BHOVIN SUSTY
Mauritius
Summary
Senior payments executive with 15+ years of leadership across Africa and the Indian Ocean, specializing in building and scaling card and digital payment ecosystems from market entry to maturity. Proven track record of: Driving near 100% network acceptance at national level Establishing Tier-1 banking partnerships across 7+ countries Leading cross-border payment expansion between Africa and Asia Recognized in national press and a key contributor to positioning Mauritius as a strategic payments gateway.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Country Manager – Central Africa & Indian Ocean
UNIONPAY INTERNATIONAL
09.2015 - Current
- Lead regional strategy across Central Africa and Indian Ocean markets
- Delivered large-scale acceptance growth across POS, ATM, and e-commerce
- Expanded footprint across high-growth African economies
- Built and managed relationships with Tier-1 banks, fintechs, and regulators
- Orchestrated multi-stakeholder ecosystem collaboration (issuers, acquirers, schemes)
- Led rollout of QR (QuickPass), contactless, and premium card products
- Accelerated digital adoption through merchant enablement
- Led market expansion initiatives across multiple regions for international payment solutions.
- Engaged central banks and regulators to support market entry and compliance
- Featured in national press on digital payments transformation
- Positioned UnionPay as a key international payment network in Africa
Card Issuing Officer
SBM BANK (MAURITIUS)
12.2009 - 08.2015
- Grew card portfolio through targeted campaigns and partnerships
- Increased revenue via cross-selling and product innovation
- Developed international scheme partnerships
Bank Clerk – Cards & Operations
HSBC MAURITIUS
04.2006 - 09.2011
- Built strong foundation in card operations, compliance, and lifecycle management
- Consistently exceeded performance targets
Education
MBA - Strategy & Leadership
College De Paris
Bachelor of Computer Applications -
Bangalore University
Skills
- Market Expansion
- Strategic Partnerships
- Digital Payments
- Regulatory Engagement
- Revenue Growth
- Cross-Border Payments
- Product Innovation
- Stakeholder Management
- Executive Leadership
Market Leadership And Ecosystem Build
Led full ecosystem rollout across SBM, MCB, ABSA, ABC Banking, CIM Finance, YOQO, Ezadash, Delivered: First Debit Diamond issuance (ABC Banking), First contactless, 3DS e-commerce, and premium cards (SBM), National-level acceptance enablement across POS, ATM, and online, AB Bank: First debit issuance with strong market penetration, BRED: Built largest acquiring network, RawBank: Full ecosystem (debit, prepaid, remittance, acquiring), Equity BCDC & FBN: Issuing + acquiring expansion, Delivered multi-market acquiring rollouts and issuing programs, Established UnionPay as a leading alternative scheme
Executive Positioning
- Market builder and ecosystem leader with a proven ability to scale national payment infrastructures
- Influence regulators and Tier-1 financial institutions
- Drive digital payment adoption across emerging markets
Personal Information
Title: Country Manager – Central Africa & Indian Ocean
Core Impact And Achievements
- Scaled UnionPay to near-total acceptance across Mauritius, Madagascar, Seychelles, Zambia, DRC, and Djibouti
- Built and expanded partnerships with 20+ leading banks and financial institutions
- Delivered end-to-end ecosystem builds (issuing, acquiring, acceptance, e-commerce) across multiple markets
- Accelerated adoption of contactless, QR (QuickPass), and mobile payments
- Enabled Africa–Asia payment corridors, strengthening cross-border transaction flows
Executive Profile
Senior payments executive with 15+ years of leadership across Africa and the Indian Ocean, specializing in building and scaling card and digital payment ecosystems from market entry to maturity., Driving near 100% network acceptance at national level, Establishing Tier-1 banking partnerships across 7+ countries, Leading cross-border payment expansion between Africa and Asia, Recognized in national press and a key contributor to positioning Mauritius as a strategic payments gateway.
Languages
English
Upper Intermediate (B2)
B2
French
Upper Intermediate (B2)
B2
Referees
Grant Mackenzie
Regional Head of Acquiring, ABSA Africa
✉️ Grant.Mackenzie@absa.africa
Herman Botes
Senior Business Development Manager, UnionPay International
✉️ hermanbotes@unionpayintl.com
Anil Gujjalu
Head of Payments, SBM Bank (Mauritius) Ltd
✉️ anil.gujjalu@sbmgroup.mu
Mikhail Velichko
Chief Executive Officer, AccèsBanque Madagascar
✉️ mikhail.velichko@accesbanque.mg
Mohamad Kamil
Chief Executive Officer, East African Bank
✉️ mohamed.kamil@eastafricabank.com
Timeline
Country Manager – Central Africa & Indian Ocean
UNIONPAY INTERNATIONAL
09.2015 - Current
Card Issuing Officer
SBM BANK (MAURITIUS)
12.2009 - 08.2015
Bank Clerk – Cards & Operations
HSBC MAURITIUS
04.2006 - 09.2011
MBA - Strategy & Leadership
College De Paris
Bachelor of Computer Applications -
Bangalore University