Mastercard redefines strategic leadership roles to drive focus on growth and digital transformation across Middle East markets

Cairo, Egypt – 7 May 2024: Mastercard has announced strategic enhancements to its leadership roles in the MENA region. The move is part of the company’s efforts to strengthen its regional leadership with a focus on fast-tracking growth, deepening stakeholder engagement and enhancing focus on its multi-rail capabilities in key markets.

Continuing Mastercard’s successful digital transformation journey, its regional leadership will build on the momentum with a refreshed organizational design. The technology company has optimized its regional network through restructured division operations, combining the power of scale with its deep local market knowledge.

The former MENA Central cluster will now make up the West Arabia division, while the MENA East cluster will form the East Arabia division.

In this context, Mastercard has appointed Adam Jones to the new post of Executive Vice President and Division President for West Arabia. The Mastercard veteran will continue to work closely with his reports to connect and power more inclusive and sustainable digital economies in each of the division markets where more people can continue thrive.

Jones has over 15 years of experience in the payments industry. He has been at Mastercard for more than eight years, serving in various leadership positions in the UK, Middle East, and Africa, including Country Manager for East Africa, Global Commercial Travel & Expense Lead and more recently Country General Manager for MENA Central. He is also a Board Member of HyperPay. Previously, he held the post of Head of Commercial Business at American Express MENA. Jones graduated from Solent University in the UK with a BA (Hons) in Marketing.

“Mastercard is a trusted technology partner that is contributing to the advancement of digital transformation efforts to benefit governments, business, and people. By establishing the West Arabia Division, the business has taken a monumental step forward based on the dedication, resilience, and exceptional achievements of the MENA Central Team. I am proud to be part of Mastercard’s and look forward to driving impactful strategies that place our customers at the heart of everything we do, add value to local economies and unlock new growth opportunities,” said Adam Jones.

Under Jones’s leadership, Mastercard’s former MENA Central cluster has made great strides in advancing digital transformation and building a robust payments ecosystem. Mastercard played an instrumental role in the partnership with the Egyptian Banks Company (EBC) and Central Bank of Egypt, aimed at supporting the implementation of tokenization by providing the required infrastructure to issuing banks across the country. He led the collaboration with Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ) to develop a payment ecosystem digitization blueprint for the country. Adam Jones’ achievements also include spearheading initiatives in Saudi Arabia together with leading banks such The Saudi National Bank launching Mastercard Touch Card and SNB Flexi Card powered by Mastercard Instalments, both the first of their kind in the Kingdom.

In addition to Jones’s new role, Mastercard has appointed J.K. Khalil to lead its East Arabia division.

As part of Mastercard’s One Africa Strategy, the company’s Northwest Africa markets have been consolidated into the expanded Africa division under the leadership of Mark Elliott.