Aparnaa Somanathan

Aparnaa Somanathan is the Regional Practice Director for the People (Human Development) Global Practice for the World Bank's Europe and Central Asia region, leading the Bank's work on health, education, and social protection across the region. Her priorities include strengthening health and education systems, expanding skills and jobs-focused programs, and helping countries prepare for rapid population ageing — including through greater collaboration with the private sector. Aparnaa has over twenty years of World Bank experience, having previously served as Practice Manager for Health, Nutrition and Population in South Asia and East Asia and Pacific, and in an acting role as Practice Manager for Social Protection and Labor in South Asia. She has led multisectoral regional work on ageing, stunting, and the care economy, and has advanced partnerships with the IFC on vaccine manufacturing and private primary care.

Aparnaa read economics at Cambridge University and holds a doctoral degree in International Health Economics and Policy from Harvard University.