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With a savvy mind in real estate and a passion for improving the future, Sajit Sankar is helping Mastercard make a difference in the world through his role as vice president of global real estate services.
It’s not exactly the career he had envisioned as a youngster.
“My father and grandfather were both in the military, and in my house, uniforms and weapons were a common thing, so my aspiration was to become a soldier, which I did,” Sankar recounts. “I was a soldier for nine years and became a captain in the Army, and when I came out of there, I needed to figure out what was next.”
A lot of veterans, he notes, work in security or executive protection, but he was looking for something different. He found that through the real estate industry. In the early part of his career, he was building stores for A1 Building Products across Asia, and did management services for Cushman & Wakefield in India.
“Did I dream of becoming a design and build guy? No, no way,” he shares. “I did my major in biology, so it’s been a dramatic transition for me.”
Sankar joined Mastercard in 2016, first as regional head of Asia Pacific and then taking on his current role three years later, where he oversees corporate real estate, capital projects and workplace innovation.
“The core philosophy here from the corporate lens is all about capital investment,” he explains. “The journey starts with, ‘Where do you need an investment?’ and ‘Why doesn’t this investment make the most sense?’”
From there, Sankar must consider the build strategy and the needs of the business units, and people to decide on the best design and construction strategy to bring forward.
“You need to think about a design that is going to be future-proof,” he says.
For instance, one recent project was Mastercard’s 600,000-square-foot technology hub in Pune, India, which opened in October. The solar-powered project is the first building in the world to be TRUE Platinum certified for construction and the first TRUE-certified construction in India.
“This was a huge success for us,” Sankar says with enthusiasm. “This was a ground-up build, and not many people realize there was a hole in the ground before the development came up. We worked with the developer to influence the building’s design.”
Currently, Sankar is leading an initiative to expand Mastercard’s Dublin tech hub, doubling the space from 100,000 square feet to 200,000 square feet.
“The Dublin project is a four-story building and is an expansion of our existing technology hub. The challenge is the building is opposite on the road, so the building strategy has been tough,” Sankar explains. “You don’t want to duplicate the design, but at the same time you have to make sure that, whether a person goes into ‘this building or that building,’ they still feel connected and complement each other.”
Other tech hubs in the pipeline include those in Cairo, Athens, Sao Paolo, and Mexico. Mastercard is also engaged in a large geothermal project at its headquarters in Purchase, New York.
“We are tapping into core energy to power our buildings,” he expounds. “Once we are done with that, it will take out a couple of chillers and gas boilers. That will bring in energy savings and natural gas savings.”
This is one of the initiatives Sankar has done to prove Mastercard’s commitment to achieving net zero by 2040. That means for each project Sankar is involved with, he considers the company’s carbon footprint and achieving green building certification.
“Every single capital investment we are doing, we are keeping in mind the end goal of Scope 1, 2, or 3 emissions,” he notes. “With that in mind, we just bought 43-acres of land in St. Louis next to our campus, and we are putting in 18,000 solar panels so we can produce about 14 GW per hour energy, which will take us off the grid.”
In 2025, Mastercard is also refreshing its portfolio to ensure all buildings undergo lighting and infrastructure improvement for more energy-efficiency sustainable measures.
“We’re grateful for our partnership with Sajit Sankar and the Mastercard team,” says Jason Chapman, executive vice president at Red Thread. “Their strategic engagement, collaboration, and trust make us feel like true members of their team. Together, we’ve brought bold ideas to life through many exciting projects, and we deeply value the partnership we’ve built.”
As a leader, Sankar aims to foster a collaborative environment where decision-making is driven by data and a commitment to constant improvement.
“If you go back to how I was brought into this professional world—off of my military training—there is no ‘I.’ It’s about the team,” he says. “I’m not a big fan of being a maverick or of singular achievements; I’m a fan of teamwork. That’s my objective every time I am given a task. I try to build great teams.”
Sankar also isn’t afraid to take calculated risks as he knows innovation doesn’t often come from playing things safe.
“Innovation comes from knowing there is a risk involved and seeing if something will work,” he shares. “You need to fail and learn from it, and then move forward. I’m a big fan of taking risks.”
Mastercard is certainly prospering from the savvy risks Sankar has taken in the sustainable projects he leads.
Red Thread helps transform workplaces to engage employees and support their best work by integrating furniture, technology, and architectural systems. The way we work has changed forever. Today’s workplaces need to be flexible and tailored to drive innovation, build connections, and strengthen culture. Hybrid work is here to stay, whether you’re balancing in-person and remote teams or engaging with external partners. We’ll partner with you to rethink your workplace strategy, ensuring you deliver equitable experiences with cutting-edge technology and create a destination that enhances your workplace culture.
