Inside the Circles: What's in a Name?

   On the latest episode of "Inside the Circles," Mastercard’s podcast about the future of work and the topics of now, host Latoya Bennett-Johnson chats with Thompson, a two-time intern at Mastercard who is now an account management director for North America, about her career journey and her passion for uplifting her community.  Brianna Thompson grew up mere miles from the opulent playgrounds of Hamptons, but her hometown of Hampton Bays is working class, and she was the first generation in her family to attend college. Mindful of the sobering statistics about low-income first-generation college students — only 11% complete their degree within six years — she established an annual scholarship at her high school for these students. That was only five years after she herself graduated from high school. Thompson started working at Mastercard upon graduation from Baruch College with a bachelor's in business administration and quickly advanced while working toward her MBA. But immediately after being hired, she starting thinking about how she could help other first-generation college students gain confidence and continue their education. With her signing bonus, she created a self-funded scholarship to be awarded to a Hampton Bays High School graduate who would also be a first-generation college student, and she continues to fund the award every year. After being named one of Mastercard's volunteers of the year through the company's CEO Force for Good Awards, she was able to fund five scholarships with a donation from the company. Tune in to their insightful chat... 

On the latest episode of “Inside the Circles,” Mastercard’s podcast about the future of work and the topics of now, host Latoya Bennett-Johnson sat down with Chad Wallace, who is the executive vice president and global head of Commercial Solutions. After a robust career with Goldman Sachs and Capital One, Wallace joined Mastercard a little over a year ago to lead the company’s commercial and B2B businesses, including product, engineering, and sales.  Three years ago, on National Coming Out Day, Wallace penned a letter to his younger self. He had written the draft ten times before he felt comfortable with it. After years, both in his youth and early career, of being reserved and keeping his cards close to his chest, Wallace was ready to raise his voice and put it all out there – the experiences he had growing up as a young gay man in rural Tennessee, the evolving relationships with his family and what it means to show up as your authentic self in your personal and professional life. Wallace reflects on his letter and all that has occurred in his life that led him to writing it. “Even in some of the toughest things through my life, there were really good things that ended up happening because of that,” says Wallace. “I think I’m a better person at the end of the day because of the things that I went through during my childhood and upbringing.”

The pandemic sparked many changes in how we live and work, and among them is how we now center mental health and wellbeing in our lives.  Mastercard’s own Future of Work initiatives support the ways people show up as their authentic selves, with the flexibility and understanding to do what’s best for their wellbeing.  On the latest episode of “Inside the Circles,” Mastercard’s podcast about the future of work and the topics of now, host Latoya Bennett-Johnson chats with Schawn Branch, a lead program manager in our Data & Services business and a co-lead for our SALUTE Business Resource Group for veterans, about what can often be a drastic transition for former military members.  A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point who joined Mastercard after a 28-year career in U.S. Army, Branch is passionate about helping those serving find opportunities for employment after leaving the military. He was hired following a 12-week corporate fellowship with the Hiring Our Heroes program that gave him the opportunity work at Mastercard while still enlisted. The conversation about mental health in the military has evolved significantly, Branch says, from being something not discussed to now being talked about openly. “It takes a lot of strength to ask for help,” he says.

The latest episode of "Inside the Circles" will honor Earth Month, focusing on Mastercard’s ESG priorities, the changes we’re making to our office spaces to become green-certified and how employees can feel empowered to combat environmental issues.  Host Latoya Bennett-Johnson, vice president, Global Sponsorships, spoke with two of our sustainability experts, Sia Xeros, vice president, Environmental Sustainability and Erin Goodhand, director, Sustainability to explore their personal journeys and passion for sustainability, as well as discussing how we can make sustainability more accessible for individuals and communities around the world. We believe that everyone has a role to play in creating a more sustainable future. According to recent Mastercard sustainability research, 85% of consumers are willing to take personal action to combat environmental and sustainability issues. Mastercard is honoring Earth Month by making action more accessible for individuals, so they feel empowered to contribute and giving them opportunities to be part of the solution.

