10 Mastercard legal leaders
Malik Dhanani, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Commercial & New Payment Flows at Mastercard, leads this list of Mastercard legal leaders, which also includes assistant general counsels, a head of legal for Australasia and directors and senior counsels. A reader can learn how legal leaders work at Mastercard from people who have held the role.
Professionals to explore
Arnaud Klaeylé
LinkedInExperience: Director - Senior Counsel, Privacy, AI & Data Responsibility (Global) · Mastercard
Arnaud Klaeylé has been Director - Senior Counsel, Privacy, AI & Data Responsibility (Global) at Mastercard since July 2024, based in Paris. Arnaud Klaeylé was Director - Senior Counsel, Privacy & Data Protection (Europe) at Mastercard from 2022 to 2024 and Counsel - Data Privacy Legal Counsel (Global) at Shell from 2019 to 2021.
Erin Abraham
LinkedInExperience: Director, Senior Counsel (Data & Services) · Mastercard
Erin Abraham has been Director, Senior Counsel (Data & Services) at Mastercard since September 2023, based in the United Kingdom, and describes a focus on commercial and product legal work. Erin Abraham was Lead Commercial Counsel - Europe at Binance from 2022 to 2023 and Legal Counsel (Commercial) at Uber from 2021 to 2022.
Grady Nye
LinkedInExperience: SVP, Assistant General Counsel - Privacy & Data Protection · Mastercard
Grady Nye has been SVP, Assistant General Counsel - Privacy & Data Protection at Mastercard since December 2022, based in Purchase, New York. Grady Nye was VP, Senior Managing Counsel - Privacy & Data Protection at Mastercard in 2022, Senior Counsel, Privacy & Data Protection at Mastercard from 2018 to 2022 and an Associate at Sidley Austin LLP from 2014 to 2018.
Malik Dhanani
LinkedInExperience: Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Commercial & New Payment Flows · Mastercard
Malik Dhanani has been Executive Vice President, General Counsel, Commercial & New Payment Flows at Mastercard since January 2026 and describes leading the global legal strategy for that business. Malik Dhanani was Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel, Commercial & New Payment Flows at Mastercard from 2022 to 2026 and Senior Managing Counsel, New Payment Platforms from 2017 to 2022.
Michelle Nahmias, Esq.
LinkedInExperience: Director, Senior Counsel, Global Marketing & Communications · Mastercard
Michelle Nahmias has been Director, Senior Counsel, Global Marketing & Communications at Mastercard since October 2021, based in New York. Michelle Nahmias was Manager, Counsel, North America at Mastercard from 2020 to 2021 and lists experience in entertainment, intellectual property, marketing and business law.
Rama Lingard
LinkedInExperience: Head of Legal - Australasia · Mastercard
Rama Lingard has been Head of Legal - Australasia at Mastercard since December 2019, based in Sydney, and describes being a senior executive and lead regional counsel for Mastercard. Rama Lingard was Head of Legal - Australia, New Zealand & South Pacific at Visa from 2016 to 2019 and Senior Legal Counsel at Commonwealth Bank from 2015 to 2016.
Seth Pruss
LinkedInExperience: Assistant General Counsel, Privacy, Regulatory, and Technology · Mastercard
Seth Pruss has been Assistant General Counsel, Privacy, Regulatory, and Technology at Mastercard since August 2026 and was Assistant General Counsel, Franchise, Technology, Treasury & Customer Risk Management at Mastercard from 2022 to 2026. Seth Pruss was Senior Managing Counsel, Corporate Finance & Governance at Mastercard from 2014 to 2019.
Susen Aklan
LinkedInExperience: Director, Senior Counsel - Privacy, AI & Data Responsibility · Mastercard
Susen Aklan has been Director, Senior Counsel - Privacy, AI & Data Responsibility at Mastercard since May 2023, based in Istanbul. Susen Aklan was Data Protection Officer at Edenred Türkiye from 2021 to 2023 and Senior Associate - Data Protection & Compliance Lead at BTS & Partners from 2020 to 2021.
Teodora Niculae
LinkedInExperience: Director & Senior Legal Counsel · Mastercard
Teodora Niculae has been Director & Senior Legal Counsel at Mastercard since October 2022, based in Montreal, and describes being a commercial, regulatory and marketing lawyer with experience in payments, e-commerce, intellectual property and privacy. Teodora Niculae was Legal Counsel at Behaviour Interactive from 2018 to 2022.
Varsha Gupta
LinkedInExperience: Director, Senior Counsel, Real Time Payments · Mastercard
Varsha Gupta has been Director, Senior Counsel, Real Time Payments at Mastercard since November 2025, based in Dubai. Varsha Gupta was Director, Senior Counsel, EEMEA, Transfer Solutions at Mastercard from 2022 to 2025 and was Treasurer and Board Director at the Association of Corporate Counsel from 2020 to 2026.
Choose the right perspective
Match the person's legal area, such as commercial payments, privacy and AI, regulatory, real time payments, data and services, marketing or a region, to the question you bring. Check when each person started the current role to judge how recent the experience is.
Questions to take into the conversation
- 01What did you focus on first when you took on your current legal role?
- 02How do you decide which legal questions you answer directly and which go to outside counsel?
- 03What has your own work taught you about advising product teams on new payment products and regulation?
Reaching Mastercard legal leaders
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About this directory
This is a professional research starting point based on business profile data retrieved on . Titles and companies reflect that source snapshot; roles marked former had ended by then. Check the linked profiles for current details. Inclusion does not imply Instant Expert membership or availability.
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