Rajesh Mani

Entrepreneur-turned-Senior Leader l Board Member l P&L Management Expert I Top 100 exemplary GCC leaders in India l Keynote Speaker I Culture Builder l Transformation Specialist

Pune Division, Maharashtra, India

About

Entrepreneur-turned global executive and board advisor with over 25 years of experience building and scaling organizations and transforming markets and GCCs across Asia Pacific, through P&L Management, Sales, Business Development, Digital Payments Ecosystem partnerships and multi-country operations. My career ethos has been to combine servant leadership with a builder’s mindset—establishing new capabilities and market leadership in complex and rapidly evolving geographies. I believe that high-performing organizations are built where talent, innovation, and purpose intersect—creating an environment where teams can collaborate, solve problems and deliver meaningful impact. In my last role, I led GCCs at Mastercard across Asia Pacific and served as Board Director of Mastercard Technologies in India, where I have helped transform the Pune Technology Hub into Mastercard’s largest Global Technology Hub. In addition, I have also held country management and regional roles across APAC in Mastercard. Prior to Mastercard, I held leadership roles with American Express, Airtel Money (now Airtel Payments Bank), ITC Limited, and Matrimony.com, where I led market expansion, built new commercial platforms, and developed large-scale merchant and digital ecosystems. Leadership Impact ✓ Scaled the Pune GCC into the largest GCC for the company supporting enterprise-wide delivery and engineering capabilities. Awarded outstanding GCC in India. ✓ Strengthened the GCC’s contribution to global innovation by increasing the share of patent submissions to more than 50%. ✓ Built the first domestic on-soil switch outside the US that led to being awarded the Global CEO Award. ✓ Drove market transformation across 2 countries that defined the path to market leadership and led to my winning 11 "Exceptional Sales Performance" awards. ✓ Established a pan-India acceptance network as part of the founding team of the largest telco-led mobile wallet. ✓ Founded and scaled a country-wide entrepreneurial services venture supporting a global financial institution in India. Beyond operating roles, I actively contribute to shaping India’s GCC & digital economy landscape. ✓ Board Member – Economic Times GCC Advisory Council ✓ Member – CII National Taskforce on GCCs in India ✓ Advisory Board Member on GCCs to Govt. of AP and CII governing council member on GCCs in Maharashtra I am excited to build and scale businesses that serve as strategic engines for enterprise value creation, while nurturing high performing talent.

Experience

  • Mastercard (12 yrs 8 mos)
    • SVP, Head of Asia Pacific Tech Hubs
      Mar 2023 - Apr 2026 · 3 yrs 2 mos

      - Transformed Pune technology hub into Mastercard’s largest global tech hub, expanding strategic delivery scope and innovation ownership. - More than doubled global “outcome ownership” roles while increasing India’s share of Mastercard’s global patent submissions to 50%+, strengthening the center’s role in enterprise innovation. - Built strategic partnerships with industry bodies, academia, and regulatory institutions to advance Mastercard’s services and ecosystem strategy.

    • Head, India Tech Hub
      Nov 2021 - Feb 2023 · 1 yr 4 mos

      - Achieved best global employee experience scores across loyalty, brand affinity, and talent retention through a purpose-led, community-centric engagement model. - Strengthened talent development and inclusive culture, reinforcing Mastercard’s position as a leading employer across India.

    • Country Manager - Sri Lanka and Maldives
      Mar 2020 - Nov 2021 · 1 yr 9 mos

      - Led strategic expansion across Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Architected and executed a 3-year revenue and market share transformation strategy, positioning Mastercard as market leader by 2023 through partnerships with governments, financial institutions, and digital players. - Implemented outcome-driven leadership practices, achieving 11 Exceptional Sales Performance Awards across 4 consecutive quarters.

  • Business Head, New Initiatives at Matrimony.com, Bharat Matrimony
    Mar 2013 - Sep 2013 · 7 mos

    - Developed a $100M business case to launch wedding photography and videography services as a new revenue stream. - Designed the product portfolio using a CLM framework and defined the pilot and go-to-market strategy for commercial launch.

  • Head, Merchant Business at airtel
    Jul 2010 - Feb 2013 · 2 yrs 8 mos

    - Built a pan-India merchant ecosystem for Airtel’s mobile money platform, establishing national acquisition channels and operating structures. - Developed the merchant network across physical, e-commerce, and remote billers, generating $100M+ annualized billed volume in the first year of operations. - Led cross-functional partnerships across technology, marketing, regulatory, and operations teams to enable nationwide payment acceptance.

  • Regional Head, Merchant Acquistion and Servicing at American Express
    Mar 2008 - Jul 2010 · 2 yrs 5 mos

    - Led regional merchant coverage and acceptance strategy across North and East India through analytics-driven market expansion. - Selected as the sole representative from Global Merchant Services India on the India People Leader Advisory Committee, supporting the Global Payroll Transformation program.

  • State Head - Retail at ITC Ltd
    May 2006 - Mar 2008 · 1 yr 11 mos

    - Led expansion strategy across Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana, launching 6 new retail outlets and strengthening supply chain and operational efficiency. Introduced delivery and operating efficiencies across functions, creating independent profit centers.