From smalltown in Malaysia to Mastercard Foundation CEO

Expected to receive a YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in May 2016.

Perak-borned Reeta Roy is president and CEO of the Toronto-based MasterCard Foundation which is responsible for thousands of Scholarships since the year 2008.

Her father, Durgadas, grew up in Dhaka while her mother Sian Yin (Emily) Chen was from Thailand. The medical doctor and nurse met in a hospital where they were both working and married with two children; the second being Reeta Roy.

Her father passed away when Reeta was 14, and her mother took out a mortgage on their house to support her education, while her older brother got a scholarship to study in the US.

As a Malaysian student, Reeta was an active student which include joining debate championships. She continued this lifestyle in the US by writing for the student paper, running the model United Nations and joining the student government, while working part-time jobs for pocket money.

Read her success story in full here.