My vision was to create Pakistan’s first hybrid consulting firm, providing strategic and operational advisory services for the profit and not-for-profit organizations.
Zohair Ashir – Founder and Chief Executive
AASA Consulting Private Limited was established in 1995 under a SPA with Grant Thornton Pakistan. The main focus of the firm was on providing Social Policy and Human Resources & Organizational Development (HR & OD) services.
As the organization grew and evolved during the past 30 years, its range of services and scope expanded to cover other ancillary services. It became one of the top private firms in providing Social Policy advisory services to the bilateral, multilateral and government sector organizations in core areas of Education, Social Protection and Health.
AASA Consulting’s HR & OD services are primarily utilized by Banks, FMCG, Energy, Pharmaceutical and other private sector industries. In 2018, under a special agreement with Grant Thornton Consulting Private Limited, AASA Consulting divested from the Group and under the leadership of Zohair Ashir has continued to be a leading firm with its focus on both public and private sector organizations.
Our Strategic Intent – Vision 2027
As a hybrid consulting firm with focus on research and organizational development our vision is to be a partner of first choice to the government, donor sector and private organizations in our areas of expertise. We have a dynamic mission, adjusting to the fast-paced changes in the world and our current direction is to grow and expand the company through partnering with selected organizations and individuals, further diversifying our businesses and services, transformation through digitalization, and, continue to invest in our people and processes to provide our clients and partners with value added services.
We strongly believe and adhere to our values of professionalism, client relationships, quality, teamwork and happiness.
Our Team
AASA Consulting’s team brings over 100 years of cumulative experience and expertise from diversified backgrounds and location. The team offers knowledge and insights based on their experiences in North America, Europe, MENA and Pakistan.
Zohair Ashir
Founder & Chief Executive Officer
He brings over 30 years of experience with expertise in Management, Strategy and Social Policy having worked in USA, Middle East and Pakistan. He has served as Lead Advisor on projects with public and private sector organizations in multiple sectors like Banking, Telecom, Energy, FMCG, Education, Health and Social Protection. He led the project teams for clients like the World Bank, ADB, USAID, IFC, SBP, UBL, MCB, Abn Amro Bank, Asyad Holdings, Shell, Federal and Provincial Government agencies and bodies. He led the Grant Thornton Pakistan’s HR and Social Policy practice for many years. Earlier, he served in senior management capacity with Aga Khan University Hospital, Aetna Life & Casualty Insurance Company, and Baptist Memorial Hospital in the US. He is a member of Senate of National Skills University, served as Chair of the Search Committees for hiring of Vice Chancellors for COMSATS University, FUUAST, & Health Services Academy. He completed two terms as Chair of Hisaar Foundation and continues to be on its Board, as well as member of the Executive Board of Panjwani-Hisaar Water Institute at NED University. He has a Postgraduate Certification in Hospital Administration from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelors in Business Administration from the University of Memphis.
Riaz Hussain
Director & Research Economist
He is a qualified Research Economist with over 30 years of experience in Applied Research, Social Sciences and Project Management. He is considered one of the leading authorities on primary data collection and analysis having the distinction of working of some of major Economic and Business-related studies and initiatives undertaken in Pakistan. Riaz has led projects for AASA Consulting for last 30 years in fields of Education, Social Protection, Health, Housing, and Water & Sanitation among others. He served as a Project Leader for USAID, World Bank, ADB, UNICEF, JICA, British Council, PPAF, BISP, Acumen Fund and many others. He is an integral part of the Government of Sindh’s initiative “Education Management Organization” and AASA Consulting is considered a leader in this initiative with being the designated “Independent Expert” to over 100 schools in the province on behalf of the Charter for Compassion Pakistan, The Citizens Foundation, the Sukkur IBA University and HANDS. Riaz was also associated with the Applied Economics Research Centre (AERC), University of Karachi, for over 30 years, having completed his Masters in Economics from the institution.
