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BCG managing director and partner Aparna Bharadwaj looks at under-the-radar affinities that reach beyond individual cultures, highlighting patterns that could bring the world closer together.

Aparna Bharadwaj is Boston Consulting Group’s global leader for the Global Advantage practice. She is also a core member of BCG’s Marketing, Sales & Pricing and Public Sector practices. Previously, Aparna led the firm’s Center for Customer Insight globally in 50 markets.

Aparna has extensive experience working on the topic of economic development, digital economy, trade, productivity, and future skills across ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) . She has worked with many public sector clients, including ministries and government agencies; and is a specialist in emerging market dynamics and ecosystems, having worked in several global markets.

Aparna has over two decades of experience in globalization, economic development, market acceleration and business insights in a wide variety of industries. In emerging markets around Asia, she has expertise in growth strategy, customer analytics, route-to-market, sales and distribution excellence, and portfolio analysis.

Prior to joining the firm, Aparna held several leadership roles at Coca-Cola, including in brand management and trade marketing.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

EDUCATION

  • MBA, Harvard Business School
  • Bachelor of Engineering, Delhi University

Publications and Videos

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Which Economies Are Ready for AI?: The AI Maturity Matrix

BCG’s new AI Maturity Matrix combines an economy’s exposure to AI with its readiness to handle AI disruption. Explore our assessment of 73 economies.

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Economic Statecraft Is Back. Here’s Why It Matters

As geopolitical tensions rise and multilateralism declines, nations are increasingly using trade and economic policies to advance foreign policy goals, complicating the global business landscape.
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A Slow Recovery for Consumer Confidence: Global Consumer Radar Q2 2024

People are worried about the economy in general and about their own financial situations. How does that affect their spending?

“Technology’s Invisible to Consumers, Isn’t It?” Not This Technology.

Consumers think far more about AI than business leaders imagine. And while the technology is polarizing, people are far more excited than concerned. Jessica Apotheker and Aparna Bharadwaj discuss the paradigm-shifting impact of AI and GenAI.

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Consumers Know More About AI Than Business Leaders Think

Artificial intelligence isn’t new, but broad public interest in it is. Our survey of consumers found that people are surprisingly knowledgeable and excited about AI.

Creating A Digital Framework to Drive ASEAN’s Imminent Growth

Satvinder Singh, ASEAN’s deputy secretary-general, outlines a knowledge initiative that positions the association’s ten member nations for a new era of cooperation and growth.

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Is Consumer-Led Growth a Thing of the Past?

It is not. You just need to know where to look for it—where to find resilient consumers who are confident about spending and saving.
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知天命，方可释潜能——挖掘中老年群体的消费潜力

在当今充满挑战的环境下，消费品品牌开始在全球范围内寻找稳定增长的新市场与机会。但与此同时，他们却正在忽视一个“近在眼前”的万亿美元市场：全球年龄在50至70岁之间10亿中老年消费者群体。
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Don’t Overlook Your Mature Consumers

The 50- to 70-year-old demographic is a growing, multitrillion-dollar global market—but people in it are hard to engage with normal marketing. Here’s how to reach them.
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Consumers Are the Key to Taking Green Mainstream

A BCG survey confirms that most consumers are ready to embrace sustainable products. Here are three ways to help make that happen.
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Shoppertainment: APAC's Trillion-Dollar Opportunity

Shoppertainment is a USD1 trillion opportunity in APAC. What potential does this entail for brands, and how can brands continue to inspire Shoppertainment growth in the next wave of commerce?

Searching for Patterns in a World of Consumer Diversity

Aparna Bharadwaj, a BCG managing director and partner, discusses the surprising findings from BCG’s research into what motivates consumer choice around the world.