Raja Rajamannar is a senior fellow at Mastercard, serving as a true brand ambassador following an extraordinary 12-year tenure as chief marketing and communications officer.
During his time leading the company’s integrated marketing and communications function, Raja transformed Mastercard into one of the fastest-growing brands in the world. He evolved the iconic Priceless campaign into a truly experiential, multisensory brand, infusing emerging technologies and advanced data analytics, even while pioneering new standards in inclusive design.
Raja’s leadership propelled Mastercard to one of BrandZ’s most valuable global brands and the world’s No. 1 audio brand for five consecutive years, and it also garnered accolades from Disability:IN, Fast Company, Cannes Lions and other prestigious organizations. This transformative work now serves as case studies at both Harvard Business School and Yale School of Management.
A Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Raja is a frequent speaker and media commentator. His book, “Quantum Marketing: Mastering the New Marketing Mindset for Tomorrow’s Consumers,” has become a touchstone for marketing leaders and academics around the world, and is now available in 14 languages. These insights are the inspiration for the Bloomberg Originals series, “Quantum Marketing with Raja Rajamannar,” now in its second season.
Raja has deep business management experience, leading large revenue-driving organizations throughout his career. This has provided a critical foundation for ensuring marketing is a force multiplier for growth. His prior roles include founding president of healthcare at Mastercard, chief transformation officer for health insurance firm Elevance (formerly Anthem), and chief innovation and marketing officer for Humana. He held senior management roles with Unilever and Citibank, including chairman and CEO of Diners Club North America.
An inductee into the AAF Advertising Hall of Fame, Forbes’ CMO Hall of Fame and AMA Marketing Hall of Fame, Raja has been recognized as one of Business Insider’s Most Innovative CMOs seven times. He was also named WFA Global Marketer of the Year, Advertising Person of the Year by the Ad Club of New York, Adweek’s Brand Genius and Grand Brand Genius, Billboard’s Top Branding Power Player and Fashion Group International’s Tech and Brand Innovation Award recipient, among many other recognitions.
He serves on the boards of the Association of National Advertisers, the Ad Council and Yale School of Management Consumer Insights Council. He serves on the board of PPL Corporation, a U.S. Fortune 500 company (NYSE: PPL), the New York City Ballet and Bon Secours Mercy Health.
Originally from India, Raja received his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Osmania University and Master of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore. He currently resides with his wife and younger son in the U.S.
