Reeta Roy

As President and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation, Reeta Roy has been instrumental in building one of the world’s largest and most impactful philanthropies. The Foundation has over $50 billion in assets and has committed more than $10 billion to its programs in Africa and Indigenous communities in Canada. These programs have equipped more than 55 million young people with work-enabling skills and tools, supported more than 18.7 million entrepreneurs, and enabled close to 15 million young people to access work. 

Under her leadership since 2008, the Foundation is known for its collaborative approach, drive for impact, and putting its support behind African organizations and Indigenous communities in Canada. Early on, Reeta demonstrated her willingness to make bold choices by focusing the Foundation’s programming in Africa. She spent time learning from African entrepreneurs, educators, and communities and her hands-on approach forged many long-term partnerships. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Calls to Action, she and her colleagues launched partnerships to support Indigenous youth through post-secondary and into meaningful work.  

These experiences shaped the Foundation’s values – humility, listening, co-creation, kindness and respect, and impact – which guide its decisions. Reeta elevated the views and agency of young people, most often excluded from education and financial services. Their input shaped the design of many Foundation programs.  

To ensure Africa received its share of global vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, Roy and her team led an unprecedented $1.5 billion initiative with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, called Saving Lives and Livelihoods. It trained, equipped and deployed 40,000 health workers and helped increase adult vaccination rates from 3 percent to 53 percent. The Foundation is helping develop a skilled workforce for vaccine manufacturing in Africa. 

Reeta began her career at the United Nations before transitioning into the private sector. She spent 17 years in the health industry, first in global roles at Bristol-Myers Squibb and then at Abbott as the inaugural Divisional Vice President of Global Citizenship and Policy. 

Growing up in a multicultural society in Malaysia, Reeta developed a strong capacity for listening with empathy. A beneficiary of scholarships which allowed her to complete her education, Reeta holds a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy. She has received 11 honorary doctorate degrees, from institutions like McGill University and the University of Toronto in Canada, Carnegie Mellon University in the USA, and the American University of Beirut in Lebanon. She serves on the jury of the Global Pluralism Award and the Advisory Board of the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society at the University of Toronto.