Reeta Roy, President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, has announced her decision to step aside after 18 years of service at the foundation. However, she will continue to lead the Foundation through 2025 until her successor is appointed.
Through her leadership, the Foundation has elevated the views of young people in Africa and Indigenous youth in Canada, particularly those facing the highest barriers, shaping our values and guiding how we operate.
In her words, Reeta said, “Serving the mission of the Mastercard Foundation has been life-changing. It has been an honor to build the Foundation and put it on a trajectory to be a force for good in the world. I am immensely grateful to my colleagues and our partners for the impact we have achieved together. Most of all, I am proud of our values and for walking this journey with young people, our African partners, and Indigenous communities in Canada.”
Confirming they will ensure a seamless leadership transition, Zein Abdalla, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Mastercard Foundation, said “Reeta has been an outstanding CEO of the Mastercard Foundation. The results speak for themselves, but it is the strength of the partner network and the talented, values-based organization she has built that are her greatest gift to our future. I look forward to working with Reeta to identify and onboard her successor and deliver another exceptional year for the Mastercard Foundation.”
Reeta was recruited to head the Mastercard Foundation in 2008, two years after it was established in Canada as an independent and separate organization from Mastercard. Her leadership has been instrumental in building one of the largest and most impactful philanthropies in the world.
Under Reeta’s leadership, the Foundation has focused its work on Africa since 2009; committed to a goal of ensuring 75% of its partners are African organizations; and based the majority of the Foundation’s operations, staff, and leadership, including Reeta herself, in Africa.
As of April 30, 2024, the Foundation has committed/deployed more than US$12 billion through financial inclusion, education, and youth livelihood programs—and as part of their pandemic response. This includes a $1.3 billion investment under the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, which is enabling nearly 40,000 talented but economically disadvantaged young leaders to pursue and complete their secondary and/or higher education.
Reeta is a member of the African Transformation Leadership Panel and is regularly called upon by the United Nations, regional bodies in Africa such as the African Center for Economic Transformation, and global funders to advocate for solutions for youth employment. Reeta has represented these ideas on numerous stages, including at the African Transformation Forum, the Council of Foreign Relations, the United Nations, and the World Bank.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Reeta was the Divisional Vice President of Global Citizenship and Policy at Abbott and was Vice President of the Abbott Fund, its corporate foundation. She led Abbott’s public-private initiatives related to HIV/AIDS in Africa and a range of global health programs. Before Abbott, Reeta held a number of leadership positions at Bristol-Myers Squibb, working on global health policy issues. Prior to joining the private sector, she worked at the United Nations.
Reeta received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and a Bachelor of Arts from St. Andrews Presbyterian College. She holds seven Honorary Doctorate degrees and has received several awards and recognitions.