Chairman of the WeCare Foundation, Saad Kassis‑Mohamed: “Inclusion starts earlier than graduate school. When we invest in education as a society, infrastructure and community programmers, we’re widening the future talent pool long before someone writes an MBA essay.” Courtesy photo.
Saad Kassis‑Mohamed isn’t one to sit comfortably inside the lines. After growing up across multiple continents and building a career that zigzags through strategy, investment, and social impact, he now leads the WeCare Foundation, an organization that says opportunity should be for all.
In this Q&A, Kassis‑Mohamed explains why MBA admissions still miss too much potential, what true access really looks like, and how to build systems that lift people up instead of filtering them out.
A Q&A WITH SAAD KASSIS‑MOHAMED: CHAIRMAN OF WECARE FOUNDATION
Poets&Quants: Can you tell us a bit about your background?
Kassis-Mohamed: I’ve lived and worked across the Gulf, Europe, and parts of Africa. Those early experiences, moving between cultures and seeing both opportunity and inequality shaped my commitment to social impact. WeCare Foundation began as a response to the Sudan civil war. I wanted to help in a way that was practical, accountable, and fast enough to matter.
What started as emergency support quickly became a longer term commitment. Although I didn’t pursue a formal MBA, I’ve always been interested in how finance can be used to create opportunity, and I spent my student years raising funds and volunteering for humanitarian initiatives. That blend of business and purpose still drives me today.
Poets&Quants: For readers who don’t know WeCare Foundation, what does the organization do and what inspired its creation? What led you to work for this organization?
Kassis-Mohamed: WeCare Foundation is a partner led philanthropy and community initiative focused on practical delivery. We work with local organizations to implement programmes in sustainable development, education, and economic opportunity, with an emphasis on accountability and measurable outcomes. The work ranges from clean energy and community resilience projects to youth opportunity initiatives, depending on what local partners identify as the most urgent constraint. WeCare Foundation exists to back locally delivered programmes that improve resilience and opportunity in underserved communities.
The inspiration for WeCare came from seeing how often talent is wasted because people lack basic infrastructure or an advocate. I saw it across Asia where I was raised. That’s why we collaborate closely with local partners, including government and community organizations, to build durable programmes rather than one-off gestures. I joined WeCare to turn compassion into systems that work; philanthropy, to me, isn’t charity but a commitment to measurable progress.
Poets&Quants: What first drew you into the world of MBA admissions and access?
Kassis-Mohamed: Many of the young people we support aspire to business and policy roles but are shut out of elite programmes because of finances or lack of networks. When universities began asking us to advise on widening access, it became clear that admissions processes often replicate existing privilege. I’m drawn to the challenge of making that pipeline fairer. It’s not about lowering standards; it’s about widening the gate so talent is evaluated on potential and evidence, not proximity to power.
Poets&Quants: How does WeCare support candidates from under-represented backgrounds, especially when it comes to scholarships, mentoring and helping them stay in demanding roles?
Kassis-Mohamed: WeCare’s approach is long term. We don’t just focus on getting someone in, we focus on keeping them there. That means combining mentorship with practical support, so participants aren’t one bad week away from dropping out. Every candidate is paired with mentors who understand the sector they’re entering and can offer real guidance on navigating demanding environments. We encourage structured check ins, skills coaching, and advocacy when someone hits a barrier. Where possible, we work with employers to create placements that have clear expectations & feedback loops
Poets&Quants: A lot of your work has been about who gets access to internships, training contracts and analyst seats, and you believe that pipeline is still filtered by postcode, passport and family networks rather than ability. Why is this, do you believe?
Kassis-Mohamed: Too often opportunity is an informal economy. Those with the right networks hear about internships early, get coached on how to interview, and can afford to take risks others can’t, including unpaid or underpaid work. Meanwhile, a talented student with no industry contacts doesn’t even know the programme exists, or can’t afford to pursue it.
There’s also a structure problem. Many firms still recruit from a narrow set of schools, rely heavily on referrals, and treat “polish” as a proxy for competence. In practice, that rewards familiarity more than ability. Changing it requires earlier and clearer pathways into careers, plus consistent selection systems. When you standardize rubrics, use structured interviews, and make criteria transparent, you reduce the noise of who you know. And if you care about inclusion, you have to care about retention too, people leave because of day to day experience, not because of a mission statement.
Poets&Quants: From your perspective, what should MBA programs be doing differently to make admissions more fair and inclusive?
Kassis-Mohamed: First, decouple potential from prestige. Programmes should assess candidates on demonstrated skills, leadership and resilience rather than over indexing on brand name employers or elite universities.
Second, widen sourcing. Outreach should include community colleges, underserved universities, and high potential professionals who don’t come through traditional pipelines.
Third, make the process more transparent. Clear rubrics, structured interviews, and practical guidance reduce hidden rules that only insiders understand. Fourth, treat financial aid as inclusion infrastructure, not charity. Scholarships should cover the true cost of attendance, including living expenses, so admitted candidates can actually enroll and thrive. Finally, track outcomes and be honest about what the data shows: who applies, who gets interviews, who gets admitted, who yields, and who graduates into which roles.
Poets&Quants: Looking ahead, what changes would you most like to see in how young people enter finance, law, and business education, and what role can foundations, schools and employers play?
Kassis-Mohamed: I’d like to see a shift from credentials to competencies, and from informal networks to structured pathways. That means more paid placements, apprenticeships, and early career tracks where candidates can prove skills, not just signal them. Foundations can de-risk these pathways by funding stipends, mentoring, and bridging programs. Schools can build flexible routes that recognize work experience and support students beyond admissions. Employers can commit to recruiting beyond a handful of schools and to training people properly once they arrive.
Most importantly, the system needs to value retention. If you bring someone in from a nontraditional background and then leave them isolated or unsupported, you haven’t created access; you’ve created churn. The goal should be durable mobility which means people entering, staying, and progressing.
Poets&Quants: Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Kassis-Mohamed: Two things. First, inclusion starts earlier than graduate school. When we invest in education as a society, infrastructure and community programmers, we’re widening the future talent pool long before someone writes an MBA essay. Second, fairness has to be operational. If inclusion only lives in speeches or slogans, it won’t survive pressure. But if it’s built into sourcing, selection, training, manager capability and retention systems, it becomes part of how an organization runs.
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