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India-born MasterCard chief executive Ajay Banga said his turban and beard made him stand out in a crowd. He said he had undergone random searches at US airports though he ran a global company, underscoring the need for diversity in the multi-racial country.
He was invited to deliver the 2014 commencement address at New York University Stern School of Business' convocation ceremony.
Banga said though he had felt different from others, he realised early in life that being comfortable with his identity and working hard was critical to succeed in life.
Banga, 54, told a large audience of students, faculty and parents, "It's critical you figure out who you are and be comfortable with it. What is important is what you do and how you do it, not where you come from or what you look like. That's going to be very important for your future." Stressing on the importance of diversity in life and workplace, Banga said diversity drove better insights, better decisions and better products.
"It's the backbone of innovation. It's what defines a great leadership culture. So, a sense of urgency, a sense of balance, deep courage, and competitive paranoia - all of these are tremendously facilitated if you surround yourself with people who don't look like you, don't walk like you, don't talk like you and don't have the same experiences as you. "And why is that so important? Because a group of similar people tends to think in similar ways, reach similar conclusions, and have similar blind spots." Banga said he had enjoyed his time, "perhaps a little too much" at IIM-Ahmedabad.
