Randa Bdeir is a recognized leader in electronic payments and credit card technology in the MENA region.

Bdeir pioneered the introduction of the card-issuing business in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt. She played a key role in introducing e-payment solutions to the merchants and developed their e-commerce business in those markets.

Being result-focused, turning around and restructuring businesses has been her forte. She has a solid track record in building digital payments and introducing innovative products and services in the GCC region.

Bdeir was the first Arab woman to serve on the Board of Directors of MasterCard Worldwide for Middle East & Africa region starting from 2000 until 2018.

In 2019, and in recognition of her leadership and vision, she has been appointed by MasterCard Global to join their Global Advisory Board for Technology and is still doing so until today.

Bdeir is currently Deputy General Manager and Head of Electronic Payment Solutions & Card Technology at Credit Libanais Bank (Lebanon) where she recently finalized the restructuring of their card business and worked on their digital transformation process, thus, achieving a significant growth despite the challenging circumstances the Lebanese market is going through.

Previously, she was Head of e-Payment Solutions and Card Services at Bank Audi (Lebanon). Under her leadership, Bank Audi’s credit card business grew exponentially from a team of 20 with a $3m annual loss, and 1% market share to a team of 150, $40m yearly profit and a market share of 47%.

Her strategic initiatives significantly enhanced the bank’s position not only as a market leader but also and most importantly as an innovator in the electronic payments industry. This significant growth resulted in one-of-a-kind carve out of the business and its sale in 2018 to achieve a successful exit.

At Bank Audi, Bdeir led major transformation programs, such as Tap2Pay; a breakthrough in NFC payments technology, which went on to win the Best Contactless Solution Award; “Cloud Pay Platform”, a converged ewallet that embraces the future of digital payments through HCE technology; and E-Gallery, the first innovation platform aggregating future payment trends.

Prior to this experience, she started her career as a Marketing and Business Development Director at Fransabank (Lebanon) where she introduced a collection of payment solutions that contributed to the widespread of card usage in the country, making a big impact on the growth of a cashless society.

Bdeir holds a number of board and advisory positions and has served on various regional and international juries.

She is a member of the Worldwide Alumni Association of the American University of Beirut (AUB) and served as a Juror for the 2019-2020 “Darwazah Startup Accelerate” competition launched by the Olayan School of Business at AUB.

In 2017, Bdeir established the “Randa Bdeir Leadership Award” at AUB in Recognition of Outstanding Leadership in Supporting the Careers of Women.

Bdeir has received a number of prestigious accolades and awards, including being elected a MasterCard Champion for her significant contribution to MasterCard’s business growth; being recognized by the Arab Banking Conference as the best Arab woman contributor to the credit card payment system in the Arab world; receiving the Loyalty Leader of the Year Award at the "Marketing Show – Middle East" for her innovation in the various categories of loyalty programs; and receiving the Best Use of Innovative Technology Award.

Most recently (in Dec 2021), she was awarded by the World Union of Arab Banks “the Excellence in Digitization of Government Payments”

Bdeir holds three degrees from the American University of Beirut and has participated in several executive programs at Stanford University and at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).