Sayasat Nurbek
- Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- One of the most prominent National-level experts on education, education management, education program design, education and labor market analysis
and policies. - Founder of milestone education projects in the region (Ecole 42 partner school, first National Public Policy School, National Skills Foresight, National
School of Public Policy, Public policy and analysis think tank). - Certified Foresight and Future Studies expert.
- Proven international and national-level track record of managing large-scale education programs with annual budget exceeding 100 mln$
- Multilingual Public Figure, Speaker, Lecturer and Educator with over 1,000 Public lectures and talks and 100,000+ general audience in social media.
Professional experience
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Feb 2022 – June 2022
Majilis of Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Member of the Parliament from the ruling Amanat Party, Member of the Committee on Social Affairs (Education, Healthcare)
Oct 2019 – Present
CEO, Founder of BTS Education LLP
BTS Education is leading EdTech company in Kazakhstan
Results of work
- Secured a Round A/B investment of 5 mln.USD from Eurasian Digital Ventures Fund
- Product Manager for key National EdTech and Labor market projects
- National Atlas of new professions (Skills and Competencies Foresight Study)
- Student voice assistant Up.Ai
- National Career Advising Service Edunavigator.kz
- Service for online teaching 2tors.online
- The first national education marketplace EdMarket.kz
- Manages team of 45 education, AI/ML experts and engineers
Aug 2018 — Oct 2019
Head of Education of BTS Digital
BTS Digital is digital arm of Eurasian Resources Group
Results of work
- Secured funding with Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) – 1 mln.USD
- Designed ERG Corporate University organization and course structure for ERG – 2 mln.USD
- Accomplished B2G Partnerships with Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Education, OSCE, World Bank, ADB, EBRD, UNDP – 1.5 mln. USD
- Accomplished B2B Partnerships with:
- Khan Academy (Regional Partner) – 500k USD
- Microsoft Education (Education Partner) – 100k USD
- Khosla Ventures CK-12 Foundation (Country Partner) – 300k USD
- Burning Glass (Country Partner) – 200k USD
Jan 2019 – Present
Chairman of the board at Alem-School
Alem School is the first disruptive programming school in the region in partnership with Nicola Sadirac (Founder 01 Edu System, Founder Epitech, Web Academy, Co-Founder Ecole 42)
Results of work
- Established first of its kind programming school in the region in partnership with Nicola Sadirac (Founder 01 Edu System, Founder Epitech, Web Academy,
Co-Founder Ecole 42) - Secured sponsorship funding with private investor – 2 mln.USD
- Supervise 15+ staff of tutors and mentors
- Supervised design of innovative digital learning platform (Python, BigData, AI/ML, NLP, CyberSec, DevOps, KernelDev, Web, Kotlin, PWA, Oculus Rift, HTC
Vive, Raspberry Pi, Arduino)
Jan 2019 — Present
National coordinator at Atlas of New Skills and Professions
Atlas is first nation-wide skills and professions foresight research in 9 key economy areas. It will help to understand which industries will actively develop and what new skills and competencies will be in demand.
Results of work
- Initiated first nation-wide skills and professions foresight research in 9 key economy areas. It will help to understand which industries will actively
develop, what new technologies, products, management practices will be born in and what new skills and competencies will be in demand. Atlas will also
shed light on what industries, professions, skills will become obsolete (retiring professions), and which parts of the workforce will need retraining,
upskilling and mobilization to other sectors and jobs. - Product manager for mobile app that is currently most advanced vocational guidance tool to understand future trends in the labor market (due to release
in April 2020) - Secured funding with private investor – 100k USD, Ministry of Labor and World Bank – 1 mln.USD
- Supervise 15+ staff of researchers and team of 30+ foresight moderators
- Supervise pool of 1500+ experts in 9 areas (oil&gas, mining, machinery, tourism, construction, agriculture, energy, IT and telecom, transportation and
