–MasterCard
has appointed Keisha Clark as Vice President and Business Leader of Business
Development in West Africa. In her
new role Keisha will be tasked with expanding MasterCard’s business in
Anglophone West Africa, a region of five countries, namely: Nigeria, Ghana, The
Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
In addition to expanding the business in West Africa,
Keisha will also oversee the growth of MasterCard’s scope of products and
number of customers, at a time when many governments in the region are
highlighting the vices and cost of cash, therebyleading to increased
opportunities for the technology company in the payments industry.
Keisha joins MasterCard from JP Morgan Chase in New
York, where she was an Assistant Vice President responsible for new client
implementation of Treasury products. Prior to that, she worked at MasterCard as
a Director –Account Support and Implementation, with direct responsibility for
managing implementation of new and existing products, and at American Express
as a Senior Marketing Manager for Customer Development. Keisha has spent over
15 years of her career in finance and payments, 13 of which havebeen specific
to the payments industry.
Commenting on the appointment,Omokehinde Ojomuyide,
Vice President and Area Business Head for MasterCard in West Africa, said that the
trends in the region’s payments industry pointed to increased opportunities for
the company to demonstrate its leadership in the war against cash, adding that investment
in top talent and technology was key to MasterCard’s strategy for Africa.
”We are glad to welcome Keisha back to MasterCard, and
look forward to working with her to grow our business in a region that we
believe holds much promise for us,” said Mrs. Ojomuyide. “The rise of Africa’s
economies is no longer a dream but a reality, and with this rise we not only see
the opportunities to realise our own vision of a world beyond cash, but to be a
part of the exciting story that is Africa’s renaissance.”
Keisha holds a BA in Economics (Marketing
concentration) from Syracuse University in New York, and is an experienced
sales, marketing and product development professional with proven ability to
successfully create and implement marketing campaigns, build brands and create
innovative marketing programs.
“I am excited to be returning to MasterCard, a company
whose focus is on collaboratingwith governments and the private sector to
deliverelectronic payments in Africa,” said Keisha on her appointment. “This is
a market that is globally recognised as the next frontier for development, and
whose capacity to absorb new payments technologies has already been proven by
the successes MasterCard has recorded so far.”
According to the African Economic Outlook[1] for 2013/2014, Western
Africa will be the continent’s fastest growing region, with estimates for real
GDP growth expected to be significantly higher than those for the rest of the
continent.This positive outlook has provided opportunities for MasterCard to
strengthen its grip on the region’s payments space, with the company leading
the way in partnering with stakeholders to introduce innovative payments
solutions tailored specifically to the needs of the Africanconsumer.
The company has already partnered with several institutions
in West Africa, most recently with the Nigerian government to launch dual
purpose cards in collaboration with the Nigerian National Identity Management
Commission (NIMC). The partnership, which will see in its pilot phase13 million
MasterCard-branded National Identity Smart Cards introduced in Africa’s most
populous nation, is the largest roll-out of a formal electronic payment
solution in the country and the broadest financial inclusion initiative of its
kind on the African continent to date.
About
MasterCard
MasterCard(NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in
the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments
processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants,
governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s
products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping,
traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and
more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, @MasterCardMEAjoin the discussion on the Cashless
Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news.
[1]
African Economic Outlook – Macroeconomic Prospects http://www.africaneconomicoutlook.org/en/outlook/forecast/
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