As senior vice president of global fintech programs at
"I get to work with startups building the future of this industry all day long, and that is motivating, no matter what the environment is," said Tharani, who is among 2023's
Tharani's love of collaboration has powered her rise up the ladder at Mastercard over 11 years. She moved from an entry-level analyst to product specialist, to venture partnership director to her present role leading Start Path two years ago. She was elevated to senior vice president earlier this year.
Since its launch in 2014, Start Path has supported more than 350 startups from more than 40 countries, and 11 of them have achieved unicorn status, with valuations exceeding $1 billion.
The intensely competitive, quick-turn startup environment requires enormous focus and energy. "Ours is an 'always-on' industry, and at times you have to give it your all. Fifty percent won't get you very far," Tharani said.
Equally important is taking time out to relax and reflect. In those moments, Tharani draws inspiration from her family history. Her parents were immigrants from opposite sides of the world; her father came from Hong Kong and her mother's family came from Ukraine.
Tharani's father landed in the U.S. as a young man with one suitcase, a few hundred dollars and "incredible ambition," she said. He rose from being a finance intern at a small New Jersey firm to become the chief financial officer at several global organizations.
"I learned from watching him persevere and grow in his profession through times of personal loss, career setbacks, health complications, global recessions and more," Tharani said, noting that her father demonstrated his greatest strength when things were most challenging.
"We lost him years ago at an important time in my own career and personal journey, but his lessons about strength and courage live on, helping me persevere every day," Tharani said.
Tharani's life was disrupted again — in a positive way — when she became a first-time mother last year. Most surprising was her discovery of the various ways her son enriches her work and makes her more productive.
"It's made me realize how valuable every minute is, and forced me to make the most impact in the time that I have every single day–both in the office and at home," Tharani said.
Seeing the world through her growing son's eyes has also changed Tharani's perspective on Mastercard's payments-innovation projects.
"We're living in a time when threats to people and the planet are greater than ever. Thinking about the world I want my son to grow up in, and the impact my work might have, helps me motivate my team to build things that truly make a difference," she said.
The sometimes-daunting challenges of motherhood have also deepened Tharani's humility and awareness of how much she still has to learn from others. "Being a mother has made me a more empathetic people-manager and leader … I've realized I can't be everything to everyone. I need to lean on and learn from the amazing people around me," she said.
Promoting diversity is a top priority for Tharani, who helped push Mastercard's Start Path in Solidarity, aiming to bridge gaps and provide support to startups led by people of color and women.
"I also maintain an 'idea ecosystem' on my team that's as flat as possible. My colleagues know that the floor is open, and disruptive or counterintuitive ideas are welcome. We need diversity of thoughts to remain fresh and nimble," she said.
Connecting with people inside and outside of Mastercard's orbit helps Tharani keep her own career accelerating.
"Working for a strong global brand like Mastercard affords me opportunities to let my voice be heard on stage at industry events and network," she said.
She surrounds herself with people who understand her skills and passions, mentors others and constantly reminds herself to look beyond the immediate boundaries of her projects for ideas.
"It's incredible how much the innovation space can seem to get stuck in pattern-recognition and other self-fulfilling cycles. To avoid this, I spend time outside of my job doing extracurricular activities," she said.
Along with supporting charities for breast cancer, one of Tharani's hobbies is volunteering at a social-enterprise accelerator called The Resolution Project, where entrepreneurs work on innovation models across fintech, agriculture, education, health care and more. She once mentored a young female innovator working in water resources. "I'm not exposed to many of these spaces in my day-to-day job, but they help influence the way I think about our own team's strategy," she said.