logistics)
Dec 2017 – Present
Goodwill ambassador at National Geographic Kazakhstan
Results of work
- Supervised group of 20+ staff for National Geographic Journal translation in Kazakh Language
- Secured sponsorship and partnership funding from public and private organizations – 150k USD
- Supervised 10+ expeditions with National Geographic
- Supervised 20+ NatGeo master classes and trainings with local scientists and photographers
- Designed K-12 education programs based on NatGeo research database
- Supervised creation of NatGeo Textbook Reader for Secondary Schools (Biology, Geography, Chemistry, Physics)
Jul 2016 – Nov 2017
Managing Director and Board Member at Astana International Financial Center
Results of work
- Partook in developing the AIFC Development Strategy, Developed AIFC HR and Education Strategy
- Supervised 20+ Staff of HR and Education specialists
- Designed professional development programs in partnership with Harvard University, NYU, UC Berkeley, Cornell Business School, Oxford University, Said
Business School (50+ key personnel trained) - Supervised design and development of the AIFC Bureau for Continuing Professional Development (BCPD)
- Supervised design of 20+ professional programs aimed at maintenance and development of the core pillars of AIFC including Islamic finance, fintech,
capital markets, green finance, as well as asset and wealth management - 500+ mid-career professionals trained in the fields of accounting, finance, legal, human resources, information and communication technology (ICT) and
corporate governance, in Kazakhstan and the region
Sep 2013 — 2016
Director at Institute of Public Policy
Results of work
- Established first Public policy research think tank (currently #51 in Global Go Think Tank Index)
- Supervised 30+ Staff of researchers and experts
- Secured sponsorship funding with public and private organizations – 200k USD
- Designed and conducted first National Values research framework methodology (as a result Kazakhstan became part of World Values Survey)
- Designed and conducted first National Corruption Perception Index (as a result Kazakhstan became more visible in Transparency International)
Oct 2010 — Sep 2013
President of Bolashak Presidential Scholarship Program
Results of work
- Managed national scholarship program with an annual budget of 100 mln.USD
- Managed Staff of 150 education experts
- Designed and conducted professional education programs with World’s top +200 Colleges and Universities (THE, Shanghai Jiao Tong, US News Report
Rankings) - Chaired Admissions Committee (10,000 applications, 2,500 scholarships given annually)
- 12,000+ undergraduate and graduate students trained in BA, BSc, MA, MSc, PhD, LLM, MBA, Doctorate degrees in 150+ areas
Sep 2009 — Oct 2010
Founding Dean of National School of Public Policy
Results of work
- Established first school of Public policy and policy analysis in Kazakhstan
- Established partnership programs with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Duke Sanford School, Maxwell School of Public Administration, China National School of Administration, London School of Economics, Peking University School of Government, Royal Dutch ROI Institute, Moscow School of Public Administration, Russian Academy of Public Administration, MoscowSkolkovo School
- Supervised 15+Staff of faculty and researchers
- Secured sponsorship funding with public and private organizations –100k USD
- Designed and developed first MA (Master of Arts) Academic Program in Public Policy and Analysisin Kazakhstan
Dec 2008 — Aug 2009
HR Management Executive Director of Sovereign Wealth Fund “Samruk-Kazyna”
Results of work
- Partook in developing the Fund’s Development Strategy, Developed HR and Corporate Education Strategy
- Designed and implemented SWF Samruk–Kazyna’s HR policy covering 38 Portfolio Companies with 250k+ personnel
- Designed KPIs and corporate competency framework for Portfolio Companies (recruitment, assessment, incentives, education and upskilling, performance management, corporate culture, formation of personnel reserve)
- Designed and implemented procedures of competitive recruitmentfor the Fund and Portfolio Companies
- Supervised design of corporate and individual training programs
- Implemented corporate Regulations for remuneration and social support for Portfolio Companies.
