Yasemin Bedir

Yasemin Bedir is President, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) at Mastercard, where she leads the company’s business and strategic agenda across a diverse and dynamic region spanning 81 markets. In this role, she is driving Mastercard’s growth and innovation agenda, deepening partnerships with customers, governments and industry stakeholders, and advancing the company’s role in building a more inclusive, digital and sustainable economy. Since joining Mastercard in 2007, Yasemin has held senior leadership roles across Europe and North America, including General Manager of Turkey and Azerbaijan and Executive Vice President for Mastercard’s North American Markets. She began her career in banking, with leadership roles spanning retail banking, marketing and product development. This breadth of experience has shaped her perspective on the evolution of financial services and the role of technology and innovation in expanding access to the digital economy. A strong advocate for inclusive leadership and economic empowerment, Yasemin is among the founders of the Professional Women Network (PWN). At Mastercard, she also co-sponsors the Women Leadership Network globally and champions initiatives that support women’s advancement and entrepreneurship. She is particularly passionate about creating opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses to grow, helping them access the digital tools, networks and opportunities they need to compete and thrive in an increasingly.

Andrea Prazakova

Andrea Prazakova is Founder & CEO of Zufa.ai, BrainGym and daon.tech, three AI ventures spanning AI education, children’s digital wellbeing, forward-deployed engineering, and intelligent communication between schools and parents. She brings 34 years of leadership experience across banking, innovation and technology, including nearly a decade at Mastercard. Beyond building companies, Andrea is the author of Andrea’s Data Kitchen, host of the Space Uncensored podcast, a keynote speaker, investor and advisory board member.

Kristy Duncan

Kristy Duncan is the founder and CEO of Women in Payments. This growing professional network unites women in payments from around the globe with a shared vision of gender parity. Women in Payments offers career development opportunities through conferences, recognition programs, leadership and mentorship programs, and by hosting a growing global online community.  Kristy is an avid supporter of her fellow female trailblazers, serving as an investor and advisor to a number of fintechs. As a respected leader in the field, she’s been invited to speak to audiences around the world, and act as a judge for accelerators, fintech contests, and awards programs.  Before founding Women in Payments, Kristy was a leading payments consultant to global financial institutions, payment networks, fintechs, and other industry leaders. Prior to that, she held leadership positions at a tier one Canadian bank. 

Gina Petersen-Skyrme

Gina Petersen-Skyrme is Senior Vice President and Country Manager for the UAE and Oman at Mastercard. She is responsible for driving the company's growth strategy, diversifying revenue streams, building strategic partnerships with leading public and private sector stakeholders, while delivering innovative experiences across the payments ecosystem. A strategic, passionate leader and seasoned Payments and Financial Services professional, Gina has led teams in Australia and the Middle East for more than two decades. Prior to joining Mastercard, she served as Head of Merchant Business at American Express Middle East, where she doubled new business volume in two years. In 2014, she co-founded communications agency BRAVE, before negotiating its successful buyout three years later. In an earlier stint with the Qatar Government, Gina led commercial negotiations for the 166-million-euro global partnership between FC Barcelona and Qatar and was an Executive Member of Qatar’s successful FIFA World Cup bid team. She has also worked in-house for Al Khaliji, Barclays, GE Money, and HSBC. Gina graduated from Macquarie University in Australia with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communication and holds a diploma in Direct and Digital Marketing from Australian Direct Marketing Association (ADMA).

Pinar Alpay

Pinar is the Group Chief Product and Marketing Officer, overseeing product and marketing strategy in alignment with customer needs and elevating innovation and brand presence to help drive company growth. Pinar brings extensive global experience across fintech, payments, and technology product leadership. She has held senior executive roles at Worldpay, where she led global payment product strategy and execution, delivering major launches and driving omnichannel expansion as well as playing a critical role in transforming its technology architecture. Most recently, she served as Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Signicat, shaping its product and marketing direction and leading customer-focused innovation across digital identity and trust services. In addition to being an award-winning entrepreneur, she previously held senior roles at Barclaycard International and Bain & Company, bringing together strategic rigor, execution excellence, and a strong customer-first mindset. Pinar holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and a BA in Management from Bogazici University.

Nadia Ghissassi

Nadia leads acceptance growth and modernization across the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Pakistan, with a focus on expanding digital acceptance and unlocking underpenetrated sectors. She brings more than 18 years of experience across payments, strategy and public-sector transformation, including leadership roles at Mastercard spanning country management, products and solutions, consulting, and merchant acceptance. Before Mastercard, she served as an advisor to Morocco’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Investment and Digital Economy. Her professional career covered multiple geographies, from Europe to North Africa and the GCC. Beyond her business role, Nadia is a leader at Mastercard’s Women Leadership Network in Dubai, reflecting her commitment to supporting women’s leadership and development within the industry.

Saeeda Jaffar

Dr. Saeeda Jaffar is Managing Director, International at Circle, where she leads in advancing the adoption of digital currency infrastructure to enable faster, more efficient global payments financial services. She works closely with financial institutions, fintechs, enterprise regulators to drive innovation across payments, treasury, and cross-border transactions. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, Dr. Jaffar has advised and led transformative initiatives across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, specializing in financial service strategy, M&A, and performance improvement. Prior to joining Circle, she held senior leadership positions at Visa, McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Alvarez & Marsal. Dr. Jaffar serves on the Board of Trustees of Kuwait University, is a Board Advisor to the Sharj Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Dubai International Chamber. She previously served as a non-executive board member of United Arab Bank. Her leadership has been recognized by Forbes Middle East’s 100 Most Powerful Women (2023–2025), as well as Arabian Business, Gulf Business, Economy Middle East, and Fast Company.