Tech Trends to Watch with Sarah Cunningham, Mastercard Dublin Technology Hub

Interview with Sarah Cunningham, Vice President of Mastercard Dublin Technology Hub

1 min pitch for what you are doing now?

Mastercard is a cutting-edge technology company and a leader in global payments. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network – connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses around the world.

I am so proud that Dublin is home to Mastercard’s only Europe-based Technology Hub with over 500 employees and growing – the majority of whom are technologists dedicated to global projects shaping the future of payments through deep expertise in areas including payments security, APIs, emerging technologies such as Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality and more.

In 2019 we are focused on growing the Mastercard brand in Ireland, attracting and retaining the best tech talent, and continuing to be a great place to work with a diverse and inclusive culture

How was the last year, what worked well?

The last year was a busy but exciting year both for myself and for Mastercard’s Dublin operation. At a global level, Mastercard has selected Ireland to play a key role in our global Technology Hub strategy. And that decision reflects the confidence which Mastercard has in Ireland’s thriving tech ecosystem.

In just over a decade, our presence in Ireland has grown from 39 people to over 500 employees, and growing! My mission is to both grow the impact of Mastercard’s Dublin Technology Hub and create a great place to work. One thing I am extremely proud of is the fantastic community spirit and sense of belonging we have. We believe all employees should be free to “bring their whole self to work” and we have many employee-led programmes to support this including very active PRIDE, Women’s Leadership Network and Young Professionals groups.

What are your plans for the future?

Our strength at Mastercard truly is our people. Our Dublin Tech Hub is a vibrant, multi-cultural hub that attracts passionate technologists from across Europe, and indeed the world. And we’re growing! From Scrum Masters to Developers, from Technology Leads to QA Engineers, all of these new positions will play a critical role in building Mastercard’s global future. So attracting and retaining the best tech talent remains a key focus for us.

As we grow, it is so important to continually nurture the diverse and inclusive culture we have created here. I am delighted that we have strong female leadership in our Dublin Technology Hub, but we cannot be complacent.

That’s why we’re investing in a number of Women In Tech initiatives such as our Girls4Tech program helping to secure girls in the pipeline of future STEM talent, and our Relaunch your Career returnships progam, supporting talent coming back into the workforce. It’s so important to mentor and nurture great talent, especially women in technology so I want to make sure I’m doing the best I can in this space to support that.

From a personal perspective, I am a big believer in the importance of continuous learning so I am looking forward to participating in an immersive two week executive development course – UCD Smurfit’s Senior Leadership Programme  – this May and June;as well as taking part in an  Alpine expedition this summer in aid of The Caroline Foundation for Cancer Clinical Research.

What will you be talking about at this event?

We have a number of talks we’re really excited about.

On the EvolutionX stage we’ll be holding expert sessions on machine learning (10.05am Wednesday) and cyber security (2.30pm Thursday) – both of which are hot topics at Dublin Tech Summit this year!

I will also be hosting a panel discussion on the HIGHER Careers stage at 6.30pm on Wednesday 10 April called One company, many career paths: Candid career stories from Mastercard’s Dublin Technology Hub. Everybody’s career journey is so unique and everybody faces different obstacles and opportunities along the way so I’ll be joined by four very different colleagues – all there to share their personal stories of how they are shaping their career paths at Mastercard’s Dublin Technology Hub.

We are looking for people that are passionate, creative and want to make a difference in the world so if that’s sounds like you, come and talk to our team anytime over the next two days!

What inspired you to attend it?

Innovation is in our DNA and we’re proud to be contributing to Dublin’s thriving tech ecosystem along with so many thought-leaders and startups which will be represented at the event this week. Our presence is an opportunity both to contribute to that community and to learn from it.

Which influencers and websites do you follow to keep up to date with the latest developments?

I’ve recently started listening to The Innovation Show podcast, hosted by Aidan McCullen. Aidan actually visited us at Mastercard a few months ago and gave an engaging presentation on effective communication skills – I really like Aidan’s interview style on and the high calibre of guests he selects for his podcast.

I regularly visit sites like Irish Tech News to keep up to date with what’s happening in the tech sector, both at a global and a local level. I also try to read three or four Harvard Business Review articles a week, getting a mix of newly published articles and timeless articles from their archive. And I’m quite active on LinkedIn so I’m always interested in what my network are sharing.

How can people find out more about what you are working on?

We will have two stands at Dublin Tech Summit: one at the Jobbio HIGHER careers fair and one in the main DTS arena. Look out for my colleagues wearing Mastercard t-shirts throughout the event and please come over to say hello! And if you are unable to attend Dublin Tech Summit this week, then please visit our jobs page on Mastercard.com.

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