NFC Times Exclusive – MasterCard Worldwide has named James Anderson group executive for platforms, a key position inside the payment network, which is seeking to secure its role in the ecosystem as mobile payments start to gather steam, NFC Times has learned.

Anderson, believed to be an early backer of cloud-based payments, including host-card emulation, inside MasterCard, has played a key role in developing tokenization at the network. Known as MasterCard Digital Enablement Service, or MDES, MasterCard's tokenization service is used for enabling MasterCard-branded card accounts to participate in Apple Pay. 

As senior vice president of platforms, Anderson has served as a point man and public face of MasterCard’s new mobile initiatives. He will report to Ed McLaughlin, MasterCard’s chief emerging payments officer, in his new role.