Rebecca Havekost is a seasoned user experience (UX) researcher and designer with over 20 years of experience in the industry. With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drawing from the University of Colorado at Boulder and an Associate's degree in Illustration and Electronic Design from the American Academy of Art, she has held senior positions at several leading organizations. She is currently Vice President of Experience Research and Insights at Mastercard, where she conducts research to understand the needs of consumers and merchants, and she creates solutions that make transactions safer, convenient, and enjoyable.

Before joining Mastercard, Havekost was Director of User Experience Research at the company and held similar positions as Principal User Experience Architect at TandemSeven and Mobiquity, Inc. She was also the Experience Director at Mobiquity, Inc. and Senior Information Architect (contractor) at Razorfish. Her diverse background in UX research and design includes working at several leading agencies such as Roundarch Isobar and Scient, where she served as Information Architect, and Greater Than One, where she was an Information Architect. She has worked as a consultant for several leading organizations, including GTECH, and has extensive experience in responding to emerging trends in UX research and design.