Washington: US President Barack Obama has chosen Sikh American CEO Ajay Banga for a major administration position on his Advisory Committee for Trade and Policy Negotiations. Ajay Banga is currently the chairman for the US India Business Council and came to India as part of Obama’s CEOs delegation.
The White House confirmed that Ajay Banga will be part of the Advisory Committee. President Obama was quoted saying “The talent and expertise these individuals bring to their roles will serve our nation well. I am grateful for their service, and look forward to working with them.”
Ajay Banga has an MBA from the IIM Ahmedabad and since 2009 is the CEO of MasterCard. Before joining MasterCard Ajay Banga held the following Positions:
Senior Management Citigroup (1996-2009); Director For Marketing and Business Development at Pepsi Rest; He served as Director for Marketing and Business Development at PepsiCo Restaurants International India from 1994 to 1996.
Banga began his career at Nestle India, where he served in various sales and management roles from 1981 to 1994. He is a member of the Board of Directors of MasterCard and The Dow Chemical Company. He received an BA degree from St Stephen’s College of Delhi University .
Prior to joining MasterCard in 2009, Banga was chief executive officer of Citigroup Asia Pacific responsible for all businesses in the region, including institutional banking, alternative investments, wealth management, consumer banking and credit cards. He joined Citigroup in 1996 and held a variety of senior management roles in the United States, Asia Pacific, and the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions. He was also responsible for Citi’s brand marketing and from 2005-2009 oversaw its efforts in microfinance.
Banga began his career at Nestlé, India, where for 13 years he worked on assignments spanning sales, marketing and general management. He also spent two years at PepsiCo, where he was instrumental in launching its fast food franchises in India as the economy liberalized.
Banga is a member of the Board of Overseers of the Weill Cornell Medical College and on the Board of the American Red Cross. He is currently chairman of the US-India Business Council and was also appointed a member of the US-India CEO Forum. He serves as a member of the Executive Committee of the Business Roundtable. Banga is also a member of the International Business Council of the World Economic Forum. He is also vice chair of the Business Council.
In addition, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Advisory Board of the Moscow School of Management (SKOLKOVO), the board of the Financial Services Roundtable, the Economic Club of New York, the New York City Ballet and the Partnership for New York City. He also is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association and was awarded the Foreign Policy Association Medal in 2012.
