VP, Business Development, Travel - EEMEA

OA- Mastercard; United Arab Emirates; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A global technology company is seeking a VP of Business Development in the Travel segment to lead commercial strategy across EEMEA. This role involves engaging high-impact travel clients, negotiating complex agreements, and driving innovative commercial opportunities. The ideal candidate should possess extensive travel industry expertise and have a proven track record in managing revenue portfolios. This is a client-facing position requiring strong leadership, analytical skills, and the ability to influence C-level stakeholders across matrixed environments.

Qualifications

• Extensive travel industry expertise from senior commercial roles.
• Demonstrated success with multi-million-dollar P&Ls.
• Ability to engage C-level clients and influence stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own the go-to-market and revenue strategy for high-impact travel clients.
• Negotiate complex multi-year deals with travel sector leaders.
• Identify new commercial opportunities across the travel value chain.

Skills

C-level relationship development

Negotiation skills

Analytical skills

Cross-regional team leadership

Innovative mindset

Job description

Job Title: VP, Business Development, Travel - EEMEA

Overview

Job Description

Who is Mastercard? Mastercard is a global technology company in the payments industry. Our mission is to connect and power an inclusive, digital economy that benefits everyone, everywhere by making transactions safe, simple, smart, and accessible. Using secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, our innovations and solutions help individuals, financial institutions, governments, and businesses realize their greatest potential.

Our decency quotient, or DQ, drives our culture and everything we do inside and outside of our company. With connections across more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a sustainable world that unlocks priceless possibilities for all.

Overview

The EEMEA Merchant and Commerce team is looking for a VP, Business Development – Travel Segment to drive transformative growth by leading Mastercard’s commercial strategy across the EEMEA region travel ecosystem. This includes leading and scaling all sales and partnership activities across relevant airlines, hotels, OTAs, TMCs, and other travel-related technology companies, to drive profitable revenue growth, market share expansion and deep strategic relationships.

In this role, this Vice President will shape Mastercard’s relevance in this industry vertical through thought‑leadership, embedded payments, digital innovation, co‑brand programs and strategic enterprise deals that unlock volume, revenue, and long‑term market share. Therefore, the ideal candidate is a seasoned leader with sharp commercial expertise and a global mindset.

This candidate should have a proven track record in translating strategy into actionable growth plans that deliver both near‑term impact and long‑term enterprise value, deep expertise across the travel and airline ecosystem, and experience owning and scaling revenue portfolios as well as negotiating complex agreements. Guided by a high decency quotient, this Vice President should be able to navigate matrixed environments and build C‑level relationships across the travel segment with ease.

Role

In this client‑facing position, you will:

• Own the go-to-market and revenue strategy for a portfolio of high‑impact travel clients, including global airlines, hotel chains, and digital travel intermediaries.
• Negotiate and oversee complex multi‑year deals based on partnership strategies developed in collaboration with travel revenue, distribution, technology and CX leaders across the travel value chain.
• Identify and assess new commercial opportunities across the travel value‑chain, leveraging Mastercard’s payments and beyond‑payments capabilities with innovative ideas.
• Lead the design and delivery of differentiated programs, that that drive spend, increased revenue yield, engagement, and retention.
• Orchestrate high‑performing, matrixed teams across multi‑functional stakeholders, while also engaging as a collaborative partner or contributor when appropriate, to ensure seamless execution.
• Strengthen Mastercard’s brand as a trusted partner to the travel sector through executive‑level influence and storytelling.
• Lead, mentor, and develop high‑performing teams with a focus on accountability, inclusion, and growth.

All About You

The ideal candidate for this position should:

• Bring extensive travel industry expertise from senior commercial roles within airlines and/or the broader travel industry.
• Have demonstrated success in leading multi‑million‑dollar P&Ls, developing C‑level relationships and negotiating high‑impact partnership deals.
• Be able to engage and influence C‑level clients and internal senior stakeholders across complex, matrixed environments.
• Be analytically strong, understands P&L drivers of ecosystem players, and comfortable with business case development, performance forecasting and translating strategy into clear actions.
• Be skilled in leading cross‑regional teams and working across internal and external multi‑stakeholder groups to execute integrated initiatives.
• Be known for growing talent, fostering inclusion and leading high‑performing teams in matrixed settings.
• Innovative and entrepreneurial mindset to understand emerging trends, new innovative solutions to drive value at ecosystem level.

Corporate Security Responsibility

Every person working for, or on behalf of, Mastercard is responsible for information security. All activities involving access to Mastercard assets, information, and networks comes with an inherent risk to the organization and therefore, it is expected that the successful candidate for this position must:

• Abide by Mastercard’s security policies and practices;
• Ensure the confidentiality and integrity of the information being accessed;
• Report any suspected information security violation or breach, and
• Complete all periodic mandatory security trainings in accordance with Mastercard’s guidelines.

To find US Salary Ranges, visit People Place. Under the Compensation tab, select \"Salary Structures.\" Within the text of \"Salary Structures,\" click on the link \"salary structures 2025,\" through which you will be able to access the salary ranges for each Mastercard job family. For more information regarding US benefits, visit People Place and review the Benefits tab and the Time Off & Leave tab.