MasterCard has appointed Sami Lahoud as Vice President — Communications, Middle East and Africa, with the responsibility to drive the corporate communications function for the company across the Middle East and Africa region.
Based in Dubai, Sami will draw upon his broad communications and journalism experience in the region to optimize MasterCard’s brand visibility and reputation across the three main divisions that compose the MEA region, namely; Middle East & North Africa (MENA), Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa.
Commenting on Lahoud’s appointment, Michael Miebach, president, Middle East and Africa, MasterCard Worldwide, said: “Sami’s credentials are of the highest caliber and he brings a wealth of experience in some of the most challenging communications environments. This is a clear benefit to MasterCard and all our stakeholders.
As part of a strategic decision to invest in resources in the region, Sami’s appointment will put MasterCard in a strong position to drive greater awareness and value of MasterCard products and brand across Middle East and Africa.”
Before joining MasterCard, Sami worked with Barclays where he established the Corporate Affairs function for the Emerging Markets region which was set up to spearhead the growth of Barclays Retail and Corporate business in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and East Europe.
Prior to his work at Barclays, Sami held several senior positions within leading organizations such as Boeing, Weber Shandwick and Hill & Knowlton. He also was the Business Editor of Al Iktissad Wal Aamal magazine, a leading pan Arab business publication.
Sami holds a Master’s Degree in Money & Banking from the American University of Beirut.
