Rahul Deshpande

Rahul Deshpande is the executive vice president and global head of Research and Development at Mastercard. Mastercard Foundry’s Global R&D team pioneers new products and services, tackles complex challenges and unlocks opportunities through emerging technologies, bringing transformative value to consumers, businesses and governments worldwide. Previously, Rahul served as the chief technology officer at Ethoca, a Mastercard company. He was instrumental in developing solutions capable of preventing chargebacks, combating friendly fraud, and enhancing digital customer experiences through real-time data-based collaboration. Rahul first joined Mastercard in 2014 and held several positions, including senior vice president of Digital Strategy and vice president of Engineering and R&D. Prior to Mastercard, Rahul held several leadership positions across Fortune 500 logistics, supply chain, consulting and technology firms. His contributions in these roles include the development of award-winning applications, intelligent pricing engines and efficient supply-chain networks. As an engineer with a background in industrial electronics, Rahul holds a Master of Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and a master’s degree in Computer Science with a specialization in artificial intelligence and genetic programming.