EqualVoice United Spotlight

Diversity Attracts Diversity

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

“A leader is only as good as their team,” says Daniela Massaro, describing the most important lesson she’s learned in her career. Early in your career, you tend to focus more on yourself and measure success in terms of individual achievements and results. Now, as Country Manager at Mastercard Switzerland, this approach has completely changed for her. “It’s not about me, it’s about my team,” says the business graduate. Strength comes from working together. “I can lead, but if people aren’t behind me and moving forward with me, we won’t achieve our goals.”

To be successful, it’s important for leaders to listen well, stay open-minded and liberal, and lead by example. “That way you can inspire people, bring them along and empower them to take action,” says Massaro.

In times of labour shortages, it has become even more important to be responsive to employees’ needs, she notes, pointing to trends in “working environment” and “working from elsewhere”. “At Mastercard, employees can work from home two days a week. In addition, they can spend up to four weeks abroad while continuing to work,” she explains. These are working conditions that employees have been asking for, especially since the pandemic. This “remote work activity” is also changing the way management is perceived, says Massaro. “Micro-management no longer works. What matters are clear objectives and results. When and how long someone works on a task doesn’t matter.

Equality in All Areas

One of the key responsibilities of a leader, according to Massaro, is recognizing and fostering the potential of individual employees. “I don’t differentiate between men and women,” she emphasizes. This mindset is deeply ingrained, not only in her personal approach but also within the company culture. “Equality has been a central topic at Mastercard from the very beginning.”

The conversation goes beyond gender and embraces diversity and inclusion, welcoming individuals from a variety of backgrounds, preferences, and abilities. “As an American company, Mastercard has always taken a broader approach,” explains Massaro. She gives an example from the U.S.: “In job applications, no photo is submitted. Personal details such as gender, age, or origin are crossed out because these factors are irrelevant.” This mindset is deeply rooted in American history. “In Switzerland, applicants still send photos, and personal details are openly visible. This is part of our local culture,” she says.

Diversity is Key at Mastercard Switzerland

At Mastercard Switzerland, diversity is a priority at all levels, from small project teams to senior management. “Studies show that diverse teams perform better,” says Massaro. “In Switzerland, we’re doing quite well. The reason is simple: Diversity attracts diversity.” It starts with the language used in job advertisements. “Certain words either attract or repel certain people,” says Massaro. To address this, Mastercard uses artificial intelligence to ensure that job ads include both male and female attributes and adjectives to appeal to a broad range of candidates.

Another important issue is equal pay. “Equal pay for equal work is our principle,” says Massaro. Technology tools help ensure that everyone at the same level is paid the same. “We also aim to achieve equal pay at higher hierarchical levels, but there is still a small gap because women are still under-represented in these positions.”

Parental Equality and Leadership Gestures

Equality also extends to parents. Both mothers and fathers are entitled to a four-month parental leave. The same applies to employees who adopt a child.

As a manager, Daniela Massaro regularly sensitises her employees to equality issues. “On International Women’s Day, 8 March, I give all the women – and the men too – a rose,” she explains. These small gestures help raise awareness of gender equality. She makes sure that activities and training on gender equality are available to both male and female employees. “No one should be excluded,” she says.

This principle is not only a hallmark of Massaro’s management style, but is also embedded in Mastercard Switzerland’s corporate culture.

July, 2025

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