Mastercard appoints president for Southeast Asia
MASTERCARD announced that Safdar Khan has been named Division President for Southeast Asia. This appointment is an expansion of his former role as Division President, Southeast Asia Emerging Markets.
A 15-year veteran of Mastercard, Mr. Khan’s previous role saw him building business momentum with an assertive distribution strategy and expanding revenue by growing the company’s Services offerings. He will now be responsible for implementing Mastercard’s multi-rail digital payments agenda in 10 Southeast Asian markets, including Philippines, and delivering increased value to the company’s stakeholders.
“As one of the most diverse, dynamic regions in the world, Southeast Asia encompasses countries with wide variation in economic development, business needs and cultural nuances,” said Ari Sarker, president, Asia Pacific, Mastercard. “The leader that oversees this division must have a deep understanding of the bloc as a whole, as well as the individual markets within it, and must also possess the capability to manage these complexities with incredible skill.
Safdar Khan, with his rock-solid track record of strong leadership, strategic capabilities and experience in the region, is ideally suited to take on this position which will give him greater space to push forward with innovative approaches in this group of markets.”
During Mr. Khan’s tenure as Division president, Southeast Asia Emerging Markets, he was instrumental in launching several firsts in the region including dual-chip cards and QRon-Card technology in Vietnam. Under his able leadership, Mastercard has undertaken strategic partnerships in Indonesia to build and sustain local relevance, gaining market share leadership.
Mr. Khan also played a key role in taking Mastercard’s cyber and intelligence solutions beyond the payments industry. He was also a key player in the signing of a MoU with Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency, which inducted 27 Thai cities into Mastercard’s City Possible global network, becoming the largest cohort to join the expanding community of member cities.