Dr. Aneel Iqbal is an Assistant Professor of Global Accounting at the Thunderbird School of Global Management, part of Arizona State University. His research and teaching focus on accounting measurement and financial disclosures for new-economy and knowledge-based firms, drawing deeply on his extensive industry and international experience.
He brings a well-rounded perspective from his professional work in auditing, financial consulting, IPO readiness, and management reporting at leading firms such as PwC, EY, and Saudi Aramco. Over the course of his career, he has also held key roles in academia, training, and professional development, with more than a decade of teaching experience across undergraduate, graduate, and executive education. At Saudi Aramco, he led professional development initiatives for over 1,000 finance employees, co-designed a flagship Finance Boot Camp, and strengthened professional certification outcomes. He was also appointed by the company as a subject matter expert at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, where he co-taught AACSB-accredited programs in accounting and finance. Earlier, as Manager of Training & Advisory Services at Ernst & Young Saudi Arabia, Dr. Iqbal successfully launched a new advisory service line and delivered executive training programs for clients across the Middle East. His academic journey began as faculty at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan’s premier business school, where he taught accounting and finance in both undergraduate and executive MBA programs.
Dr. Iqbal’s research examines the limitations of traditional accounting systems in capturing the value of intangible assets. His studies have been published in leading journals such as Management Science and featured in practice-oriented outlets including Harvard Business Review and California Management Review. His ongoing projects explore how accruals differ between physical- and knowledge-intensive firms, producing insights at the intersection of accounting theory and financial decision-making.
Dr. Iqbal holds a Ph.D. in Accounting from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary and an MBA from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. In addition to his academic credentials, he is a Fellow Chartered Accountant (FCA), Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), and Certified Management Accountant (CMA), reflecting both deep technical expertise and a strong global perspective on accounting and finance practice.