Profile
Claudio Esposito Aiardo
Founder | Growth Executive | Investor | Advisor. Vice President, Specialist Sales, Services Business Development at Mastercard.
Dubai, United Arab Emirates · British · English, Italian, Spanish, French
Biography
Claudio Esposito Aiardo is a global growth executive, founder and investor with more than 18 years of experience spanning enterprise technology, payments, SaaS, fintech and entrepreneurship. He is known for building commercial organizations and growth engines that turn data and experimentation into measurable business outcomes.
He currently serves as Vice President, Specialist Sales, Services Business Development at Mastercard, leading the growth of Analytics & Business Intelligence solutions across Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, working with leading banks, retailers and travel companies across more than 30 markets on customer acquisition, retention, loyalty and profitability.
Prior to Mastercard, Claudio founded and led Carasti, one of the Middle East's first vehicle subscription businesses, and held commercial leadership roles at Google, Sprinklr, Euromonitor and Gartner.
Career history
- 2007Gartner — Advisory to CFOs and senior executivesTwo-time Global #1 Sales Performer.
- 2009Euromonitor — Global market intelligenceStrategy and research for multinational clients.
- 2012Google — Enterprise sales leadership, SEEMEADigital transformation with major regional brands.
- 2016Sprinklr — Middle East growth leadershipScaled the region beyond $20M ARR.
- 2019Carasti — Founder & CEOVehicle subscription across 4 countries, ~$56M valuation.
- 2024Qashio — Executive Commercial ConsultantFintech go-to-market and commercial scaling.
- 2025Mastercard — Vice President, Specialist Sales, Services Business DevelopmentRegional growth leadership across 30+ markets.
- FutureInvestor · Advisor · Board — Next chapterBacking founders and growth-stage operators.
Current role at Mastercard
As Vice President, Specialist Sales, Services Business Development, Claudio leads the commercial strategy, partnerships and growth of Mastercard's analytics portfolio, helping financial institutions and merchants use transaction insight, test-and-learn methodologies and AI-driven personalization to grow profitably.
Founder story
In 2019 Claudio founded Carasti, pioneering vehicle subscription in the Middle East. Over six years the company expanded into the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Thailand, raised venture funding, completed acquisitions and reached a valuation of approximately $56M. The experience shaped his views on resilience, capital discipline, market entry and building teams under uncertainty.
Investor and advisor profile
Claudio is an angel investor and advisor to founders and growth-stage teams in fintech, AI, SaaS, mobility, consumer technology, marketplaces and data & analytics. He supports go-to-market strategy, commercial leadership, fundraising preparation, international expansion and partnership development, and is open to board and advisory appointments.
Education and languages
Royal Holloway, University of London, with continued executive education in analytics, leadership and venture growth. Languages: English, Italian, Spanish and French.
Speaking topics
- Data-Driven Growth
- The Future of Banking
- Retail Growth Through Analytics
- Building and Scaling Startups
- AI & Commercial Transformation
- Customer-Centric Innovation