Chiro Aikat is executive vice president of U.S. market development for Mastercard and a member of the company’s Management Committee. In this role, he leads a team focused on advancing commercial and strategic efforts with key acceptance partners across the country, including merchants, acquirers and processors.

He also has oversight of the commercial center of excellence and public sector engagement in the U.S., while helping to cultivate relationships with merchants operating across multiple regions.

Throughout his two decades at Mastercard, Chiro has played an integral role in helping all customers implement a wide range of products and programs across the U.S. market. Prior to this role, he led the development and management of the company’s priority initiatives in North America, such as Mastercard Installments, open banking, account-to-account payments, and bill pay, ensuring continued value delivered to merchants, financial institutions and consumers.

He has also helped lead a team that co-created and customized solutions for some of the largest issuers across the globe. Earlier in his career, he was part of the leadership effort to migrate the U.S. market to the EMV chip standard, as well as the introduction of contactless payments in North America.

Chiro holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Saint Louis University.