Learning Needs Strategy
Who We Are
Allana Advisory partners with public and private organizations and individuals across the Middle East, delivering advisory services and products at the intersection of strategy and education.
Our work is grounded in over a decade of strategy and education experience across the UK and Middle East, covering K-12 education, higher education, professional training, and learning and development for consulting and business skills.
We have supported schools, universities, professional colleges, non-profits in the education sector, and education technology companies to develop long-term strategies, assess the feasibility of new ventures, and support fundraising and expansion planning.
Our Services
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Education Strategy
Pure education strategy projects such as school strategy, academic planning, admissions strategy, new institution development, and strategy workshops for vision setting, project planning, and moreExecutive and Leadership support such as interim Chief of Staff, 100 Day Plan development for new Executives, and new office or department set up
Surge support by integrating into the client team and providing high quality, senior-level problem solving and analysis at speed
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Licensing, Accreditation & Regulatory Advisory
Preparation for licensing and programme accreditation by co-developing required documentation, supporting compliance and helping institutions navigate systems across the Middle East
Advisory to Government, regulators and sector bodies on licensing and accreditation frameworks, regulatory models and higher education systems
Development of key systems and processes including quality assurance agencies, accreditation bodies and standards frameworks
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MECE Consulting Training
Learning diagnostic and course curation of strategy and business trainings for professionals working in emerging marketsIn-person and online trainings covering structured problem-solving skills for fast-paced, data-scarce environments including messaging, slide building, quant skills, and more
Facilitation and longer-term coaching by MBB alumni running their own consulting practices across emerging markets, ensuring high quality, relevant and market appropriate training
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Academic and Professional Coaching
University admissions support including undergraduate admissions across UK and ME institutes, and global MBA programs
Consulting recruitment support for candidates applying to MBB, Big 4, and other strategy houses globally
Academic and career guidance for professionals and students, combining personal mentoring with strategic support to help individuals identify, articulate, and achieve their goals
Our Philosophy
We deliver exceptional work through lean, senior, long-term advisory teams, supporting clients from strategy design to implementation. We believe in enabling our clients through close collaboration and by offering our clients learning and development trainings across strategy and business topics.
Core Team
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Karima Allana
Director
Karima Allana, Director, has over a decade of experience in education and strategy consulting. She has led project delivery with clients across the ME region in education ecosystems, strategies for schools and universities, and innovative models for professional development. Previously a Project Leader at the Boston Consulting Group and Executive Manager of a UK-based education NGO, Karima holds an MBA from London Business School.
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Akshata Prabhu
Project Lead
Akshata Prabhu, Project Lead, advises clients in consumer products, private equity, and innovation across the Middle East. She is a former Bain & Company Manager, Employee #3 at a global celebrity beauty brand, and a founder of a Morning Brew-recommended newsletter. Most recently, serving as a global trainer for Bain’s associate programs in Portugal and Spain; Akshata holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.
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Lauren Reeves
Project Lead
Lauren Reeves, Project Lead, has a background in education, technology, and venture strategy. Former McKinsey & Company Consultant, Lauren has led strategy projects at Allan Gray and Revgro Holdings, and has delivered education projects with the Gates Foundation and for UAE entities. Lauren delivers consulting toolkit trainings for companies globally and heads strategy for a space venture developed through the Ignite Executive Program at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
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Dr. Wil Williams
Education Regulation Expert
Dr Wil Williams is a higher education leader and adviser with expertise across the UK and Middle East, specialising in institutional accreditation and regulation. He is a former Commissioner with the UAE Commission for Academic Accreditation and Higher Education Sector Director at Abu Dhabi Education Council and currently serves as an external reviewer for quality bodies, including INQAAHE and OAAAQA.
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Holly Zambonini
Knowledge Lead
Holly Zambonini, Knowledge Lead, has a multidisciplinary background across education, strategy, and design. She builds and manages the firm’s knowledge repository and leads research across project teams, turning in-house expertise into products for clients and our community of education leaders. Alongside her consulting work, Holly has held roles in visual communications, with an MA from Design Academy Eindhoven and a BDes from the Glasgow School of Art in Product Design.
