Ajay has forged a company and culture at Mastercard where inclusion, opportunity and empowerment for women are global priorities. He’s made gender equality a central, guiding theme – not only for our diversity, inclusion and hiring efforts, but in Mastercard’s business strategy in general. Under Ajay’s guidance, Mastercard has created a global female leadership development programme to identify next generation talent and ensure they have the opportunity to develop the necessary skills for broader roles within the company. Additionally, Mastercard’s Women’s Leadership Network has expanded to 31 chapters around the world, supporting the growth and development of 3,500 members. Ajay’s vision of Mastercard becoming a leader in products designed for women and his support in helping them get access to finance and funding shows up in many of the company’s programmes, including supply chain financing for microbusinesses and entrepreneurs in markets where women represent a large, underserved segment; and linking identification to payments to benefit the millions of women globally who lack formal ID. Ajay provided the pioneering vision for Girls4Tech™, the award-winning education programme developed in conjunction with top engineers and technologists to teach STEM foundations and principles to girls aged 8-13 around the world. Beyond Mastercard, Ajay is involved in global initiatives and organisations that encourage and empower women financially. He is an investor in Ellevest, has partnered with World Bank to help women in under-developed areas, and regularly speaks to executive groups and student groups on D&I.