Dr. Philip Cotton
The Director, Human Capital Development at the Mastercard Foundation
As the head of one of the Foundation’s flagship programs, the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, and the Director for Human Capital Development, Philip Cotton’s work ensures that African students whose talent and promise exceed their financial resources have access to the needed financial, social, and academic support to complete their education. In this role, Philip focuses on expanding the Scholars Program footprint in Africa, bringing in new institutional partnerships, and strengthening linkages between the Program and Young Africa Works.
Before joining The Foundation in 2020, Philip served as the Vice-Chancellor and CEO of the University of Rwanda. In this capacity, he played a transformational role in establishing the National University of Rwanda, which brought together many previously autonomous higher education institutions into one national university. Before working in the education sector, Philip started his medical career as a family doctor. In 2021, Phil was named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.