Ajay Banga

Ajay Banga is the 14th President of the World Bank Group, who began his five-year term in 2023.

A global leader in technology, data and financial services, Banga has a long track record of developing commercially sustainable social impact and innovating for inclusion. Over the course of his career, he has developed and executed major international growth strategies and has served as an advisor to governments, companies and organizations of all kinds, advocating for partnerships and systems that deliver on profit as well as purpose.

Prior to the World Bank, Banga served as Vice Chairman at General Atlantic; he was also President and CEO of Mastercard, where, under his leadership, the company launched the Center for Inclusive Growth, which advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world.

Banga was Honorary Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, serving as Chairman from 2020-2022 and became an advisor to General Atlantic’s climate-focused fund, BeyondNetZero, at its inception in 2021. He served as Co-Chair of the Partnership for Central America, a coalition of private organizations that works to advance economic opportunity across underserved populations in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Additionally, he sat on the Boards of the American Red Cross, Kraft Foods, and Dow Inc.

Banga is a co-founder of The Cyber Readiness Institute and was Vice Chair of the Economic Club of New York. He was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012; the Padma Shri Award by the President of India in 2016; the Ellis Island Medal of Honor and the Business Council for International Understanding’s Global Leadership Award in 2019; and the Distinguished Friends of Singapore Public Service Star in 2021.