Scholarships for
Women in Higher Education
Our scholarship programme supports ambitious women to pursue and thrive in higher education through sustained, end-to-end guidance. It combines tuition funding with tailored support from university selection and applications through to admissions, followed by ongoing mentorship and career guidance during and after study. By connecting each stage of the educational journey, the programme equips scholars to make confident decisions, maximise their university experience, and transition into fulfilling careers.
News and Updates
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Client Spotlight
Allana Advisory led a 5-month institute-wide Strategic Review of a leading university in Central Asia to identify opportunities for the institute to reposition itself regionally and globally. Our team partnered with the University’s President and Board of Trustees to develop a detailed diagnostic containing key learnings, actions for immediate impact, and potential future models for growth.
During the engagement, the team built extensive reports on the region’s history, politics, and tertiary education market, conducted student and alumni interviews, interviewed 50+ University leaders including Deans, Program Heads, Operational and Financial Directors, and facilitated 12 review sessions with a group of 20+ international Central Asian and higher education experts convened specifically to support the strategic review.
Following the completion of the project, Allana Advisory was re-engaged for Strategy Development and PMO phases to support the University’s new efforts for sustainability, impact, and excellence.
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Client Testimonial
“Allana Advisory have been an exceptional partner throughout our Strategic Review. Karima and her team combine strategic insight, intellectual rigour, and outstanding facilitation skills with a remarkable ability to bring structure and clarity to complex institutional discussions.
The team quickly developed a deep understanding of our university’s mission, context, and challenges, helping us move from broad aspirations to practical priorities and actionable plans. The professionalism, judgement, and focus on delivery have made a significant contribution to one of the most important strategic exercises in the University’s history.
Beyond this, Karima has helped me personally navigate complex strategic questions and her support has contributed positively to my own development as a leader.”
-Rector, University in Central Asia
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Client Spotlight
Allana Advisory partnered with the Karishma Ali Foundation, a female-led non-profit for girls’ sports education in Pakistan, to develop their branding, fundraising strategy, and business model.
Through an intensive 4-week engagement, our team co-developed a major national grant application with the NGO’s Founder, creating a 12-month strategy, communications plan, roadmap, monitoring & evaluation framework, and redeveloping the NGO’s overarching mission statement, supporting the NGO through to submission. Alongside fundraising support, Allana Advisory conducted a full communications review to identify opportunities to strengthen stakeholder and donor engagement, complemented by benchmarking peer foundations and NGOs to inform KAF’s positioning, differentiation, and long-term growth strategy.
We continue to support the organisation post-award, focusing on diversifying funding streams and strengthening its positioning.
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Client Testimonial
“Working with Allana Advisory has been an absolute game-changer for me and for the Karishma Ali Foundation. Karima and her team have a unique ability to break down complex ideas into actionable steps, and have been instrumental in helping us communicate our impact more effectively to partners, donors, and the wider community. Karima’s support has not only strengthened our organisational direction but also given me clarity and confidence as a leader.”
-Karishma Ali, Karishma Ali Foundation
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Client Spotlight
Allana Advisory partnered with a Middle Eastern Government to develop the full Academic Plan (end-to-end design) for a global top 20 University’s new International Branch Campus.
Over a 9-month engagement, our team led the development of the University’s market positioning, undergraduate and postgraduate mix, academic and research themes, program portfolio, student body, faculty and researcher size, as well as contributions to site selection and campus design. Our team worked closely with the local Government entity and the host University’s partnership team to negotiate key terms of the academic plan ahead of a planned MoU and official announcement.
Following the initial design phase, Allana Advisory was re-engaged to lead thinking across the University’s implementation planning, including student and faculty recruitment strategies, its resourcing model, financial aid, admissions strategy, and institutional governance.
