KARACHI: Mastercard strengthens leadership team to accelerate growth across Middle East and North Africa (MENA), including Pakistan.

According an announcement, Mastercard has reaffirmed its commitment to the GCC and wider region through the appointment of Mastercard veteran J K Khalil to lead its operations across the MENA East Cluster in his new role as Cluster General Manager.

In his new role, Khalil is responsible for the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Pakistan and Oman, which make up Mastercard’s MENA East Cluster. Khalil has over 17 years of experience in banking, strategy consulting and technology, having held several positions across multinational banks, top tier consulting firms and tech start-ups. Khalil joined Mastercard as Middle East Region Lead for Mastercard advisors, before most recently leading the business as Country Manager of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Levant.

The appointment is part of a series of leadership changes following Mastercard’s earlier announcement that saw the expansion of Mastercard’s EEMEA (Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) region to include 81 of the 210 markets where Mastercard operates globally.

Khalil holds an MBA with distinction from the University of Chicago (Booth) and is the President of the GCC Alumni Club chapter. He also holds a Computer Systems & Networks Engineering degree from the Saint Joseph University in Beirut.

“Mastercard’s commitment to the region is unmatched and I look forward to working with the extraordinary and expanded team to come together with our partners in the public and private sectors to build on this legacy and create an inclusive, digital and more connected future for the communities we serve,” Khalil said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022