Innovative IT Product Design and Development

Anel Kulakhmetova has previously worked as a national consultant on child protection and child rights for UNICEF Kazakhstan, and since 2014, has taught courses in International Development, Academic Research, and Writing at the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, SDU University, and Narxoz University. From 2023, Anel served as a dean of School of Arts and Social Sciences at Narxoz University.

An artist and educator working at the intersection of engineering, design, and art. Holds a Master of Architecture (MArch) in Design for Manufacture from the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL (UK), earned through the Bolashak International Scholarship. Winner of the UK Alumni Award in the Culture and Creativity category for developing and leading the innovative Multimedia Sciences undergraduate program at SDU University. Her work explores surrealist methodologies and digital fabrication.

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A social anthropologist specializing in economic anthropology, family traditions, and informal institutions in Central Asia. Holds BA and MA degrees in Cultural Studies from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, and a PhD in Social Anthropology from the University of Zurich (Switzerland), where she defended her dissertation, “Weddings in Kazakhstan: Social Norms and Their Transformation.”

She worked as a research and teaching assistant at the Institute of Social Anthropology and Cultural Studies, University of Zurich, and lectured at KazNU’s Faculty of Philosophy and Political Science. Former Director of Research at the Center for Political Solutions.

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A leader in EdTech and startup entrepreneurship. Founder of the IT & Product Design Department at Compass College, where her students won Startup Nation 2024. Winner of Startup Kyrgyzstan, finalist of the Dive into Silicon Valley program, and participant in the Silkway Accelerator program.

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Founder of the independent media outlet Vlast.kz and Central Asia Editor at the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP). A Kazakhstani journalist and editor with over 25 years of experience in national and international media, NGOs, and the private sector. Since 2022, he has served as Central Asia Editor at OCCRP and is a member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

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