Reeta Roy to deliver keynote speech at CMU commencement

Carnegie Mellon University’s 2024 commencement keynote speaker will be Reeta Roy, who has served as the president and CEO of the Mastercard Foundation since 2008. As president and CEO, Reeta has transformed the Foundation from a four-person startup to a global organization — one of the top five private foundations in the world.

Since 2006, the Foundation has committed $11.7 billion to advance education and financial inclusion for young Africans and Indigenous youth in Canada.

Among the Foundation’s key initiatives is the Young Africa Works strategy, which aims to enable 30 million young people in Africa to access dignified and fulfilling work by 2030, as well as a historic $1.5 billion partnership with the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention aimed at boosting the equitable access and delivery of vaccines across Africa.

The Foundation is also a steadfast and generous supporter of Carnegie Mellon University Africa. It has helped Carnegie Mellon to advance its academic and research mission in Africa and extend a life-changing CMU graduate education to talented young people from across the continent.

Roy will also be awarded an honorary degree at the May 12 commencement ceremony. It is a Carnegie Mellon commencement tradition to award honorary degrees to exemplary leaders whose lives and work inspire our community.