Birjis Jaleel
Chief Operating Officer & Specialist in HR, Social Policy & Operation
She has over 20 years of experience in Social Policy and HR Management, primarily with AASA Consulting. Her expertise lies in Project Management, Business Development, and Operations. Her industry/sector experience includes Banking, Telecom, Energy, Education, Health and Social Protection having played a key role in projects for bilateral, multilateral agencies, government organizations and NGOs. Her HR/OD expertise includes Executive Search, Job Evaluation, Performance Management System, Strategic Planning, Capacity Building and Field Supervision. She is also a key part of AASA Consulting’s role as an Independent Expert for Education Management Organizations (EMOs), for the Sindh Education and Literacy Department. She has served in leadership roles in projects for the World Bank, USAID, ADB, PPAF, IFC, IRC, Government of Pakistan, UBL, Nishat Mills, Asyad Holdings (Acquistion of Shell Pakistan) and many others. Birjis has an MBA from SZABIST.
Ali Ansari
Senior Advisor & Corporate Strategist
Ali Ansari is a Thought Leader on Corporate Strategy in Pakistan. He is associated with AASA Consulting in advisory capacity. He has extensive experience in investment banking, entrepreneurship, and corporate leadership. As the founder of Pakistan’s first venture capital fund, TMT Ventures, he incubated ten companies, demonstrating his expertise in startup investment. He has led major corporate transformations, notably as President & CEO of Engro Corporation, where he grew revenues from Rs125 billion to Rs176 billion and increased the share price by a remarkable 300%. Ali has worked with global institutions like IFC and ADB, advocating for inclusive growth, and served on various advisory boards, including Acumen Fund and IBA’s Centre for Entrepreneurship Development. Currently, he serves on many Boards or organizations in the financial, infrastructure, energy and FMCG sectors.
Ayesha Menai
Senior Advisor & Specialist in HR & OD
Ayesha Menai is a Senior Advisor in HR & OD for AASA Consulting. She is a highly accomplished, senior HR professional dedicated to providing quality leadership for small and large corporations. Her career in HR spans across a diverse set of organizations which include Agha Khan University Hospital, MSD, Syngenta, First Women Bank, Jaffar Brothers, IBA, PIM and Citizen’s Foundation amongst others. She has also worked as an independent consultant in HR. As a Human resources specialist, based on over 20 years of experience in the development and implementation of change management and strategic plans, Ayesha has a proven track record in building high-performing teams, improving organization effectiveness and in formulating and implementing HR policies. During the span of her career, Ayesha successfully applied her knowledge and experience often in setting up and establishing the HR function from scratch. Ayesha has an MBA from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA).
Quraisha Karim
Manager & Specialist in Education Management
She has over 17 years of experience, with extensive work in Education, Research, Monitoring, Evaluation and Training. She has served as a senior consultant, project manager, coordinator and researcher in various capacities. Throughout her career, she has worked on education, research, social policy, communication and other areas at multiple organizations. She is currently working in monitoring and evaluation, in the Education Management Organization (EMO) monitoring department at AASA Consulting. She is a key resource and involved in multiple aspects of the project, from report writing to monitoring and research, and conducting field visits. Prior to her role at AASA Consulting, she has worked at Sidat Hyder Morshid Associates, Health & Nutrition Development Society, National Education Network (Pvt) Limited, Indus Resource Centre, Human Development Foundation and Aga Khan University Hospital. Quraisha has a B.Ed., M.Sc. from Shah Abdul Latif University and an ECCED from Teachers Resource Centre.
Irfan Ali Hyder
Senior Advisor & Specialist in HR & OD
He has over 35 years of diversified experience in HR & OD, Change Management, IT, SCM, BPR, & Project Management. He was most recently Head of HR, Meezan Bank, working on their successful 2014 amalgamation with HSBC. Before that, Irfan has worked with Shell Pakistan in global, regional and country roles. He is on the HR committee, BoD, The Citizens Foundation (TCF), as well as being a member of the Pakistan Institute of Corporate Governance (PICG), Pakistan Society for Human Resource Management (PSHRM), and the MIT alumni association. Irfan has a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.
