How does professional experience equip students with the skills to succeed at university? Executive MBA programmes accepting candidates without undergraduate degrees seem like a good place to look for an answer. By Claudia Civinini
Malik Zahir left school before sitting his A-levels in a private international school in Sri Lanka.
“My dad couldn’t afford it, and I realised that I wouldn’t be able to go to university; so I just walked out,” Zahir tells QS Insights Magazine.
He recalls that it was a relative who convinced him it wasn’t a great idea to abandon his education. He didn’t go back to school, but instead pursued two professional qualifications: the CIMA, a qualification in management accounting, and then the CFA, a qualification for investment professionals
These qualifications launched his career, taking him from commercial banking to fundamental equity research, then into fund management and ultimately to his current role as an asset allocator.
Zahir is now the Head of Investments – Managing Director at KAPSARC Investment Management Company in Saudi Arabia, which serves as the endowment of the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research Centre (KAPSARC) and is affiliated with the Ministry of Energy.
The idea of pursuing an MBA came early, but it wasn’t until later in his career that he could make it a reality. The catalysts were a mid-career reflection and the Covid lockdown.
“Being a good fund manager requires continuous learning,” he explains.
Continue read at https://magazine.qs.com/qs-insights-magazine-26/the-perfect-cake