Mastercard announces appointment of Sandun Hapugoda as Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives

Tuesday, 30 November 2021 01:56 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Mastercard yesterday announced the appointment of Sandun Hapugoda as its new Country Manager for Sri Lanka and Maldives. Sandun succeeds Rajesh Mani who has transitioned to another role within Mastercard.

Sandun Hapugoda

Sandun joined Mastercard in 2017 to lead the company’s Digital and Value Added Services business in Sri Lanka and Maldives. Since then he has been instrumental in deepening the company’s partnerships with banking and non-banking financial institutions, fintechs and merchants by enhancing and streamlining their digital payment journeys. Sandun was also actively involved in the launch of the first EMV mPOS solution, SoftPOS and Mastercard’s cyber and intelligence solutions in the region.

Outside of Mastercard, Sandun is a member of the committee appointed by the Ministry of Technology, Government of Sri Lanka, to advise cabinet members on digital banking, blockchain related industries and cryptocurrency policy formulation. He is also a steering committee member for the National Science Foundation for technology research.

Sandun will report to Mastercard Chief Operating Officer South Asia Vikas Varma. Speaking about the appointment, Varma said, “Sandun brings nearly two decades of experience and expertise across multiple areas of the banking and payments industry to his new position. Having already worked closely with many of our customers and partners in Sri Lanka and Maldives, Sandun will be instrumental in strengthening our existing partnerships and forging new ones as we continue to build and nurture a vibrant digital ecosystem across Sri Lanka and Maldives.”

“Sri Lanka and Maldives have witnessed a rapid uptake in digital payments in recent years, and Mastercard has played a significant role in supporting governments, communities and businesses as they develop their digital payments landscape. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to Mastercard’s efforts to support the socio-economic growth of Sri Lanka and Maldives,” said Hapugoda.

Prior to joining Mastercard, Sandun was Head of Payments and Cash Management for Hatton National Bank where he also led the digital banking team. Before that, he held managerial roles across diverse areas including information security and risk, IT management and card operations at Amana Bank, ICICI Bank (Sri Lanka) and Sampath Bank.