Kazakhstan

Deputy Director, Astana Convention Bureau

Askar has 12 years of experience of working in governmental organisations. He graduated from the Eurasian National University named after L.N.Gumilev.

Deputy Head of the Centre of Urban Science in Astana

Askhat was born in 1981 in Arkalyk, Kazakhstan. From 2002 to 2006 he studied at Gumilyov Eurasian National University, majoring in Architecture. From 2006 to 2015 he worked as a practicing architect.  

Askhat took part in Astana Expo 2017 where he was in charge of styling pavilions and public spaces. Since September 2016 he has been Deputy Head of the Centre of Urban Science in Astana.

Curator, art manager, TSE Art Destination

Assel Akhmetzhanova graduated with a major in visual arts at Gumilev Eurasian State University in 2010. In 2014, she received her master’s degree in art management from Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome.

Assel has worked as a curator on a number of exhibitions including Sergey Maslov’s exhibition “Star Nomad”  and Saule Suleumenova’s exhibition “Somewhere in the Great Steppe” at the National Museum of Kazakhstan in Astana, and Almagul Menlibayeva’s exhibition “Green, Yellow, Red and Green Again” at Astana’s TSE Art Destination gallery.

Provost for Strategic Development, Eurasian Technological University

Co-founder, Text Buro

After studying journalism in Almaty, Assel Jabassova went to study French at the University of Rennes 2 in France. She started her career in magazines industry as an editor of the Culture section of Harper's Bazaar. Assel worked on the first Kazakhstan issue of Esquire as a deputy editor-in-chief. She also worked as a franchise director for Roche-Bobois in Kazakhstan. In addition to her work, she directed the Almaty Garage Sale with her friends. 

Assel worked as the editor-in-chief of Good Housekeeping Kazakhstan and later as the publisher of Cosmopolitan Kazakhstan and Good Housekeeping Kazakhstan. In 2014, she co-founded the Experimentarium project and quit the project in 2016. After that, she and Val Alishev established Text Buro.

"New Economy" Project Office under the Department of Investment and Developement, Astana Mayor's Office

In 2004-2016,  Assel Kabylbekova worked in marketing, advertising and public relations. She was an organiser of Japan press tours for journalists and the Kazakhstan – Russia – Mongolia car run show also was a co-organiser of the Olympic Torch Relay for the 7th Asian Winter Games in Kazakhstan.  Ms. Kabylbekova was an author of the concept for the development of commercial pavilions and public spaces for EXPO 2017. She also worked as a consultant for the development of the “Arbat” Street and Mambetov and Omarov pedestrian streets in Astana. 

Assel was an organiser of the Family Day 2018 creative industries festival that brought together representatives of diplomatic missions, cultural centres, creative communities and businesses of Astana.

Art director, TSE Art Destination

Bauyrzhan Sagiyev received his bachelor’s degree with honour from Central Saint Martins in London. For several years he worked as an assistant designer at Alexander McQueen in London and Chanel in Paris. Mr Sagiyev worked as an art director at A La Russe in Moscow and as a senior designer and art director at Ogilvy Central Asia for several years.

Since 2017, he has curated projects at TSE Art Destination and Artios as an art director.

Head of Business Development, Brand, Marketing and Communications, EY Kazakhstan and Central Asia 

Dana is passionate about corporate strategy, marketing, communications, business development, and consulting. She prides herself on tackling extremely tough projects over her 17 years of professional experience in a range of industries. 

Over the course of her career, she has worked with startups, small and medium-sized businesses, and mostly with large international and local companies in both B2B and B2C landscape. Dana often gives guest lectures on Global Megatrends and Future of Marketing to the students of leading Universities of Kazakhstan, startup community and professional entrepreneurs. Currently, Dana is also the curator of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program in Kazakhstan. 

Co-founder of City Solutions and PhD candidate in Public Policy of Narxoz University.

Dana Shayakhmet is a specialist in youth affairs, urban development and culture. She is a certified trainer and facilitator. In 2008, Shayakhket graduated from the Anglo-American University in Prague, majoring in Political Science. For two years she headed the Almaty Branch of the Kazakhstan Youth Congress. In 2010, she was appointed the Dean of Student Affairs at the International Academy of Business. In 2012, Dana founded the ТӨБЕ Fund, aimed at developing civil culture through research, training and social projects. 

Shayakhmet represented the youth of Kazakhstan at forums and conferences in Kenya, Singapore, Russia, Indonesia and the United States of America in different years.

Art expert, exhibition curator, founder of TSE Art Destination

Dina Baitasova has done more than fifteen international contemporary art projects. Notable projects include the collection of contemporary sculptures and installations for the Nur Alem pavilion at Kazakhstan’s EXPO 2017, the One Step/pe Forward exhibition at the 55th Venice Biennale, the Pearls of France and Napoleon projects in Astana together with RMN – Grand Palais, the Ultramemory exhibition at Kasteev Museum in Almaty, «Ah…Youth!» at the Viennafair and “Marker” at Art Dubai.