Meet Mohammad

Tell us a bit about yourself – what's your background?  

My career has centred on building inclusive, sustainable solutions in fragile and conflict- affected environments.

I have worked with leading development organisations such as United Nations Development Programme, UN-Habitat, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, managing projects in renewable energy, urban resilience, and environmental awareness.

I also founded Desert Pulse Global, a social enterprise in Oman that promotes ethical trade and sustainable value chains for small agricultural producers in Afghanistan. Our work focuses on empowering SMEs, improving rural livelihoods, and helping underrepresented communities access ethical regional and international markets.

What does your most recent role entail? 

As Founder and Director of Desert Pulse Global, I lead our efforts to source agricultural goods such as dry fruits and herbs from smallholder farmers and cooperatives in Afghanistan and connect them with sustainable buyers in the Gulf and international markets.

My role involves overseeing trade partnerships, ensuring ethical sourcing and traceability, and training Afghan SMEs – especially women-led enterprises – in packaging, digital branding, and market access.

I also work on building informal finance and capacity-building partnerships to help Afghan SMEs adopt more sustainable practices and improve long-term resilience.

Why did you choose to study an MBA? 

I chose to pursue an MBA to sharpen my ability to lead scalable, inclusive business initiatives that serve marginalised entrepreneurs and support sustainable enterprise development.

My work has taught me that building long-term impact in fragile contexts requires more than good intentions. It demands system thinking, cross-sector fluency, and ethical strategy.

I want to deepen my skills in leadership, finance, and innovation to expand digital platforms and support networks for underserved SMEs, especially women-led businesses in conflict zones. An MBA will equip me with the tools to design solutions that are not only socially driven, but structurally resilient and globally relevant.

What attracted you to the MBA programme at Newcastle University Business School? 

Newcastle’s MBA stands out for its real-world orientation, ethical focus, and interdisciplinary learning. The programme’s commitment to responsible leadership, combined with global consultancy projects and its diverse international community, closely aligns with my own values and trajectory.

I believe the programme’s structure will help me bridge grassroots innovation with institutional frameworks and enable me to become a more globally competent and system-minded leader.

What does it mean to you to receive an MBA scholarship? What impact will it have? 

Receiving this scholarship is both an honour and a critical enabler of my future. Coming from a conflict-affected country, access to education has always been hard-won.

This scholarship provides not just financial relief but validation of my purpose and potential. It allows me to focus fully on learning and contributing to Newcastle’s community, and it affirms my belief that inclusive, ethical leadership has global value. It brings me one step closer to expanding my work in empowering marginalised entrepreneurs and sustainable SMEs across the global south.