga will receive USCIB’s International Leadership Award at a gala dinner on November 28 at United Nations headquarters in New York, in recognition of Mastercard’s ongoing leadership to extend the benefits of an expanding economy to all segments of society.
“Ajay Banga and Mastercard were among the first to recognize that financial inclusion can set in motion a virtuous cycle of equitable economic growth,” said USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, chairman emeritus of McGraw Hill Financial (now S&P Global). “As we saw during last month’s UN General Assembly opening, many companies have now joined this movement to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Mastercard was one of the first supporters when the global goals were launched in 2015, and the company has been working with the public and private sectors to use its technology and expertise to help address issues such as poverty, hunger and gender equality.”
McGraw added that the November 28 gala would provide a platform to underscore ongoing American and global business support for the SDGs, policies that promote more open cross-border trade and investment, and robust U.S. engagement with the UN and other international bodies.
Mastercard has connected more than 300 million people around the world to the formal economy, providing critical access to services that allow them to live and work with greater efficiency, security and dignity. Through innovative products such as Mastercard Aid Network, which is helping NGOs improve the delivery of humanitarian aid so that people can get back on their feet after a disaster, and Masterpass QR, which gives small businesses a low-cost way to accept digital payments, Mastercard is making progress towards the SDGs as well as advancing its mission to create a more inclusive economy.
Banga is a member of the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, and is a founding trustee of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum. He is a member of the U.S.-India CEO Forum, co-chairs the board of directors of the American India Foundation, and served as a member of President Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.
Banga serves on the executive committees of the Business Roundtable and the Financial Services Roundtable, and is vice chairman of the Business Council. He is a member of the board of overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College and the board of governors of the American Red Cross. He also serves on the board of directors of The Dow Chemical Company.
Prior to Mastercard, Banga was chief executive officer of Citigroup Asia Pacific. He began his career at Nestlé in India and also spent two years with PepsiCo in India. He is a graduate of Delhi University and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Established in 1980, USCIB’s International Leadership Award is presented annually to a leading CEO, international figure or institution, recognizing outstanding contributions to global trade, finance and investment, and to improving the global competitive framework in which American business operates. Recent recipients have included Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO of AT&T, and Roberto Azevedo, director general of the World Trade Organization. More information on the event is available at www.uscibgala.com.
About USCIB:
USCIB promotes open markets, competitiveness and innovation, sustainable development and corporate responsibility, supported by international engagement and regulatory coherence. Its members include U.S.-based global companies and professional services firms from every sector of our economy, with operations in every region of the world, generating $5 trillion in annual revenues and employing over 11 million people worldwide. As the U.S. affiliate of the International Chamber of Commerce, the International Organization of Employers and Business at OECD, USCIB provides business views to policy makers and regulatory authorities worldwide, and works to facilitate international trade and investment. More information is available at www.uscib.org.
Contact:
Jonathan Huneke, USCIB
+1 212.703.5043, jhuneke@uscib.org