We’re celebrating Pride Month on “Inside on the Circles.” For this edition, we’re joined by technical program manager Mark O’Looney and vice president, social impact communications, Allison Kahn. (You may also be familiar with Mark and his story through his ever-growing Instagram account ‘Two Men and a Surrogacy’). Mark and Allison will join host Latoya Bennett-Johnson for a discussion on their career journeys, the importance of equity and inclusivity in the workplace, what Pride Month means to them and Mastercard’s commitment to supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

On June 5, it's World Environment Day so  host Latoya Bennett-Johnson chats ESG with Jim Colvine, senior vice president, Product Management and Jennifer Merli, vice president, Corporate Sustainability. The acronym ESG that has taken flight across industries over the last few years and stands for environmental, social and corporate governance – non-financial ways to measure a company’s sustainability and social responsibility.  Contributing to a more sustainable world is one of our core values. Through Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition, Carbon Calculator and net-zero commitment, the company strives to make a positive change in the environment. “For Mastercard, this is connecting the ‘why’ of what we do, our purpose, with the ‘what’ of our fundamental business strategies,” says Jim. In other words, he says, “doing well by doing good.” 

“If you want something, reach for it.” A long career in male-dominated spaces forged Mastercard’s Vice Chair Ann Cairns’ personal credo, and continues to fuel it in her work to champion women in business. In the latest episode of “Inside the Circles,” Mastercard’s podcast about the future of work and the topics of now, host Latoya Bennett-Johnson sits down with Cairns to discuss her longstanding commitment to inclusion, diversity and mentorship, and the experiences that led her to this role. Cairns worked as a research scientist in the field of offshore oil and gas drilling before moving into international banking and finance, where she was often the only woman in the room. “It’s not all negative,” she says. “If you look different to everyone else, you get noticed.” She also saw that having different people at the table produced a greater array of opinions and ideas, sparking her passion to advocate for gender equity in business. Game show music:  “Milton Intro Remix” by Timbre

An inclusive workplace that champions positive social impact inside and outside of its walls is not a nice-to-have – it’s a necessity, says Mastercard’s Chief Inclusion Officer Randall Tucker. In the latest episode of “Inside the Circles,” host Latoya Bennett-Johnson sits down with Tucker to discuss his career journey, Mastercard’s  In Solidarity commitment to helping close the racial wealth gap,  and the genesis of the initiative following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in 2020. Floyd’s death sent shockwaves throughout the U.S. and beyond, and the protest movement that arose in its wake led companies to reevaluate how to better serve the Black community. At Mastercard, Tucker says he and other executives “dropped everything” to develop a genuine and thoughtful plan of action. To hear more from Bennet-Johnson and Tucker, including a lighting round of Black History Month-themed questions, dive into the episode now.

In honor of Veterans Day in the U.S. and Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom and Canada, the latest episode of the "Inside the Circles" podcast pays tribute to the brave men and women at Mastercard who have served in the armed forces.  For this episode, host Latoya Bennett-Johnson chats with Neil Parker and Jen Buckner. Buckner leads Mastercard’s Technology Risk Governance and Standards team. She’s also a recently-retired U.S. Army brigadier general who held numerous intelligence and leadership positions throughout her military career. Parker is a vice president in Corporate Security responsible for leading our Business Security Enablement team. Before joining Mastercard, he deployed to the Middle East as a corporal with the British Armed Forces. Tune in to hear more about their professional journeys, their experience moving from the military to civilian life and how they work on their mental fitness.

On the latest episode of "Inside the Circles," Mastercard’s podcast about the future of work and the topics of now, host Latoya Bennett-Johnson chats with Eva Mudgal and Monica Agarwala about the company’s pathways to bring and keep more women in technology and innovation. Mudgal is an alum of Mastercard's global STEM program Girls4Tech that teaches programmers of tomorrow about algorithms, encryption, fraud detection, data analysis, digital convergence and more. Agarwala joined Mastercard in 2018 as part of "Relaunch Your Career,"  the company's program designed specifically for professionals who want to rejoin the workforce after a career break.