Mastercard has appointed Zakia Sultana as country manager for Bangladesh, effective immediately, as the payments company seeks to expand digital payment adoption and strengthen partnerships in a rapidly evolving financial services landscape.
The appointment comes as Bangladesh’s payments ecosystem moves beyond rapid digital adoption towards greater interoperability among banks, mobile financial services providers and fintech platforms. Zakia Sultana succeeds Syed Mohammad Kamal, who is set to retire later this year after 13 years with Mastercard.
According to the company, Zakia will lead Mastercard’s operations and engagements in Bangladesh, focusing on expanding digital payments, strengthening relationships with customers and ecosystem stakeholders and supporting the development of a more inclusive and connected payments environment.
She will report to Sandun Hapugoda, group country manager overseeing Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Mastercard said Syed Mohammad Kamal played a key role over the past decade in expanding the company’s presence in Bangladesh and helping establish the foundations of its digital payments ecosystem.
Zakia has been with Mastercard since 2015 and has been involved in financial inclusion initiatives and business development programmes that have expanded the company’s footprint and strengthened partnerships across the country.
“Bangladesh is a strategically important market for Mastercard, with strong growth potential driven by rapid digitalisation and rising demand for innovative payment solutions,” Gautam Aggarwal, division president, South Asia, Mastercard, said in a press statement.
He thanked Syed Mohammad Kamal for his leadership over the past decade and said Zakia’s appointment reflects Mastercard’s commitment to empowering local leadership in high-potential markets.
Aggarwal said her understanding of the market and extensive relationships across the ecosystem position her to support Mastercard’s growth strategy and deepen partnerships in Bangladesh.
Zakia said she was honoured to assume the role at a time when Bangladesh is accelerating its digital transformation journey.
“Together with our customers, partners, and regulators, we will continue to deliver secure, inclusive and innovative payment solutions that unlock opportunities for individuals, businesses, and communities across the country,” she said.
Mastercard said Zakia brings more than 26 years of experience spanning telecommunications, financial services and large-scale transformation programmes.
Her experience includes leading major business and infrastructure projects, including the rollout of 3G and 4G networks and the expansion of high-growth operations. The company said she has a strong record in developing and scaling business platforms and is well positioned to promote collaboration across Bangladesh’s evolving payments ecosystem.
Zakia began her career at Grameenphone in project and change management before joining Airtel, where she spent a decade and served as head of operational excellence (PMO & QA). She later held the position of director at Banglalink and served in leadership and board-level roles across both Airtel and Banglalink.
She has also worked closely with several financial institutions, including HSBC.
Mastercard said the appointment comes at a pivotal stage for Bangladesh’s digital payments sector as consumers and businesses increasingly adopt digital financial services and demand more seamless and secure payment solutions.
