THE local business of Mastercard International Inc. announced that it has appointed a new Philippine country manager tasked to accelerate digital payments take-up.
In a statement, Mastercard said it has appointed Simon Javier A. Calasanz who will primarily be focused on “accelerating acceptance and usage of digital payments, especially for smaller merchants and businesses.”
Calasanz is also expected to expand on Mastercard’s ongoing digital and financial inclusion initiatives in the country. He replaces Rowell O. Del Fierro.
“Simon is an invaluable addition to Mastercard’s leadership team in the Philippines. He brings with him unrivalled experience in the Philippines’ finance and banking sector and a wealth of knowledge and strategic insights about the intricacies of the market and consumers,” Ari Sarker, co-president for Mastercard Asia Pacific, was quoted in the statement as saying. “Simon will support Mastercard in doubling down on efforts to build an inclusive and digitized economy in the Philippines, while enabling customers and partners to better prepare for economic recovery and growth.”
Calasanz started his career with HSBC Group where he moved up through the company to positions such as senior vice president for product management in Personal Financial Services.
His last position with HSBC was in 2015 as senior vice president heading sales in the bank’s Retail Banking and Wealth Management department. Calasanz was then appointed to the position of President of RCBC Bankard Services Corp. towards the end of 2015—a position he held until 2020, when he was promoted to the role of executive vice president heading consumer lending at RCBC.
Calasanz also served as the president of the Credit Card Association of the Philippines from 2010 to 2014 where he championed the development and initiatives of the industry. Calasanz holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce with a major in Marketing Management, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology, from De La Salle University.