BIO

Aanya Niaz is the Global Leader for Education Equity at Amazon Web Services (AWS), and a global thought leader on equitable learning policies and practice. 

 

In her role at AWS, she leads strategic initiatives, such as the AWS Education Equity Initiative, democratizing access to cloud technology including AI for organizations building and scaling digital learning solutions for underserved learners around the world. ​

 

Most notably, Aanya has led the development of The Citizens Foundation’s English as a Foreign Language curriculum for pre-primary grades, advised on international education policies with the OECD, taught with Teach For America in New York, and Raise The Children International in South Africa. She has also served as an advisor on curriculum, teacher leadership development, education policy and implementation practices across a range of organizations in Pakistan including SABAQ, Idara Taleem-o-Agahi, The History Project, Beaconhouse and USAID.

 

She is also the Founder of The Maple Group, a dedicated network of education leaders (160+ members, 25+ countries) bridging the gap between researchers and practitioners in Education. She is the youngest Board Trustee of UKFIET, UK's International and Education Development Forum, Advisory Board Member at the Humans in the Loop Foundation and an advisor to multiple EdTechs, non-profits and consortiums on learning, development and opportunity for underserved learners.  

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Aanya is currently pursuing a PhD in AI and Education at the University of Cambridge. She is also a student fellow at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence. She earned her Master's in Comparative and International Education from the University of Oxford in 2017. Aanya ​was awarded a full University scholarship to attend the University of Virginia on account of her academic performance, where she completed her Bachelor's degree with a double major in Foreign Affairs and Global Development Studies in 2011.