Mastercard has appointed Ifeoma Dozie as its Director, Area Marketing for sub-Saharan Africa.

The appointment, according to a statement from the company, is “in line with Mastercard’s commitment to advance gender equality and women empowerment.”

Dozie, who has had over 17 years’ experience driving marketing strategy internationally, brings a wealth of expertise to the role and will be based in Mastercard’s regional head office in Lagos, Nigeria, it added.

It stated that as Director Area Marketing for Sub-Saharan Africa, Dozie is responsible for driving Mastercard’s marketing and communications strategy across the region, and leveraging her knowledge of the market to drive Mastercard’s business performance.

Commenting on her appointment, Raghav Prasad, the Divisional President of Mastercard Sub-Saharan Africa, said: “Our investments in Africa demonstrate our continued commitment to driving a world beyond cash and bring more people into the formal economy. “

At Mastercard, our people are one of our most important investments. This is why we are thrilled to welcome Ifeoma Dozie to our Sub-Saharan African team.

“With a wealth of experience in all aspects of traditional and digital marketing and a clear understanding of the region’s diversity and the innovative transformation of our brand, Ifeoma will play an invaluable role in engaging consumers, using marketing as a business driver for both Mastercard and its customers.”

Before joining Mastercard, Dozie was the Senior Regional Marketing Manager for Heineken in the Africa, Middle East and Eastern European region, where she was responsible for the development of strategic business plans and capability building.

Prior to that, she worked as the brand’s Portfolio Director in the UK, as Global Marketing Manager in its Netherlands office, and as the Marketing Manager of Nigerian Breweries Plc. She holds a law degree from the University of Bristol, UK and a master’s degree in international business from King’s College, London.

The statement further noted that Dozie is also passionate about girls’ education in Nigeria and actively participates in mentorship programmes.