Kazakhstan
Sanzhar Kettebekov, Almaty
CEO Almaty Tech Garden, Kazakhstan, Forum Strategy Group Member.
Sanzhar is a CEO of Autonomous Cluster Fund (Almaty Tech Garden) - non-commercial organisation and the governing body of the innovative technologies park special economic zone - supporting business-demanded innovations based on the mutually beneficial interaction of business, start-ups, investors, educational and research institutions.
Sanzhar has 18 years of experience in the IT industry and investments including extensive experience in R&D. He is a founder of “Segment Interactive”, a company based in the Silicon Valley, United States, and Founder and CEO of “Receptive”. Prior starting receptive (segment interactive) he was a head of User Experience at the Tribune Company, senior principal consultant for Fortune 500 clients, and an architect of Yahoo desktop search.
Sanzhar received his PhD and BS degrees from the Pennsylvania State University.
Sayan Baigaliyev, Almaty
Head of the Organising Committee of Build Your Business Competition.
Sayan was born in 1982 in Almaty, graduated from the Kazakh National Technical University named after Kanysh Satpayev and gained an MBA degree at the University of International Business (UIB) in 2008.
Sayan worked at the National Innovation Fund and the Investment Fund of Kazakhstan, where he was in charge of managing the first venture funds in Kazakhstan and corporate management. From 2012 to 2014 he was the head of VOX POPULI. Until September 2017 Sayat had been deputy director at Angel-in-us Coffee network.
Sayasat Nurbek, Astana
Managing Director of the Astana International Financial Centre.
Sayasat graduated from the Marshalltown College (USA), majoring in Political Science; the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, majoring in International Law; the Sapienza University of Rome (Italy) with Master’s degree in Geopolitics; and the Kokshe Academy with Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.
In 2009, he was appointed director of the National School of Public Policy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
From November 2010 to September 2013, he was the CEO of the Centre for International Programmes under the Ministry of Education and Science, before becoming the Director of the Nur Otan Institute of Public Policy until 2015.
During 2015-2016, he was acting head of the Internal Policy Department of the Akimat of Almaty. Since July 2016, he has been the Managing Director and a member of the Board of the Astana International Financial Centre.
Sholpan Mukasheva, Astana
Adviser to the Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre (Astana).
From the early 1990s, Sholpan Mukasheva worked as an executive secretary, deputy editor, and chief editor with various national publishing companies such as Orken-Horizon, Adilet, Panorama, Business Kazakhstan, Oil & Gas of Kazakhstan, Caravan and others. In the early 2000s, she worked at KazakhOil’s press service and with PR companies.
From 2003, she worked as the press secretary of the Minister of Economy and Budget Planning of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kazyna Sustainable Development Fund, and then she was the adviser to the chairman of the Samruk-Kazyna management board, and to the chairman of the National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In addition to experience in media and public relations, she is a crisis manager in the area of communications, an organiser of conferences, seminars, corporate training, and publishing projects.
Shynar Zhanibekova, Almaty
Managing Partner at the Cultural Dialogue public fund.
Shynar Zhanibekova was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She is the managing partner at Cultural Dialogue, a public organisation whose mission is to promote the sustainable development of the cultural industry in Kazakhstan through the development and training of art managers.
During its first year of existence, the fund conducted training sessions for managers and art managers of cultural and creative institutions on strategic management, marketing and development of audiences, developed various dialogue platforms to discuss topical issues in the development of art management in Kazakhstan, and also organised the first forum for art managers of Central Asia for the purposes of expanding relations, exchanging experience and promoting ideas for the development of regional culture and arts.
Sulushash Magziyeva, Astana
Director of Marker Agency Ltd. (UK).
Sulushash graduated from the Faculty of Philology at the Kazakh State University and gained an MBA degree from KIMEP. Her achievements include work at three large international companies and banks (Procter&Gamble, ABN AMRO, and Renaissance Capital), promotion of Kazakhstan abroad, and consultancy on crisis communications and strategic development to governmental authorities. Sulushash has been a PR advisor to the Chairman of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, the Minister of Investment and Development and the Akim of Astana, and Managing Director of Marketing and Communications at Kaznex Invest.
Sulushash provides consultancy to companies that are interested in international markets, including those with IPOs, or that are interested in entering the market in Kazakhstan. Her agency also represents international business mass media in Kazakhstan, including CNBC and The Wall Street Journal.
Timur Nusimbekov, Almaty
Founder and Curator of SIGS Space.
Timur graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. He had an internship in Russia (the Russian State University of Cinematography named after S. Gerasimov and Esquire Russia), and curatorial residencies in Turkey and the USA. In the 2000s he was the editor-in-chief of Arba web-magazine dedicated to culture and arts in Central Asia. In the mid-2000s Timur formed the editors office for and became the first editor-in-chief of Esquire Kazakhstan.
Timur has also worked as creative producer of the Buhar Jerreau band, produced three albums by composer Kuat Shildebayev, and organised the first large performances by Galymzhan Moldanazar and a collaboration of Moldanazar and Break of Reality in New York and Almaty.
He has been an independent curator at more than thirty exhibitions of contemporary art, documentary photography and art projects.
Vladimir Kravchenko, Almaty
General Director at Colisium International Music Conference.
Vladimir studied music management at St. Petersburg University of Culture and Arts. He is a host of a weekly radio show called "Kapkan Brothers" which airs on "Radio Rock Online" - the biggest online radio in Russia. He is also an executive producer of various TV shows, club events, radio shows.
Vladimir produces content for various music magazines and websites (Audio Format, Rockmusic.ru, etc.) in Russia. He also composes and produces soundtracks for such video games and TV shows as: Memento Mori (Czech Republic), Black Mark (Russia), Detki (Kazakhstan).
