UNITED NATIONS — Ajay Banga, president and chief executive officer of Mastercard, was honored by the United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents America's leading global companies.

Banga received USCIB's International Leadership Award at a gala dinner at the United Nations headquarters in New York, in recognition of Mastercard's ongoing leadership to extend the benefits of an expanding economy to all segments of society.

"Ajay Banga and Mastercard were among the first to recognize that financial inclusion can set in motion a virtuous cycle of equitable economic growth," said USCIB Chairman Terry McGraw, chairman emeritus of McGraw Hill Financial (now S&P Global).

"Many companies have joined the movement to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Mastercard was one of the first supporters when the goals were launched in 2015, and the company has been working to help address issues such as poverty, hunger and gender equality," he said.

McGraw added that the gala provided a platform to underscore ongoing American and global business support for the SDGs, policies that promote more open cross-border trade and investment, and robust US engagement with the UN and other international bodies.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina J. Mohammed attended the gala. She called upon the business sector to work with the United Nations and realize its 2030 SDGs as scheduled.

She also pledged that the United Nations would continue to reform its management so as to enhance its efficiency to better serve all people around the world.

Mastercard has connected more than 300 million people around the world to the formal economy, providing critical access to services that allow them to live and work with greater efficiency, security and dignity.

Banga is a member of the US President's Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations, and is a founding trustee of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum. He served as a member of President Obama's Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity.

Prior to Mastercard, Banga was chief executive officer of Citigroup Asia Pacific. He began his career at Nestle in India, where he also spent two years with PepsiCo. He is a graduate of Delhi University and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Established in 1980, USCIB's International Leadership Award is presented annually to a leading CEO, international figure or institution, recognizing outstanding contributions to global trade, finance and investment, and to improving the global competitive framework in which American business operates.

Recent recipients included Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO of AT&T, and Roberto Azevedo, director general of the World Trade Organization.