Scholarship Program Back for the Fourth Year to Help Advance Women Executives in the Travel and Tourism Industry

MasterCard and U21Global Congratulate the First Group of Graduates from Philippines, India and Singapore

Singapore, 11 May 2009 - MasterCard Worldwide and U21Global today announced the fourth year of the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in the travel and tourism industry. Also announced, were the first batch of graduating scholars that have successfully completed the online program.

The MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program was launched in 2006 to empower women executives through education to realize their full potential. It comprises 20 scholarships for the U21Global Postgraduate Diploma of Business Administration.

The program is intended for graduates who want to develop skills in the management and marketing of tourism and travel products and programs. It is designed to provide participants with a solid foundation in core management subjects and equip students with a firm grounding in basic management capabilities. Core subjects include general management subjects such as Organizational Behavior, Finance, Marketing Management and Strategic Management as well as tourism-specific subjects like Service Quality in Travel and Tourism and Understanding the Tourism Consumer.

The course was developed by U21Global, a leader in quality graduate online education for working executives and professionals in conjunction with the Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, a part of Nottingham University Business School. Students completing the Diploma can qualify for the University of Nottingham Master of Science in Tourism and Travel Management

The first group of graduates from the scholarship program are from Philippines, Singapore and India. Receiving their U21Global Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration are:

• Josielyn Torno Manabat-Miranda, El Nido Resorts Direct Sales and Reservation Manager;
• Arlene Joyce Manubay Lina, El Nido Resorts Marketing and PR Manager;
• Maria Rosario Rosales Santos, Cebu Pacific Air Director for Airline Quality System;
• Anna Angeline Santiago Manzano-Cataluna, Cathay Pacific Airways Passenger Sales Executive;
• Maria Renita Suinan Canafranca, Lagen Island Resort, Philippines, Resident Manager, El Nido; and
• Marileen Calilong Ayson, El Nido Resorts, Philippines, Direct Sales Supervisor.
• Magdalene Chia, Educalc.net Pte Ltd. (Master Distributor for HP Calculators ? S.E. Asia & India), Singapore, Managing Director;
• Nicole Tan, Raffles City Convention Centre, Fairmont Singapore, Director, Conference Services/Catering;
• Dolly Bhasin, SPH Consultancy & eSevices Pvt. Ltd., India, Founder and Managing Director

"The online program instilled in me the importance of time management and managing priorities. I feel fulfilled and proud that I have finally completed the program. I also learned many significant lessons on the global economy, business marketing, and strategic management," explained Anna Angeline Santiago Manzano-Cataluna of Cathay Pacific Airways.

Josielyn Torno Manabat-Miranda of El Nido Resorts, Philippines, shared, "Thanks to MasterCard and U21Global, this unique program has helped me develop significantly both personally and professionally. I was able to apply the valuable lessons in my work, especially people management."

These graduates were nominated by their respective employers who recognized that they were the right candidates to benefit the most from the learning and exposure offered by such a scholarship. Today, these employers are optimistic that the graduates will bring valuable know-how to their organizations and the travel and tourism industry as a whole.

Joy Anne Denoga, El Nido Resorts Director of Sales and Marketing, has leveraged fresher ideas and wider perspectives from Manabat-Miranda, "we need to be on top of our game; in travel and tourism, the fusion of knowledge and creativity is always a plus."

"As the industry works to deliver enhanced value and service to customers, this program is designed to equip female travel and tourism executives with the latest in training and knowledge. The positive response by businesses over the last three years demonstrates the program's close alignment with industry requirements and hot-button issues and trends," said Nick Hutton, CEO, U21Global.

Dr Jason Fitzsimmons, Director of MBA programme added, "We are very proud to be partnering with MasterCard to be able to provide these scholarships to women in the travel and tourism industry. Travel and tourism is a very important industry sector and developing skills and abilities in this area will be of great benefit as regions recover from the current global financial crisis."

The 20 scholarships are made possible by a grant from MasterCard Worldwide. Since its inauguration, 60 women have been awarded the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program for women in travel and tourism. The scholars are professionals from a broad spectrum of the industry, from hotels and airlines to travel and tour operators.

Recipients of the scholarship can enjoy the benefit of studying online and can hence better manage their work and educational commitments.

"MasterCard would like to congratulate the scholars who have successfully graduated this year. As women take on leadership roles within the travel and tourism industry, they can upgrade their skills and fast-track their career development through the MasterCard-U21Global scholarship program. We are happy to be supporting the program again this year as a part of our broader commitment to women's advancement and strongly encourage women in the region to apply for the scholarships," said Georgette Tan, vice president, Communications, Asia/Pacific, Middle East & Africa, MasterCard Worldwide.

Organizations from the travel and tourism industry across Asia/Pacific, South Asia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and UAE are invited to nominate female employees. MasterCard and U21Global will institute a distinguished panel of judges to choose the 20 worthy recipients. The deadline for nominations is 30 June 2009.Those interested in more information on the scholarships and course components can log on to U21Global?s website http://www.u21global.edu.sg/mastercard.

About U21Global
Established in 2001, U21Global is the world's premier online Graduate School that offers globally recognised graduate programmes. The graduate school is backed by an international network of leading research-intensive universities in 11 countries. U21Global combines the traditional quality of its founders with innovative modes of delivery on the Internet, providing students with substantial learning advantages, while balancing work, travel and family life.

U21Global has successfully enrolled students from 72 countries around the world including those from Asia, Australia, Africa, Europe and the Americas. The graduate programmes draw upon the best practices in online learning and pedagogy and have been approved by U21pedagogica, an independent quality assurance body which ensures that the curriculum meets the rigorous academic standards of all the affiliated universities. For more information on U21Global, please visit our campus at www.u21global.edu.sg.

U21Global's affiliated universities include: North America: Tecnológico de Monterrey, University of Virginia; Europe: Lund University; University College Dublin, University of Birmingham, University of Edinburgh, University of Glasgow, University of Nottingham; Asia: Fudan University, Korea University, National University of Singapore, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Delhi, University of Hong Kong, Waseda University; Australia: University of Melbourne, University of Queensland.

About MasterCard Worldwide
MasterCard Worldwide advances global commerce by providing a critical economic link among financial institutions, businesses, cardholders and merchants worldwide. As a franchisor, processor and advisor, MasterCard develops and markets payment solutions, processes approximately 21 billion transactions each year, and provides industry-leading analysis and consulting services to financial-institution customers and merchants. Powered by the MasterCard Worldwide Network and through its family of brands, including MasterCard®, Maestro® and Cirrus®, MasterCard serves consumers and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. For more information go to www.mastercard.com.

Contacts:
Georgette Tan, MasterCard Worldwide, georgette_tan@mastercard.com, (65) 6390-5971
Snigdha Saumya, Weber Shandwick, ssaumya@webershandwick.com, (65) 6825-8016
Molly Chin, U21Global, molly.chin@u21global.edu.sg, (65) 6410-1300