MasterCard Enhances Presence in Silicon Valley

MasterCard announced today (March 30) the expansion of its San Carlos Center of Excellence, as well as the relocation of SVP of Emerging Merchants, Les Matthews, and his team to the West Coast office.

Brian Gendron, Vice President of Worldwide Communications at MasterCard, will also be relocated to San Carlos to add global communications support to the Center. The moves, says MasterCard, enhance the company’s presence in Silicon Valley and “deepen MasterCard’s footprint with the tech community.”

“The world of payments is rapidly evolving, led by the convergence of digital and physical environments, as well the changing needs of the always-connected consumer,” said Michael Cyr, group executive, Market Development, MasterCard in the release. “It’s important for us to be on the ground with our partners who are leading the digital evolution so we can further our collaborative efforts to move to market the solutions that consumers are seeking.”

These changes will also enable the team to engage with the local VC community, and work closer with MasterCard’s digital parters, West Coast-based technology organizations and emerging merchants, says MasterCard. The news follows the recent opening of MasterCard’s tech hub in India, as well as its NYC-based tech hub launched last year, both of which “drive the development of cutting-edge payment technologies to enable a cashless world.”