Mastercard elevates MY country manager to West Southeast Asia president

Mastercard has elevated Beena Pothen (pictured) to division president for West Southeast Asia, handing the long-time company executive oversight of its business across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar.

The appointment forms part of a new two-division leadership structure for Mastercard in Southeast Asia, aimed at sharpening its focus across markets with differing economic profiles and levels of digital maturity.

Pothen was previously country manager for Malaysia and Brunei, a role she held from April 2022. She has spent more than 15 years with Mastercard, holding a series of leadership positions across Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

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In her new remit, Pothen will focus on Mastercard's strategy, growth and customer engagement across the five West Southeast Asian markets, including its relationships with financial institutions, merchants, fintech companies and governments.

Prior to moving to Malaysia, Pothen was vice president and country business development head for the UAE from 2019 to 2022. She previously served as Mastercard's Abu Dhabi cluster head, as well as MENA acceptance head and UAE acceptance head.

Her experience also spans marketing, product development and customer acquisition. Before joining Mastercard, Pothen held roles at Mashreq Bank and Barclays in the UAE, including marketing manager at Mashreq and head of products and acquisitions at Barclays.

Earlier in her career, she was marketing manager at Galadari Food & Beverage Division, which operates Baskin-Robbins, and group product manager at pharmaceutical company Wockhardt in India.

Richard Wormald, president, Asia Pacific at Mastercard, said developments including AI-enabled commerce, digital wallets, tokenisation and new payment experiences are reshaping commerce across the region.

"The region is home to some of the world's most advanced digital economies, alongside some of its fastest-growing, making it one of the world's most important proving grounds for the future of commerce," he added.

Pothen's appointment comes amid a series of senior leadership changes at Mastercard across Asia Pacific as the payments company looks to strengthen its customer focus and pursue growth opportunities across the region. Wormald said the appointments are intended to bring Mastercard closer to its customers as they navigate changes across payments and technology.

"Together, these leaders bring deep experience across payments, technology, financial services and markets throughout Asia Pacific, strengthening Mastercard's ability to deliver the capabilities customers and partners need today while helping them prepare for what's next," he added.

Meanwhile, Pothen said the markets under her remit have strong payments foundations, ambitious customers and established teams.

"What inspires me most is the opportunity to build from a position of strength: deepening trusted partnerships, bringing the best of Mastercard's capabilities to market and helping shape the next chapter of digital commerce for businesses, governments and consumers," she said.

The leadership reshuffle comes as Mastercard continues to deepen its presence across Southeast Asia, including through regional initiatives aimed at connecting consumers and businesses across markets. In June last year, the payments company launched its “Phone. Passport. Mastercard.” campaign, positioning itself as a frictionless enabler of intra-Southeast Asia travel amid growing demand for short-haul trips.

Rolling out across Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam, the campaign brought together more than 300 offers across dining, shopping, accommodation, transport and experiences. Centred on the idea that travellers need just a phone, passport and Mastercard, the campaign positioned the brand as a connective layer for payments, access and rewards across borders.

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