BrazilMastercard promotes J.K. Khalil (ex-Booz) to regional general manager
In his second major promotion since joining Mastercard six years ago, former Booz & Company consultant J.K. Khalil has been named the company’s new General Manager for the MENA East Cluster.
After spending his early professional years in Beirut, Paris and Dubai in the software engineering and banking sectors (Barclays Bank and BNP Paribas), Khalil entered the world of strategy consulting roughly a decade ago, spending four years with Booz & Company (today: Strategy&) in its UAE office.
During this time, Khalil delivered around twenty engagements in financial services, healthcare and the public sector, and grew the ranks to senior manager level before crossing to Mastercard.
Making his entry as Regional Consulting Lead for the Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Levant (Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Yemen and Iraq) markets, Khalil then made the step up to Regional General Manager for the same region. Now, effective April 1st 2022, Mastercard has broadened his remit and named him the Regional General Manager for the MENA East Cluster – comprising the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, and Pakistan.
“I am delighted to step into this role and help build on a journey more than 35 years in the making. Mastercard’s commitment to the region is unmatched, and I look forward to working with the team to come together with our partners in the public and private sectors to build on this legacy and create an inclusive, digital and more connected future for the communities we serve,” Khalil said.
Khalil brings over 17 years of experience in payments, banking, consulting and technology to the role, and was recently recognised for his track record by Arabian Business having been named one of the region’s ‘Young Achievers’ for 2021. The list heralds still relatively young leaders with already notable accomplishment under their belt and are on a track to become one of the region’s next top-level executives.
J.K. Khalil holds an MBA with distinction from the University of Chicago (US) and a Computer Systems & Networks Engineering degree from the Saint Joseph University in Beirut (Lebanon).
Alongside his role at Mastercard, he serves as an advisory board member at MENA-based start-ups and as an angel investor.
