Qazaqstan NEXT 2026 Forum
Strategic dialogue on the development of Kazakhstan in a global context.

The Qazaqstan NEXT Forum is the official launch event of the annual Turning Points Qazaqstan publication.

The one-day forum will bring together global and local experts to discuss key global trends and their impact on Kazakhstan's sustainable development and strategic role.

The focus is on the digital economy, AI, and the country's strategic advantages as a growth hub between the world's largest markets.

The forum is inspired by The New York Times publication Turning Points: Global Agenda

200+

Participants

100+

Companies and organizations

2 млн. +

Media coverage

Date: January 28, 2026
Location: Astana, The St. Regis Astana Hotel

SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR PARTICIPATION

Forum Audience

Organizers

KAZMEDIA HOLDING in strategic partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan

International speakers

Representatives from Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation, Rystad Energy, NielsenIQ, Push30, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, S&P Global

Participants and guests

Top managers of leading international and domestic companies, government representatives and representatives of state-owned companies, investors, diplomats, and opinionleaders in energy, technology, education, and the creative economy.

Local speakers

Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Minister of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Executive Director of the KAZENERGY Association, President of Nazarbayev University.

Speakers

Senior Vice President, Head of Power, Rystad Energy. Carlos holds a bachelor's degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana, an M.Sc. from the University of Sheffield, and an Executive MBA from the University of Oxford.

Senior Director for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, as well as the Asia-Pacific region, Harvard Business Impact Education. Gabriela has more than 20 years of international business experience in Europe, US &Latin America, across industries including Media, Telecom & Higher Education.

Advisor to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Kazakh statesman and economist. Previously served as Minister of Energy and Minister of Ecology, Geology, and Natural Resources.

Minister of Science and Higher Education of Kazakhstan. Minister Nurbek has an extensive experience in the fields of education, educational management, as well as labor market and education policy analysis.

Strategic Analytics and Insights Market Lead, North Eastern Europe, NielsenIQ. Expert in consumer research and analytics for the FMCG and retail markets.

Francesco Di Salvo Global Director, Clean Refined Products Pricing at Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights. Prior to joining Platts, Francesco analysed upstream oil and gas markets, with field postings in Nigeria, UAE, Turkey and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, where he followed the nascence and consolidation of the hydrocarbons industry.

Forum Partners

Official partners

Golden partners

Media partners

Join partners

Forum program

*Event schedule for January 28, 2026

Начало в 9:35

Qazaqstan NEXT forum

Отель The St. Regis Astana

Registration & Morning Coffee

08:30-9:30

Opening

9:35 – 10:00

Opening Continued

10:00 – 10:10

PANEL 1: Three Engines of the Future: Energy, Infrastructure, Economy

10:15 – 11:30

Speakers: Magzum Mirzagaliev, Adviser to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Carlos Torres, Vice President, Rystad Energy. Aset Shyngyssov, Managing Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Francesco Di Salvo, S&P Global, Commodity Insights.

How Kazakhstan will power and finance its next phase of growth: modernizing energy systems, upgrading next-generation infrastructure, and scaling a more digital,competitive economy.

Partner Spotlight: Aretera

11:35 – 11:50

Speakers: Pavel Melnikov, Partner & Managing Director, Central Asia & South Caucasus, Aretera.

How can businesses adapt to increased regulation in 2026 amid a government budget deficit?

NielsenIQ Special Briefing Presentation

11:55 - 12:15

Speakers: Edita Asakovichiene, Strategic Analytics & Insights Market Lead, North Eastern Europe, NielsenIQ.

Lunch & Networking

12:20 – 14:00

Creative Economy in Focus

14:00 – 14:10

Speakers: Zhan Mukanov, Producer and Media Manager, Zhan Alemi Group Production Center.

From talent to industry: how Kazakhstan can turn cultural projects into sustainable creative businesses - audience growth, exportable formats, and professional production pipelines that create jobs.

PANEL 2: Building the Trusted Digital Economy: AI, Data, and Trust Infrastructure

14:10 – 15:10

Speakers: Aray Bekembayev, InDrive Country Manager. Manarbek Abenov, Samsung Wallet. Abzal Ashirbayev, Regional Sales Director, Creatio.

How Kazakhstan can scale the digital economy with trusted rules and infrastructure: AI adoption, secure data and cloud, cyber resilience, digital payments (incl. digital tenge), platform regulation/IP, and digital services in education and healthcare.

Insights Presentation from Harvard Business Impact Education

15:15-15:25

Speakers: Taran Pant, Harvard Business Impact Education.

Taran Pant will share how case-based teaching (case method) and business simulation scan turn higher education into a talent pipeline: building decision-making and leadership skills that employers need, at scale.

PANEL 3: Human Capital & the Workforce of the Future: Talent Pipelines for New Growth Sectors

15:25 – 16:40

Speakers: Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education. Gabriela Allmi, Senior Director EMEA & Asia Pacific, Harvard Business Impact Education. Sirojiddin Aslonov, General Manager, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, Push 30 Corporate Fitness & Wellness Platform. Lyazzat Akhmurzina, Executive Director at KAZENERGY Association. Dr. Waqar Ahmad, President, Nazarbayev University.
‍
How Kazakhstan can build the workforce of the future-ready skills, continuous upskilling, employee wellbeing and resilience, productivity in AI-enabled and hybrid workplaces, and the leadership practices that keep talent engaged and retained.

Closing Remarks

16:40

Speakers: Statesman and public figure, former Minister of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

VENUE

The St. Regis Astana Hotel

Astor Ballroom

DATE

January 28th, 2026

ADDRESS

1 Kabanbai Batyra Avenue

ORGANIZERS

KAZMEDIA HOLDING in strategic
partnership with AmCham Kazakhstan

About the magazine

Turning Points Global Agenda is an annual global trends series from The New York Times that tracks the world's biggest changes and trends, including artificial intelligence, digital security, energy, sustainable supply chains, education, media, innovation, and the growing creative economy. Starting from 2026, under a license with The New York Times Licensing, Turning Points Qazaqstan publication will become available in Kazakhstan.

A one-day Qazaqstan Next forum will be dedicated to the launch of the magazine where ministers, business leaders, and experts will explore how these trends will impact relevant sectors of the Kazakh economy, translating the resulting knowledge into promising new growth opportunities.

Qazaqstan NEXT 2026 Forum Strategic dialogue on the development of Kazakhstan in a global context.