Meher Noshirwani
Senior Advisor & Specialist in Gender & Environment
Meher brings over 30 years of experience in Women’s Development and Environment. Her core expertise is qualitative research and technical writing. In her 24-year tenure at Shirkatgah, Meher headed their regional office and led a number of studies focusing on gender issues. Her major clients have included IUCN, USAID, PPAF, SPDC, Trust for Conservation of Coastal Resources and WWF among others. She is member of the Board of Hisaar Foundation and other NGOs. Meher has an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Essex, UK.
Haroon Jamal
Senior Advisor & Specialist in Econometrics
He is a Statistician and Senior Data Analyst, with 30 years of experience in development sector research through his associations with Applied Economics Research Center, University of Karachi, and SPDC. He has completed pioneering work in many studies related to the Economic policies of the Government. His core expertise is Statistical and Analytical Research, including Impact Evaluation Study Design and Analysis. Haroon has experience in Social Protection, Education, Health, Housing, and Water & Sanitation, complemented by his past projects for USAID, World Bank, UNICEF, ADB and other major funding institutions. Haroon has a long-standing relationship with AERC, University of Karachi, where he completed his Masters in Applied Economics.
Minhajuddin Siddiqui
Advisor & Specialist in Data Analytics
He leads AASA Consulting projects in Data Analytics and Dbase Management. He has over 18 years of experience, with an emphasis on the social protection sector. His expertise lies in managing large databases and running statistical analysis. He has completed projects for the World Bank, BISP, PPAF, USAID, Government of Sindh, UNICEF and AKUH, among others. Minhajuddin has a Master of Applied Sciences (M.A.S.) in Economics and Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Applied Mathematics from Applied Economics and Research Center (AERC), University of Karachi, Pakistan.
Maria Naz
Manager, Human Resource & OD
She has over 5 years of experience in HRM/OD and Business Consulting. Maria well experienced and trained in the processes of Recruitment & Selection, Training, HR Operations, Change Management, Organizational Development, HR Strategy and Project Management. She was engaged in the design and delivery of a major transition support project for USAID and was directly involved in the delivery of all the 6 major deliverables and successfully completed the project objectives. She has worked in projects for USAID, UBL, Asyad Holdings (Acquisition of Shell Pakistan), IFC, Shell, Marie Stopes Society, State Bank of Pakistan, MEPCO, and Nishat Mills, among others. Maria has a B.A. in Social Anthropology from SOAS, University of London and is CIPD Level 5 certified.
Mohammad Zain
Manager, Design and Communication
He has worked extensively on projects both externally and internally with AASA Consulting. He has over a decade of experience in design and communication, having worked on various projects for organizations such as IUCN, USAID, PPAF, GEO News, ICFJ, MoFEPT, EBM, IOM, Dawn, Coca Cola, Hisaar Foundation, Nivea, WWF, and several others. He has also worked in an entrepreneurial capacity through ventures such as Design Yoga. Within AASA Consulting, he has designed reports, social media posts, newsletters, infographics, a variety of documents and other communication materials that add to our design resources. He brings a wealth of experience and innovative solutions to AASA Consulting’s work. Zain has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture.
Zahra Hussain
Lead, Business Development
She is a key resource in Business Development at AASA Consulting, whose key skills include data analysis, reporting, and relationship management. In addition to a strong research background, she brings a diverse portfolio of startup work, including a policy-writing project for Soul BioTech and a market research project for The Teacher App. Prior to her role at AASA Consulting, she has held roles as Survey Lead for UpSkill and Reporting Intern for the Democratic Commission for Human Development. She has also been published in the McGill Journal of Political Studies and the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 140th Anniversary Commemorative Book. Zahra has a B.A. in Honours Political Science from McGill University.
