Ajay Singh Banga Brings Pride stands out as The Only Sikh Indian in Fortune’s ‘2014’s Top People in Business’ list. MasterCard president and CEO, Ajay Singh Banga is the only Sikh Indian to make it in Fortune’s ‘2014’. Mr Banga, who studied economics at Delhi University’s St. Stephen’s College and received his MBA from IIM, […]

Ajay Singh Banga Brings Pride stands out as The Only Sikh Indian in Fortune’s ‘2014’s Top People in Business’ list.

MasterCard president and CEO, Ajay Singh Banga is the only Sikh Indian to make it in Fortune’s ‘2014’.

Mr Banga, who studied economics at Delhi University’s St. Stephen’s College and received his MBA from IIM, Ahmedabad ranked number 28 in the list. He spent 13 years of his working life with Nestle India before moving to PepsiCo, Citigroup and eventually MasterCard which he joined in 2009.

To hear him talk philosophically about a “world beyond cash,” he sounds more like a Silicon Valley futurist than a payment-processing executive.

The first thing you notice about Banga, 54, is the thick black beard on his face and the elegant black turban atop his head. The turban is central to Sikhism (Banga was raised Sikh in Pune, India, the son of a retired Indian military general) but is a rare sight in U.S. boardrooms. In a graduation speech at New York University’s Stern School of Business in June, Banga conceded as much: “I tend to stand out in a room,” he said. “Turbans and beards will do that to you.”

Mr Singhs’s eye trained on technology, MasterCard looks well positioned to lead in a post-cash world.

“Sometimes it’s about being in the right place at the right time. For MasterCard, that very well could come in the form of Apple Pay, which may finally break the barrier between consumers and mobile payment. MasterCard and Banga could benefit from increased transactions using mobile phones,” Fortune said.

Apple CEO Tim Cook featured second in the rankings, followed by Gilead CEO John Martin, to round off the top three. The list featured the top 50 CEOs of 2014.

A Man who is as firm on his mission as on his religion gathers great respect & pride from every Indian and Sikh community!

~ Source: http://profit.ndtv.com/