Mastercard exec and Saint Rose alum Hai Ling to serve as 2023 commencement speaker

Hai Ling, co-president of international markets at Mastercard, member of The College of Saint Rose’s Board of Trustees, and a 1993 graduate of the College, will deliver the commencement address at the College’s 2023 commencement ceremony on May 13. Ling will also be awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.

A native of Shanghai, Ling, who holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint Rose, was among the first students to enroll in an American college when China’s borders opened. His experiences as a young international student at Saint Rose inform his work today; Ling mentors young employees in the Mastercard Graduate Development Program, serves as a fellow for the Aspen Global Leadership Network, and volunteers for other causes.

At Mastercard, Ling works to extend credit – and a financial foothold – to small businesses, women entrepreneurs, and other underrepresented constituents worldwide. A scholar of the unique cultural traits of different nations, he remains committed to focusing on similarities.

“Hai Ling is the embodiment of the College’s founding belief in the power of education to transform not just individual lives, but those of entire families. Hai arrived at Saint Rose determined to make his mark in America. Thirty years later his education is proof that one degree can change the trajectory of a family and a global company,” said College of Saint Rose president Marcia White, also an alum.

More than 1,300 undergraduate and graduate degrees and advanced certificates will be conferred during the 10 a.m. ceremony at the MVP Arena in Albany.

While at Saint Rose, Ling excelled in business, and served as the student government’s vice president for finance. He continues to draw from what he learned in his business, economics, and liberal arts classes at the College today. He also took advantage of courses in psychology, creative writing, and public speaking, fully rounding out his college experience.

After graduating from Saint Rose, Ling earned his MBA at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He went on to work for Bank of America and MBNA before joining the team at Mastercard, where he held executive positions for the company in Beijing and London prior to starting his current role as co-president of international markets. In 2019, Ling returned to Saint Rose to deliver the annual Peter M. Tully Lecture on Financial Services, and remains a highly engaged member of the Board of Trustees.

“China is my birthplace, but the U.S. is now my home country. I owe my success to the fairness and openness of the U.S. society entity — but my journey really started with The College of Saint Rose.”

For more information about the 2023 commencement ceremony, visit the commencement page on the College’s website.