Our Purpose
Mastercard powers economies and empowers people in 200+ countries and territories worldwide. Together with our customers, we’re helping build a sustainable economy where everyone can prosper. We support a wide range of digital payments choices, making transactions secure, simple, smart and accessible. Our technology and innovation, partnerships and networks combine to deliver a unique set of products and services that help people, businesses and governments realize their greatest potential.
Title and Summary
Director, Business Development - Travel & Entertainment
Overview
The Retail & Commerce team is responsible for developing and growing Mastercard's strategic relationships across key consumer commerce sectors. Working with leading ecosystem anchors, the team helps partners accelerate growth, enhance customer experiences, and unlock new sources of value by bringing together Mastercard's global partnerships, payments capabilities, services, loyalty, data and analytics, cyber and intelligence solutions, and emerging technologies.
Within Retail & Commerce, the Travel Partnerships function is responsible for developing Mastercard's position across the travel sector and driving growth with airlines, hotel groups, online travel agencies, travel management companies, travel loyalty programmes, and travel technology providers.
The role is responsible for developing Mastercard's strategic position within one of the world's largest consumer commerce sectors by identifying and scaling partnership opportunities that create value for travel ecosystem participants, travellers, and Mastercard.
The Director, Business Development, Travel Partnerships, Africa will be responsible for advancing Mastercard's position across the African travel ecosystem, identifying strategic growth opportunities, building executive relationships with key industry participants, and connecting partners to Mastercard's full portfolio of capabilities.
Role
In this client-facing position, you will:
Build Strategic Partnerships
• Develop and strengthen Mastercard's strategic relationships with leading travel ecosystem participants across Africa.
• Build and deepen senior executive relationships across airlines, hotel groups, online travel agencies, travel management companies, travel loyalty programmes, and travel technology providers.
• Develop strategic partnership plans aligned with partners' growth objectives and Mastercard's priorities.
• Position Mastercard as a strategic growth, innovation, and technology partner by leveraging the full breadth of Mastercard capabilities.
• Develop and execute executive engagement strategies that strengthen Mastercard's relationships with key travel industry stakeholders.
Industry Leadership & Ecosystem Development
• Develop Mastercard's position across the African travel ecosystem by identifying emerging industry trends, growth opportunities, and partnership models that strengthen Mastercard's relevance in travel.
• Identify and cultivate strategic ecosystem partnerships capable of creating scalable growth opportunities across multiple African markets.
• Identify opportunities to expand Mastercard's role across the traveller journey and the broader travel ecosystem.
• Monitor competitive developments, evolving business models, and technology trends shaping the future of the travel industry.
• Support the development of industry insights, thought leadership, and strategic perspectives that advance Mastercard's relevance within the travel sector.
• Act as the voice of the travel industry internally, helping to inform product development, partnership strategy, and investment priorities.
• Represent Mastercard in relevant industry forums, strategic customer engagements, and travel ecosystem discussions.
Accelerate Growth
• Deliver against volume, revenue, market share, and strategic growth objectives.
• Identify, develop, and execute new commercial opportunities across payments, services, loyalty, consulting, cyber and intelligence, data and analytics, and commercial payments solutions.
• Develop business cases, financial models, and commercial frameworks to support growth opportunities.
• Lead the negotiation and execution of strategic partnership agreements.
• Partner with country teams and cross-functional stakeholders to scale successful partnership initiatives across Africa.
• Develop commercially scalable partnership models and propositions that create value for travel ecosystem participants, travellers, and Mastercard.
Lead Cross-Functional Execution
• Lead complex strategic initiatives involving multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Orchestrate resources across product, services, loyalty, cyber and intelligence, acceptance, data and analytics, and commercial payments teams to deliver partner outcomes.
• Translate strategic opportunities into executable initiatives with clear accountability and measurable results.
• Work closely with country teams to ensure alignment among partnership strategies, customer priorities, and market growth objectives.
All About You
• Significant experience in the travel industry, payments industry, consulting, strategic partnerships, business development, or adjacent sectors.
• Deep understanding of the travel ecosystem, including airlines, hotels, online travel agencies, travel management companies, travel loyalty programmes, travel technology providers, and related stakeholders.
• Demonstrated success in building and growing complex strategic partnerships.
• Strong commercial acumen, with experience developing growth strategies, negotiating complex agreements, and delivering measurable business results.
• Experience developing business cases, financial models, profitability analyses, and investment frameworks.
• Strong track record of engaging and influencing C-suite stakeholders.
• Experience operating effectively within highly matrixed organisations and leading through influence.
• Ability to identify emerging opportunities and translate strategic concepts into commercial outcomes.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Strong understanding of the African business landscape; experience working across multiple African markets is highly desirable.
• Entrepreneurial, proactive, and comfortable operating in dynamic and evolving environments.
Success Measures
• Revenue and volume growth delivered through strategic travel partnerships.
• Expansion of Mastercard's strategic relationships across the African travel ecosystem.
• Growth of services, loyalty, consulting, commercial payments, and other value-added revenues.
• Successful development and execution of strategic partnership initiatives.
• Strength and depth of executive relationships across priority partners.
• Development of scalable travel propositions, partnership models, and ecosystem initiatives.
• Contribution to Mastercard's long-term growth, relevance, and leadership position within the African travel sector.
Corporate Security Responsibility
All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and, therefore, it is expected that every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security and must:
Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;
Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.