OREANDA-NEWS. MasterCard today announced the expansion of its San Carlos Center of Excellence and the relocation of senior vice president of Emerging Merchants, Les Matthews, and his team to the company’s West Coast office. MasterCard will also add global communications support in San Carlos with the relocation of vice president, Worldwide Communications, Brian Gendron. The moves enhance the company’s presence on the ground in Silicon Valley – an important market for continuing to deepen MasterCard’s footprint with the tech community. In addition, it will also enable the team to engage with the local venture capital community and work more collaboratively with MasterCard digital partners, West Coast based technology organizations and emerging merchants.

“The world of payments is rapidly evolving, led by the convergence of digital and physical environments, as well the changing needs of the always-connected consumer,” said Michael Cyr, group executive, Market Development, MasterCard. “It’s important for us to be on the ground with our partners who are leading the digital evolution so we can further our collaborative efforts to move to market the solutions that consumers are seeking. MasterCard is a technology company and continuing to build our presence within the key tech markets, such as Silicon Valley, is essential.”

This news follows the recently announced technology hub in India and last year’s opening of a New York City based technology hub which are fostering increased collaboration between technologist, developers and MasterCard’s global innovation teams across the globe to drive the development of cutting-edge payment technologies to enable a cashless world.

About MasterCard 

MasterCard, www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Beyond the Transaction Blog and subscribe for the latest news on the Engagement Bureau.