Asia-Pacific Power List 2025: Julie Nestor, Mastercard

Julie Nestor

Executive vice president, head of marketing & communications, APAC
Mastercard
Singapore
Member since 2023  

Mastercard’s Julie Nestor is well and truly etched into Campaign’s hall of fame, having made this Power List for three consecutive years and being recently named in our Women to Watch list. Her enduring presence on these lists is no mystery. It’s the combination of proven business impact, her knack for creativity and innovation, and her devotion to DEI and employee engagement. 

As head of marketing and communications for Mastercard across Asia Pacific, Nestor has built the brand’s visibility through the Priceless platform, leveraging high-profile partnerships and culturally resonant moments. A marquee example is the brand’s McLaren Formula 1 sponsorship in March 2025, which saw social media blow-up during events in Melbourne and Shanghai via curated experiences for card members with McLaren drivers. 

Mastercard was also an official payment partner for this year’s Tokyo Marathon, which managed to orchestrate over 11,200 shopper experiences and 4,400 personalised engagements. Additionally, Nestor facilitated the brand’s Netflix debut through the sponsorship of the food series The Maverick Academy, which aligned with the finale episode being set in Mastercard’s first concept restaurant, Luma. 

Equally impressive is Nestor’s commitment to inclusivity, whether through her work or personal passions. For instance, the brand partnered with banks in seven regional markets to launch ‘Touch Cards’ targeted at visually impaired customers. And in Australia, local bank Westpac developed a pictureless feature-length film using sound to provide users with a cinematic experience. The sold-out film premiere gained AU$ 10 million ($6.5 million) worth of press coverage and picked up a bronze Cannes Lion. 

Nestor is a big believer in Mastercard’s ‘Doing Well by Doing Good’ ethos, which led her to adopt Dentsu’s Carbon Calculator to reduce carbon emissions from media campaigns. This resulted in a reduction of 14.7 metric tons of emissions so far.

To ensure that her wealth of experience is shared with peers and emerging marketers, Nestor regularly speaks at industry events. She delivered a whopping 10 keynote presentations across APAC last year, with the focus of incorporating social good in marketing. Her vibrant personal brand is also upkept on LinkedIn, where she frequently posts thought leadership, leading to some 9,000 followers.