Georgette Tan, Group Head, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide

Georgette Tan is Group Head, Communications for the Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa region and is responsible for the development and implementation of regional communications and CSR programs throughout the Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa region. 

In this role, Ms. Tan leads a number of communications initiatives, including the creation of MasterCard’s suite of research properties, surveys and indices. This research have served as a benchmark for a myriad of industry and consumer trends, including financial literacy, consumer confidence, purchasing priorities and resilience, ethical spending, online shopping, business development, and financial and regulatory policies. 
Ms. Tan has also driven the release of four MasterCard issued books on industry knowledge leadership examining the discretionary spending power and long term economic impact of various demographics that were authored by Dr. Yuwa Hedrick-Wong, Global Economic Advisor for MasterCard. In 2005, Ms. Tan launched the ‘MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women's Advancement,’ a unique knowledge leadership platform that provides key insights measuring the socio-economic advancement of women. 

She has been a driving force in the creation of a number of related community initiatives and scholarship programs to benefit disadvantaged women and children in the region. Ms. Tan was instrumental in the launch of the MasterCard Purchase with Purpose™ program, a transactional philanthropy platform that lets MasterCard cardholders donate a portion of their purchases to support charity initiatives through select merchant outlets. The proceeds from MasterCard Purchase with Purpose™ help benefit the lives of disadvantaged women and children by providing them access to education and development programs to help them attain a sustainable livelihood.  

Ms. Tan currently serves on the international advisory panel for Maitri, an NGO in India committed to improving the quality of life of marginalized women and underprivileged children. She is also a member of the advisory board for the MSc in Communication Management Programme at the Singapore Management University. 

Previously, Ms. Tan was the Director of Communications for CNBC Asia, and served as the manager of international publicity services at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council in Hong Kong. Prior to that, she led public relations for the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board.  

She joined MasterCard in 2000 and is based in Singapore.

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Penny leads Head of Public Affairs and External Relations for Southeast Asia for the global management consultancy, McKinsey & Company. Prior to joining McKinsey & Company in 2011, she was a senior diplomat with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  She served  most recently as Deputy High Commissioner at the Australian High Commission in Singapore, and previously represented Australia at a senior level as Assistant Secretary for Southeast Asia, in Malaysia and Indonesia, and at the United Nations in Geneva. Penny's areas of expertise include international relations, government affairs, communication, policy analysis and development.  Having lived and worked in Asia for many years, Penny is passionate about making a contribution to the community. Over the past five years, she has worked closely with the Singapore Social Innovation Park (SIP), an incubator for social enterprises. In 2011, she chaired the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) Annual Corporate and Public Sector Volunteerism and Philanthropy Awards. An arts enthusiast, she also sits on the Board of Singapore's independent arts center, The Substation, and actively promotes arts collaboration between Australia and Asia.

As a career woman and mother, Penny has been an energetic contributor to women's initiatives in Singapore. She has been a strong supporter of efforts to enhance women's leadership potential across the community, speaking frequently on women's career issues and actively mentoring younger women. She is on the Working Committee on BoardAgender, a group which aims to provide a forum in Singapore to facilitate a greater awareness and understanding of the benefits of gender balanced business, and the advancement of women into senior leadership roles and the boardroom.

Penny holds degrees in Economics and International Relations from the University of Sydney and the Australian National University.

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