March 18, 2015/MasterCard

It’s one thing to receive recognition for leadership within one’s own company, but another to be selected as the next generation of global leadership. Linda Kirkpatrick was recently selected by the World Economic Forum (WEF) to serve as a member of the 2015 class of Young Global Leaders.

Each year, WEF combs through thousands of nominations to hand pick a select group of young leaders who are making significant positive contributions to their industries, communities and society at large. The 187 Young Global Leaders come from 66 countries with equal representation from the public and private sector.

As Head of U.S. Core Merchant Verticals, Linda is driving merchant relationships and business development efforts on behalf of MasterCard. This latest role comes on top of her eighteen-year tenure at MasterCard where she has played a lead role engaging with a broad cross-section of our global stakeholders including financial institutions, merchants, investors and governments.

Linda has also demonstrated a personal commitment to volunteerism and mentorship. Her work with Junior Achievement, Habitat for Humanity, Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation are further evidence of her passion for youth and mentoring. Internally at MasterCard, Linda helped to establish YoPros, a business resource group targeted to Young Professionals with over 500 members and chapters across three continents.