- Designed and implemented the Fund’s Code of Business Ethics and corporate culture
- Supervised 20+ Staff of HRM and Education experts
- Designed professional development programs in partnership with GE Corporate University, Temasek Business Leadership Center, Duke Corporate Education, Singapore Cooperation Enterprise
- Supervised design and development of the Samruk–Kazyna Corporate University (SKCU)
- 1000+ mid–career professionals trained in the fields of accounting, finance, legal, human resourcesand corporate governance
2008
Vice-Rector International Cooperation And Research of Academy of Public Administration
Results of work
- Supervised international partnership programs with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Duke Sanford School, London School of Economics (LSE), Vienna Diplomatic Academy, École nationale d’administration (ENA), Russian Academy of Justice, Hanns SeidelStiftung, EBRD, ADB, UNDP, OSCE
- Implemented dual degree programs with LSE, ENA, Russian Academy of Justice, Ulster University (Ireland)
- Supervised 10+ Staff of faculty and researchers
- Supervised visiting lectures of 20+ foreign faculty and 40+ lectures of diplomatic corps
- 46 Academy students (Master of Arts) trained abroad via dual–degree programs (LSE, ENA, Russian Academy of Justice, Ulster University)
2008
Head of HR Policy Sector of Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Results of work
- Coordinated working group on new model of national civil service developed in partnership with Singapore Cooperation Enterprise
- Designed and implemented new model of civil service education in partnership with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
- Designed academic and organizational framework of the first National School of Public Policy in partnership with Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
- Supervised 10+ Staff of HR policy experts
- Implemented legislative amendments in 10+ legislation documents (laws, Presidential Decrees, )
Nov 2006 — Feb 2008
Investment Department Expert, Advisor ti CEO of Sustainable Development Fund Kazyna
Results of work
- Managed 10+ investment projects in agriculture, bioethanol production, transportation, energy, alternative energy, construction areas
- Advised CEO on GR issues and served as CEO’s assistant as Deputy Chairman of ruling political party NurOtan
- Designed investment projects reporting standards including detailed project performance indicators (NPV, IRR, ROI)•Total evaluation of managed investment portfolio – 1.5 mln USD
Dec 2002 — Dec 2003
Department Director of Youth Congress of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Results of work
- ManagedDepartment for Social, Economic and Regional Development
- Built 10+ partnershipswith local and international NGOs
- Member of the Youth Council under the President of Kazakhstan
- Supervised legislative actionon Youth Law bill in the Parliament of Kazakhstan
•Member of the Youth Council under the President of Kazakhstan•Supervised legislative actionon Youth Law bill in the Parliament of Kazakhstan
Aug 2001 — Aug 2004
IT Helpdesk Specialist of L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University, Astana
Results of work
- Technical support to 2000+ Faculty as part of the IT helpdesk team
- Maintenance and repair of 2000+ PC/laptops/video conferencing equipment
- Design and development of the university website www.enu.kz
2001
Intern Iowa Interactive Inc. of Government of State of Iowa, IA, USA
Results of work
- Web and Graphics Designerfor the first E–gov portal in the USA – IOWAccess
- Assistance to Director of Website Development Clint Clark
Aug 2000 — Dec 2000
Campaign aide of Congressman Mark Smith’s election campaign (State of Iowa, USA)
Results of work
- Personal Assistant to Congressman Mark Smith
- Participated in 50+ campaign activities, fundraising events and voter meetings
1998 — 2000
Irtysh River Bridge Construction Project, Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Ltd., Alsim Alarko
Results of work
- Interpreter to the Project CEO and senior management
- Written translation 500+ memos, letters and technical papers
Academic and Teaching
Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Public Policy
2014 – Present
Visiting Lecturer Public Policy and Analysis
Nazarbayev University Graduate School of Business
2013 – Present
Visiting Lecturer Strategy and Management
Graduate School of Business Almaty Management University
Feb 2013 – Sep 2016
Lecturer of Business administration department
Turan-Astana University
Sep 2010 – Feb 2011
Associate Professor of the Department of Law, International Law
Kazakh Humanities and Law University MBA School
Mar 2010 – Aug 2015
Lecturer in HR Management
Academy of Public Administration
Oct 2008 – May 2010
Associate Professor Institute of Public and Local Administration
I.P.E. (Istituto per ricerche ed attività educative), Naples, Italy
Feb 2006
Visiting Lecturer
Education (degrees highlighted)
2008-2010 | BA in Psychology
Kokshe Academy
Concentration – Socionics, psychometrics, designed an applied MBTI testing methodology in Kazakh
2005-2006 | MA in Geopolitics
Sapienza University of Rome | Rome, Italy
Soft power, Public diplomacy
1999-2004 | BA in International Law
Eurasian National University
International Intellectual Property law, WIPO
Skills
- Education Strategy & Management
- Product Development
- Labor market framework and policies
- Multilingual Communicator and Public Speaker
- Large-scale Project Management
- Foresight and Future studies
- Human Resources Management
- Knowledge management and Learning organization design
Languages (CEFR scale)
Kazakh
Native
Russian
Native
English
C2 Proficient
Turkish
C2 Proficient
Italian
C1 Advanced
Spanish
B1 Intermediate
Latin
B1 Intermediate
Japanese
A2 Elementary
Arabic
A2 Elementary
Awards and Medals
Medal for the 20th anniversary of Astana
Medal Jubilee medal of WKGMU
Medal for the 20th anniversary of KATEV
Medal for dedicated work
Badge of honor KazGUU
15 years of Law Faculty of ENU
Medal for the 20th anniversary of independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan
25 years to the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan
Follow me on social media,
to be first to know all news