Agnes Kenney grew up in Karachi, went to school at the famous St Joseph’s College, and has a First Class degree in Psychology from Karachi University. She often says her understanding of the human psyche helps her better relate to her staff and to customers. Her business philosophy is that a happy and motivated team helps to attract loyal and satisfied customers. The Kenneyz Group operates a number of businesses, a spa and gym, the design and sale of the ‘Agy’ clothing line, property design, renovation and development, and Kenneyz Productions, renting high-end camera equipment, vanity vans and other paraphernalia involved in content creation, as well as organises music concerts under the ‘EMCEE” banner.

One of the first projects Kenneyz Productions got involved in was the shooting of the new Pakistan National Anthem video in 2022. As Agnes recalls, “the use of our state-of-the-art cameras really enhanced the final product and made it something special, as a national anthem should be”. This involvement in content creation has led to the making of TVCs and music videos, as well as the biggest project to date, the making of the full length feature film Nayab, where Agnes was one of the Executive Producers, along with her British husband David Kenney. Following on from the success of Nayab, Agnes is considering other film projects in the future.

One wonders how she measures success. Agnes shares, “Success is different things to different people. For me, it is being happy with my husband and daughter Minhal, with my work colleagues, and to have a sense of satisfaction with my business achievements.” But that does not mean her ambitions know any bounds. As Agnes continues, “I want to make the Kenneyz Group as successful as it can be, and to contribute in any way we can to the success and prosperity of Pakistan; every step in that direction makes me happy. I’m a very patriotic person and I want Pakistan to stand proud in the world”. One of the other businesses in the Kenneyz stable for which Agnes has a particular passion is Agy clothing. She started off owning the only Nishat Linen franchise store in Karachi, and used this as a learning experience for establishing her own clothing line. There are now two Agy boutiques – one in Zamzama, as well as an online shopping portal for the Agy designs.

Agy – Couture for a Princess – is a beautiful range of bridal and formal wear for ladies of distinction. The different clothing styles from Europe, Asia and the Gulf countries have inspired the Agy range, providing "fusion fashion" of East and West in Pakistan. The fusion also extends to blending modern design aspects with more traditional looks, producing outfits to suit every occasion. The collection symbolises style and elegance with the best materials, a beautiful array of colours from across Pakistan, and quality tailoring. The Agy bridal range is a beautiful and ever-changing collection for the bride to be so she looks her best on the most special day of her life. Agnes appreciates that no two brides and no two weddings are the same, so ensures that each bridal gown has a uniqueness that matches the style and personality of the wearer. As for strengths and weaknesses, Agnes says she’s an optimist. She tries to learn from her mistakes, but does not dwell upon them. “My life view is that yesterday cannot be changed, we do not know with certainty what might happen tomorrow, but today is a gift, which is why it is called ‘the present’rdblquote . She’s also a humanist who treats everyone she meets and interacts with as a human being. Rather than weaknesses, she prefers the term “areas for improvement”. She says that if people are honest with themselves, they will know what these “areas” are; no one is perfect and sometimes the most important life lessons are taught through setbacks.

Agnes has faced setbacks in her life, but she has overcome them. “Dealing with adversity makes you stronger,” she believes. “When I was divorced with a baby daughter that was a very tough time, but I stayed focused on finding a job, to earn money for myself and to feed and educate my child. I focused on what I had, the daily blessings of life, and eventually I emerged stronger and wiser,” she shared and recalled, “When I worked for HSBC, I had a wonderful support system of friends and colleagues who gave me the strength to keep going and to bring up my daughter when I was struggling. They helped me financially and emotionally, made me happy when I was sad, and gave me hope that better times would come. When my father died, they helped me to live with his passing, even though I still miss him every day.”

So, what is her definition of success? “When I was working for a salary, success was limited to working hard for my boss, doing the best I could for the company and striving for recognition and promotion. Now I’m a CEO, running my own group of businesses, I work even harder because I’m not just working for myself, I’m working to ensure that all the people who work for me find success and happiness with the Kenneyz Group. I consider myself to be an entrepreneur, and as such I set the direction for a smart team around me. Success comes through hard work and inspiration to do new and innovative things. In my experience, tenacity and focus are just as important as formal qualifications. As Mohammed Ali Jinnah said: ‘failure is a word unknown to me’, something I remember on a daily basis.” Agnes revelaed.