After 16 years at Citibank, marketer Mayank Dutt moves to Mastercard

Citibank’s Mayank Dutt has left the bank after 16 years and joined Mastercard as the new VP, marketing and communications, Southeast Asia. Confirming the news to Marketing, a Mastercard spokesperson said he will report to both Safdar Khan, division president, Southeast Asia Emerging Markets and Rustom Dastoor, senior vice president, head of marketing and communications, Asia Pacific. 

Dutt will work closely with Khan and Dastoor to accelerate Mastercard’s core business, diversify its customers and build new businesses across Southeast Asia. He will also be tasked to lead a high impact team that straddles across brand, consumer marketing, product marketing, sponsorships and communications, and will be supporting country managers with the development and implementation of marketing strategy and initiatives.

Dastoor told Marketing that having a relentless focus on the consumer has always been at the heart of Mastercard’s brand DNA, and that Dutt has the same consumer obsession. 

Describing Dutt as a rare breed of marketer, Dastoor added that he can skilfully navigate brands at the intersection of data, technology and culture. “With a young and tech savvy population, Southeast Asia is one of the world’s fastest growing regions, reinforcing the need for Mastercard to design and deliver experiences that are simple, seamless and secure. With almost two decades of digital marketing experience, Dutt is very well placed to accelerate the brand to greater heights in this region. We’re excited to have him on board,” he said.

Dutt last helmed the role of director, regional insurance overseeing APAC and EMEA. He was previously the chief marketing officer at Citi Singapore and led a team of marketing, insights and digital acquisition specialists. According to his LinkedIn, as CMO, he drove strategies on product and segment marketing communications bank wide, and was established the brand strategy and positioning for Citi in Singapore. 

Dutt held the CMO role for three years, and was promoted to take on a new position as customer franchise head for Citibank Vietnam. In his time with the bank, he has held several leadership roles. Prior the CMO role, he was VP of Premium Credit Cards and Affluent Marketing head, and was also the VP of regional marketing for over two years before that. 

In an earlier interview with Marketing, Dutt was of the view that "marketers are born and not created” and explained that "there is no dearth of marketing talent in Singapore and the region".

He then said that that an organisation too plays a part in bringing out a marketer in individuals. “[An organisation] has to provide a platform which allows candidates to hone their creativity, test their skills, and equip them with strategies and goals that allow them to showcase their ideas and thoughts. As such, to be able to attract the right talent, having brand equity is not enough,” Dutt said. 

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