VP - Strategy Consulting for Acquiring Ecosystem in London

Vice President – Acceptance Consulting leads the Acceptance Consulting vertical globally, with end-to-end accountability for driving revenue growth across advisory, innovation, and deployment. As a credible and trusted thought leader, this role shapes the market narrative for acquirers, PSPs, PayFacs, merchants, fintechs, and government clients — translating deep domain expertise and market intelligence into scalable, productized consulting solutions. The role is central to the Consulting Vision 2030, unlocking vertical potential in underpenetrated acceptance segments, while embedding consulting directly into Mastercard platforms to accelerate the Mastercard flywheel.

Key Responsibilities

• Market Intelligence & Client Credibility — Maintain an in-depth understanding of acceptance market needs, trends, and competitive dynamics. Be a credible, trusted advisor to C-suite clients across traditional acquirers, fintechs, PSPs, merchants, and government entities. Lead high-impact client workshops, executive sessions, and strategic pursuits.
• Product Strategy & Productization — Define, build, and evolve the Acceptance Consulting product roadmap. Package consulting IP into scalable, repeatable solutions. Drive "bundling by default" with adjacent Mastercard products and services and champion embedded consulting by integrating acceptance advisory directly into Mastercard platforms.
• Go-to-Market & Sales Enablement — Develop and execute go-to-market strategies, regional playbooks and sales enablement materials. Partner closely with Sales and Business Development teams, ensuring they are fully equipped to sell acceptance consulting solutions.
• End-to-End Product & Revenue Ownership — Carry full end-to-end accountability for the Acceptance Consulting vertical — spanning P&L ownership, revenue performance, product strategy and lifecycle, and partnership with A&CS.
• Delivery Excellence & Cross-Functional Collaboration — Develop and refine scalable delivery models, playbooks, and accelerators to ensure flawless, efficient execution. Establish value-based and performance-linked commercial models and drive consulting economics discipline across price, margin, and utilization.
• Thought Leadership & Market Authority — Set and drive the thought leadership agenda for the Acceptance Consulting vertical. Mobilize the practice, A&CS delivery teams, regional experts, and cross-functional partners to author whitepapers, curate webinars, and publish signature research.
• Leadership & Influence — Serve as a true global leader who leads through influence, not hierarchy. Build followership through credibility, vision, and energy.

Qualifications & Experience

• 12+ years of experience in management consulting, payments, acquiring/acceptance, or financial services.
• Proven track record of P&L ownership and driving revenue growth in a consulting or professional services environment.
• Deep domain expertise in acquiring, acceptance, merchant services, and payment ecosystem dynamics.
• Demonstrated ability to productize and commercialize consulting offerings at scale.
• Strong executive presence with board-level communication skills.
• Experience leading cross-functional, global teams in a matrixed organization.
• Familiarity with embedded consulting, platform-based delivery, and AI-augmented consulting models.
• Track record of building trusted, long-term client relationships at C-suite level.
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree preferred.

Preferred Background

• Prior role as Partner, VP, Practice Lead, or equivalent at a top-tier consulting firm or payments company.
• Experience with acquirers, PSPs, PayFacs, fintechs, or merchant platforms.
• Understanding of Mastercard products, services, and franchise ecosystem.
• Familiarity with value-based pricing, outcome-based commercial models, and pay-for-performance frameworks.
• Exposure to agentic commerce, and digital payment innovation.

Key Leadership Competencies

• Domain Expertise & Consulting Mastery — Brings deep expertise in the acceptance and acquiring vertical, staying ahead of market trends and emerging practices.
• Strategic Mindset — Thinks long-term and systemically, envisioning future scenarios and crafting bold strategies to sustain competitive advantage.
• Innovation & Thought Leadership — Challenges conventional thinking and champions creative solutions.
• Communication & Stakeholder Collaboration — Communicates with clarity, empathy, and influence.
• Execution & Outcome Orientation — Drives results with urgency and precision.
• Global Perspective & Cultural Agility — Navigates cross-cultural environments with sensitivity and adaptability.

Corporate Security Responsibility

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