EqualVoice United Spotlight

A Recipe for Success: Different Backgrounds & Perspectives

Daniela Massaro, Country Manager at Mastercard Switzerland, on leadership, applications without photos, and roses on International Women’s Day.

“A leader is only as good as their team,” says Daniela Massaro, summing up the most important lesson she has learned in her career. At the start of one’s professional journey, the focus tends to be on oneself, with performance and individual results taking center stage. As Country Manager at Mastercard Switzerland, her perspective has fundamentally shifted. “It’s not about me – it’s about the team,” says the PhD holder in business administration. Strength, she believes, comes from working together. “I can take the lead, but without the team’s support and momentum, we won’t reach our goals.” 

To achieve that, it’s essential for leaders to listen well, remain open-minded and progressive, and lead by authentic example. “That’s how you bring people along, inspire them, and empower them to take action,” Massaro explains.

She also observes that, amid a growing talent shortage, it’s becoming increasingly important to address employees’ needs – especially in terms of work environment and flexibility. “At Mastercard, employees can work from home two days per week. In addition, they can work remotely from abroad for up to four weeks a year,” she says. This “RemoteWorkActivity” is also reshaping leadership styles. “Micro-managing doesn’t work anymore. What matters are clear goals and the final result. When and how long someone works on a task is irrelevant.”

Equal Pay, Equal Work, Equal Opportunities

For Massaro, part of being a good leader means recognising and fostering the individual potential of employees. “I make no distinction between men and women,” she stresses. This mindset is not only part of her personal belief system but is deeply embedded throughout the entire organisation. “The topic of equality has been strongly promoted at Mastercard from the very beginning.” And it didn’t stop at gender. The company has broadened its approach to include a sense of community and belonging, embracing people from various backgrounds, with different kinds of skills, preferences and abilities. “As a global company headquartered in the US, Mastercard has always taken a broader view,” Massaro explains. One example: “In the U.S., job applications don’t include photos. And any personal details that might reveal gender, age, or origin are removed, as they’re considered irrelevant.” In the U.S., this mindset is deeply ingrained due to historical context. “Applicants in Switzerland still tend to include a photo and disclose personal information. That’s part of our culture here,” she notes.

Our people are our greatest asset: from small project teams to senior leadership levels, every effort is made to build a workplace and culture that embraces diverse perspectives, encourages collaboration and drives innovation. “Studies show that mixed teams perform better,” says Daniela Massaro. “In Switzerland, we’re doing quite well in that regard. That’s because diversity attracts more diversity.” And it starts with the wording in job advertisements: “Certain words resonate with some people – and not with others,” explains Massaro. That’s why particular attention is paid – with support from artificial intelligence – to using both typically masculine and typically feminine-coded language in job postings, in order to appeal to the broadest possible range of applicants.

Equal pay is another key topic. “Equal pay for equal work – that’s our guiding principle,” says Massaro. Technology helps here too, analysing compensation structures to ensure pay equity across functions. “Beyond that, we also want to achieve equal pay at senior levels. We still have a small gap there, because women remain underrepresented in top positions.” Equality also extends to parenthood. Both mothers and fathers are entitled to four months of parental leave at Mastercard Switzerland. The same applies to adoptive parents.

Gestures over Barriers

As a leader, raising awareness around gender equality is part of Daniela Massaro’s daily work. “On International Women’s Day, I give a rose to every woman – and to the men as well,” she explains. With gestures like this, she naturally brings attention to the topic among her team. What’s important to her is that all activities and training opportunities related to equality are open to both female and male employees. “No one should be excluded,” she emphasises. This principle not only defines Massaro’s leadership style, but also shapes the entire culture at Mastercard Switzerland.

July, 2025

Source: This is an adaptation of the article originally published in HANDELSZEITUNG, EqualVoice United Special, on September 12, 2024.