BRITISH-KAZAKH SOCIETY
EDUCATION GROUP COMMITTEE
OBJECTIVES
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BKS provides a neutral forum to discuss topics exercising the minds of our various stakeholders. We are independent; we stimulate debate; we ensure that all our outputs demonstrate rigour and depth, and we are responsive to change.
The Group organises a number of events each year, including guest speakers. The focus is on what Society members want. Various specialist strands are considered from policy through capacity building to subject-specific activities. In particular we focus on the ‘triple helix’ – linking academia, business and government.
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THE COMMITTEE
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The Group comprises individuals representing: UK and Kazakh science, research and education; UK and Kazakh business, and links with UK and Kazakh government and policy areas​
COMMITTEE MEMBER BIOGRAPHIES
​David Hardy – Chairman - has worked for over 40 years in education as senior civil servant, chief executive of a higher education institution, President of the rectors of Europe’s open universities, and Vice President Europe of the International Council for Open and Distance Education which is a Consultative Partner to UNESCO. In these posts and, since 2002, as a successful international consultant, he has been responsible for major reforms to post-school education aimed at meeting the needs of employers in a modern economy. Work in Kazakhstan between 2003 and 2010 included in 2003-4 research and drafting of the Education Sector Development Strategy approved by the President. Advisor on education reform to the governments of Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Turkey and Romania, 2002–2015.
Professor Chokan Laumulin - Professor, School of Social Sciences, The Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty; Professor of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Research Affiliate, Cambridge Central Asia Forum, Jesus College, University of Cambridge; Vice Chair of the UNECE Committee on Sustainable Energy, Geneva, Switzerland; Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Economic Activity of the Public Council, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Kazakhstan; Vice Chair, Member of the Academic Committee of New Power System, GEIDCO, Beijing. He holds a PhD from Darwin College and Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge (2019), an MSc degree from the London School of Economics (2001) in European Political Economy, and a BSc degree (distinction) in Journalism from the Kazakh National University (1996). He specialises in science and industrial policy.
Fergus Robertson - has over 35 years of international experience in oil & gas senior management. In 1998 he formed Strategic Partners International introducing global oil & gas contractors to Kazakh partners, government and major operators creating successful joint ventures. During over 20 years in the Caspian region, mainly Kazakhstan, he won substantial contracts for the UK oil & gas sector. He was the First Honorary Consul for the Republic of Kazakhstan in the UK, is a Member of the Advisory Board of the Kazakh-British Technical University and founding director of The British Kazakh Society.
Assel Zhanassova - Deputy Head of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan; World Economic Forum Young Global Leader; formerly Advisor to the President of Kazakhstan, CEO of JSC Kazpost, and Vice-Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She won a 2006 Bolashak Presidential scholarship graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Cambridge University. She also graduated from Lomonosov Moscow State University’s Executive Management programme. She is a member of the Education Group in a personal capacity.
Aigazy Kussainov - entrepreneur and financier, has a PhD in Economics, and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organisation of Kazakhstan. He has over 20 years of professional experience, more than 15 of which have been dedicated to business leadership. His entrepreneurial activities span four key sectors: education and edtech, construction, mining, and agriculture. He is the founder of Verum Construction (with a focus on educational buildings), Verum Mining, and Verum Agro. Through his education activities he is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the International Educational Corporation (IEC) which includes the Kazakh Leading Academy of Architecture and Civil Engineering (KazGASA), Kazakh-American University (KAU), KazGASA College, Digital College, KazGASA School, KAU School, and Charterhouse Almaty School.
Jared Philippi - TO FOLLOW SHORTLY
Neil Marshall - a global award-winning executive education designer, delivers one of the UK's top accelerators, and leads GenAI EMBA Programmes in Central Asia and the Caucasus. He is an entrepreneur and Development Director of ChangeSchool and an adjunct Faculty at King's Business School, King’s College London. As a change leader he led the £3m British Council Innovation for African Universities (IAU) programme across 5 countries, and in the UK led a national change programme in education across the entire schools system of 800,000 people.
Jonathan Ferreira - Educational Leader and Consultant with over 20 Years of Educational Leadership Experience across Europe, Africa, Aisa and Central Asia. As Principal of Spectrum International School in Astana, he has raised academic standards to the highest levels in the school’s history, strengthened safeguarding, expanded community partnerships, and increased the school’s international profile. He is also an NPQH facilitator, mentoring current and future headteachers across the globe. He is passionate about values-driven leadership, global citizenship, and building strong connections between schools and their wider communities both local and international
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Dr Yerlik Karazhan - Chief Executive Central Asia Climate Foundation; Chief Executive and founder ESGQ Rating Agency undertaking business, educational and environmental consulting. Member of the Experts Club, Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. Vice President Nature First Foundation.
ADVISORY MEMBERS
Prof Siddharth (Montu) Saxena - Research Professor at the Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge and Director of the Cambridge Central Asia Forum. Director of the Cambridge Kazakhstan Centre. Since 2002 he has been working in Almaty and Astana and was awarded the Medal for Service to Education in Kazakhstan by the Kazakh Minister of Education in 2009 and was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate and Professorship. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honour in Kazakhstan in 2011 and in 2012 was made Honorary Professor of the Astana Economic Forum. He has discovered four new superconductors, including the first ferromagnetic superconductor
Dr Miljana Radivojević - Associate Professor in Archaeological Science at UCL. Trustee of the Institute of Archaeo-Metallurgical Studies and Honorary Fellow of the Cambridge Central Asian Forum. Leading archaeometallurgical research from the Balkans via Caucasus and Urals and into Inner Asian Frontiers with Kazakhstan, China and Uzbekistan, with the support of the mining and metallurgical industry. Work in Kazakhstan includes reconstructing the beginnings of the Silk Roads through production and trade with metals from 5000 years ago, together with the training of local colleagues and students.