Adrian Bukenya has been elevated to Senior Director of the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, a move that places him at the centre of one of the Foundation’s most ambitious and globally significant pillars focused on education, leadership development, and youth transitions into work.
Bukenya’s elevation comes after serving as Country Director for Uganda, where he led the Foundation’s national portfolio in one of its most strategic African markets. In his new role, he joins the senior leadership team overseeing the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, a flagship initiative that has become one of the largest education and leadership-development platforms in the world.
Launched in 2012, the Scholars Program is a cornerstone of the Mastercard Foundation’s mission to advance inclusive and equitable socio-economic transformation. To date, the program has committed more than 57,000 scholarships, supporting over 40,000 active Scholars and building a growing alumni base of more than 20,000 graduates. Cumulatively, the Foundation has disbursed over US$3 billion toward education and transition-to-work programs across Africa and partner geographies. By 2030, the Scholars Program aims to double its impact, targeting 100,000 young people supported through higher education and leadership pathways.
More than 70% of Scholars are young women, underscoring the program’s strong gender-inclusion focus, while its reach spans 29 global partner institutions working across Africa and beyond. The program goes beyond tuition support, combining academic access with leadership training, mentorship, psychosocial support, and structured pathways into dignified and fulfilling work. Over time, it has evolved into a powerful network of young leaders positioned to drive social, economic, and institutional change across the continent.
As Senior Director, Bukenya will help steer strategy, partnerships, and delivery across this complex, multi-country platform, at a time when the Foundation is deepening its emphasis on youth employment, digital skills, and education-to-work transitions. His elevation signals continuity as well as scale: an Africa-grounded leader moving into a role with global oversight at a moment of expansion.
Who is Adrian Bukenya?
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Bukenya brings more than 20 years of global professional experience, spanning energy, infrastructure, financial services, and development leadership, with over 15 years in senior operational roles across Africa. Prior to joining the Mastercard Foundation, he held leadership and advisory positions with organisations including Baker Hughes, GE, Tullow Oil, Shell, Macquarie Bank, and Black & Decker, with responsibilities ranging from commercial strategy and joint ventures to regulatory affairs and government relations.
His background blends technical training and strategic leadership. Bukenya holds an MBA in Finance and Economics from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Drexel University in the United States, and an International Baccalaureate Diploma from St. Mary’s School, Nairobi. He is also known in Uganda for board-level and civic engagement, including service in sports leadership and national institutions.
Within the Mastercard Foundation, the Scholars Program stands alongside youth employment and enterprise initiatives as a defining expression of the organisation’s long-term vision: investing in people as the most durable driver of development. Bukenya’s elevation into senior leadership of the program reflects both his track record and the Foundation’s strategic bet on experienced, Africa-rooted leadership as it scales impact across generations.
As the Scholars Program moves toward its 2030 targets, all eyes will be on how its senior leadership team translates scale into sustained outcomes—ensuring that access to education is matched by opportunity, leadership, and lasting socio-economic contribution.
