The MasterCard Foundation has appointed Hutham S Olayan to its board of directors.

Lebanese-origin Olayan who is settled in the US, brings considerable expertise in global finance and development, as well as deep knowledge of the Middle East.

'Hutham's perspective, influenced by her experience across multiple global markets, will be of tremendous value as the Foundation continues its work on microfinance and youth education worldwide,' said Lois Juliber, chairman of the board.

Olayan is a principal and director of The Olayan Group, a private, multinational enterprise engaged in international investing as well as commercial and industrial businesses in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East. She has headed the group's US operations for more than 20 years, overseeing all investment activity originating in the Americas. She is president and CEO of Olayan America and other US-based affiliates of the group.

Olayan is a director of Morgan Stanley and Equity International, and is a member of the International Advisory Board of The Blackstone Group. She also serves on the boards of a number of not-for-profit organisations, including the Peter G Peterson Institute for International Economics, the American University of Beirut, Georgetown University and Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Olayan holds a bachelor's degree from the American University of Beirut and an MBA from Indiana University. She lives in New York with her husband and their three sons.-TradeArabia News Service