---
id: "entity-ajay-banga"
type: "entity"
entityType: "person"
canonicalName: "Ajay Banga"
aliases: ["Ajay"]
source_timestamps: ["§ How to Develop Bridgers", "¶27"]
tags: ["executive", "sponsor"]
related: ["entity-org-mastercard-labs", "action-executive-moat"]
speakers: ["Ajay Banga"]
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2026/03/why-great-innovations-fail-to-scale"
source_title: "Why Great Innovations Fail to Scale"
sources: ["futures"]
isSpeakerEntity: true
---
## Segment 2 — futures

## Article 102 — a102

# Ajay Banga

**Role in this source:** Former CEO of Mastercard (later President of the World Bank) and the exemplar of **executive sponsorship / [[action-executive-moat|'air cover']]**.

**Profile & contributions:** He provided crucial support for [[entity-org-mastercard-labs|Mastercard Labs]] by creating a **'moat'** between the innovation lab and the company's CFO **for the first two years**, allowing the team to focus on breakthrough innovation rather than short-term financial goals. He is the source's model for why senior leaders must shield early-stage innovation teams from legacy metrics — see [[action-executive-moat]].