Mastercard elevates Joseph Fernandes to head of human resources for South Asia

Mastercard has elevated Joseph Fernandes as senior vice president & head, people & capability for South Asia. 

Joseph joined the company in 2017 and since then, has been leading human resources for the India tech hub in Pune. He succeeds Priti Singh, who served in the position for over four years, and has taken on a larger mandate to lead Mastercard’s People and Capability function for Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

In his new role, Joseph will lead the team responsible for nurturing Mastercard’s talent pool in India and other South Asian markets (Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal), the company said in a statement. 

With over 8000 employees, India is the largest employee base for Mastercard, outside of the US, spanning technology, products and innovation, cyber and intelligence, data and services, international markets and other verticals.

“At Mastercard, the constant endeavor is to build a culture of inclusion and growth. Joseph has been a key advocate of this culture as evidenced by his work at the India tech hub where he drove tremendous sense of objectivity and urgency into the talent management and development process. His elevation from within the company’s ranks is a result of Mastercard’s leadership development process,” said Nikhil Sahni, division president, South Asia, Mastercard. 

"Quality of talent is the cornerstone of success for a world-leading technology company such as Mastercard. I’m excited to lead the people & capability function in South Asia where my focus will remain on deepening the inclusive work culture of the company and enhancing capabilities,” added Joseph.

With a career spanning over 20 years, Joseph has worked with JP Morgan Chase & Co, HSBC Software (India) Development Centre, Tata Technologies. He holds a Master’s degree in Personnel Management from Pune University.