Aania’s journey has taken her from the classrooms of INSEAD to the front lines of economic development across the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Originally from Pakistan, she built a high-impact career in investment banking and management consulting before founding her own consulting firm, AEON Advisors (www.aeonadvisors.org). The company delivers strategic solutions tailored to the unique conditions of emerging and developing markets—an area where Aania believes nuance is everything.
Emerging markets should not be viewed as a monolith; each has its own unique challenges and opportunities, and understanding these nuances is key to driving impactful change.
From advising G20 leaders on the digital economy to working with ministers to create sustainable public-private partnerships, Aania’s work spans both high-level policy and on-the-ground innovation. Whether tackling food security or business diversification, her approach centres on contextual understanding and system-level thinking.
Aania traces much of her trajectory back to INSEAD. “INSEAD's diverse environment equipped me with the problem-solving skills and global perspective needed to navigate complex challenges and innovate solutions.” The school’s global nature and emphasis on collaboration shaped her ability to work effectively across sectors, cultures, and continents.
A standout moment during her MBA was earning a Blue Ocean Strategy certification - a course that later inspired the formation of AEON Advisors. The idea of unlocking new market spaces through innovation resonated deeply, and Aania has applied that thinking to help governments and institutions push beyond conventional approaches.
Achieving a just and equitable transition requires more than vision - it demands structural change, cross-sector collaboration, and actionable strategies.
After INSEAD, she joined Kearney, where she focused on economic and business development working with government and private sector leaders across the MENAP region. Her work led to a national advisory and leadership position in Pakistan and, later, consulting work with the Asian Development Bank.
At ChangeNOW 2025, Aania amplified the message that emerging markets and developing economies are not just participants in the global transition—they’re often leaders in innovation and drivers of global growth. She hopes the audience left with practical insights and renewed optimism: not just about what’s possible, but about what’s already happening.
