Mastercard Appoints First Chief Experience Officer

To help lead a team that bolsters its consumer payment experience delivery, Mastercard said Donald Chesnut will become its first chief experience officer as of Jan. 14. Chesnut will also give issuers, merchants and other partners “a more holistic way to work with Mastercard’s products and services,” the company said in an announcement.

“Providing customers with a clear, consistent and rewarding experience is what differentiates leaders from the rest of the pack,” Chief Product Officer Michael Miebach said in the announcement. “Donald’s background and extensive work with leading brands across cultures and countries will build on a strong foundation and strengthen our ongoing activities.”

Prior to his new role, Chesnut served as the global chief experience officer of SapientRazorfish, where he aided Fortune 500 clients in bringing customer-centric thinking into brand experiences. He also worked with clients as chief creative officer and headed the experience design practice at the agency. Aside from SapientRazorfish, Chesnut had digital and interactive experience roles at Siegel+Gale and American Express. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and dramatic literature, as well as a master’s degree in interactive telecommunications from New York University.

The news comes after Mastercard announced in December that the new executive vice president of market development for its new payment platforms team would be Liz Oakes. In her new role, Oakes is tasked with working with entities such as regulators, central banks, schemes, governments and retail, as well as commercial banks. And Oakes will handle the strategic development of real-time payments programs globally.

Before joining Mastercard, Oakes worked as an expert associate partner in McKinsey & Company’s global payments practice. At the firm, Oakes worked with financial institutions, investors and payment businesses on strategy. In addition, she designed and implemented payment systems and handled regulation. Prior to that role, she worked with KPMG and Vocalink (now part of Mastercard).