Syed Junaid Shahid
Manager, IT and Business Development
He has over 20 years of experience, with an emphasis on Field Research, Data Processing, Research and HR. He has managed field activities on projects for UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNHCR, USAID, PPAF, World Bank and AKUH, among others. He has worked as a Data Management Resource on several projects, with clients such as State Bank of Pakistan, Muller & Phipps, Marie Stopes Society, Nishat Mills, PMIC Organizational Development and HRM System development. He has also worked with the UBL Change Management Program, MCB HR Strategy Formulation, NRSP Microfinance Bank Organizational Development and HRM System development and MEPCO Organizational Assessment and Restructuring. He has experience in Education, Social Protection, Health, Gender, Water & Sanitation, Agriculture, Energy and Microfinance. He is an MBA (HR) from PIMSAT Institute of Higher Education.
Owais Shaikh
Finance Manager
He has over10 years of experience in financial management at AASA Consulting and Grant Thornton Pakistan. He is a professional in financial management, accounting, and auditing, with over twelve years of experience across accounting, financial management, auditing, manufacturing, and trading organizations. His strength is in designing finance and internal audit functions by creating the operational framework, policies, and procedures, and implementing these through effective change management and team leadership. He also has experience in Due Diligence, Implementation, Budgeting, Project Budgeting and Taxation. Owais has an MBA in Finance from Khadim Ali Shah Bukhari Institute of Technology, and an Accounting Software Development certification from NED University.
Muhammad Safdar
Assistant Manager, Field Research & Logistics
Muhammad Safdar is Assistant Manager of Field Research at AASA Consulting. He has over 20 years of experience in social policy. His core expertise lies in Field Team Management, Logistics Management, Field Coordination, assistance in Research Methodologies for various projects focusing on impact assessments and evaluation third-party monitoring, and other research related to Education, Poverty, Health and Nutrition. He also has extensive experience in Primary Data Collection and Quality Assurance. His major clients include World Bank, USAID, PPAF, UNICEF, UNFPA and UNDP, among others. Safdar has a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Karachi.
Sabeen Rizvi
Assistant Manager, Social Policy
She is a qualified Professional Writer with expertise in Research, Editing, Publication and Proposal Making. She is also responsible for managing social media accounts for platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, supporting both internal communications and external campaigns. She has worked as a Professional Writer and Editor at Goread.pk, where she edited books, assisted with translations, managed data entry, and contributed to program efficacy reports. Her freelance work includes editing and writing for various clients. Her teaching experience includes conducting poetry and business writing workshops at The School of Writing and Pakistan American Cultural Center, where she designed interactive courses. Her work in AASA Consulting has included clients such as USAID, IRC, the World Bank, Government of Sindh, PPAF, Asyad Group and CSR support for Hisaar Foundation. Sabeen has a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing with a minor in Political Science from Purdue University, USA.
Syed Ali Ahsan
Assistant Manager, Education Management
Syed Ali Ahsan is an Assistant Manager of Education Management at AASA Consulting. He has experience in monitoring, report writing, research and training. He is the key resource for the Education Management Organizations (EMOs) Charter for Compassion and HANDS, for which he has conducted Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Communication, Field Research and other functions required for the project. His role at AASA Consulting has also consisted of research in other capacities, for both internal functions and external clients. He has also pursued Entrepreneurship, with Management and Coordination experience. Prior to this, he also worked in internships related to Research, Social Policy, and Development at FINTEGIC, Shehri CBE, and the Foundation Fighting Poverty. Ali has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA).
Hunain Ahmed
Research Associate, Social Policy
He is assigned to the Education Management Organization project with AASA Consulting serving as part of the team with focus on Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting and Statistical Methodologies. Additionally, he has data analysis and programming skills developed through his previous role as Data Analyst Intern at MeriSkill as well as through his certification as an IBM Professional Data Analyst. Hunain has an MSc in Economics from the University of Karachi.