Pratik Patel has been actively involved in promoting DE&I for nearly two decades. For him, diversity is not just data on a piece of paper but a change in mindset. “You have to be intentional about your actions,” he says. “You have to be proactive and help develop diverse suppliers to succeed. It’s a shame if you aren’t creating opportunities for others despite having the position and resources to do so.”
As director, category management – sourcing, and supplier management at Mastercard, Patel has been instrumental in implementing several of Mastercard’s DE&I initiatives, taking them from theoretical constructs and aspirations to programs and projects producing real results. Among the programs: expanding diversity spend in the contractor program, driving more transparency in the candidate pool diversity, and championing the Mastercard In Solidarity pledge to expand its annual spending with Black suppliers — including manufacturers, service providers and law firms — by more than 70% to $100 million annually by 2025.
Recognizing that it is not enough to merely add more Black staffing suppliers or service contractors to Mastercard’s approved supplier ecosystem, Patel began mentoring suppliers on the differentiated values they needed to be successful at Mastercard and coaching them on the expectations, the process to be considered, how to overcome the internal challenges for new suppliers, and how to position themselves to win RFP opportunities. He also began encouraging smaller, inexperienced suppliers to partner with Mastercard suppliers to be equals and leverage strengths and address each other’s weaknesses to win business. Patel wants to take his platform to impact the community by introducing to others the value Mastercard gains from diverse suppliers.
Having joined Mastercard in 2018, Patel has led the company’s supply base to become more diverse, which includes altering the diversity of the company’s MSP US contractor program to grow to 60%, with plans to grow to 75% diverse spend due to lower barrier of entry for contractor needs.
2023 DE&I Influencers List