Galimzhan Yessenov – Building Kazakhstan’s Intellectual Future Through Education

The story of the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation began not with a completed strategy or an established institution, but with an idea discussed in a newly opened office where some of the boxes had yet to be unpacked.

More than a decade later, that idea has developed into a broad system of educational and scientific support for young people in Kazakhstan. Through scholarships, international research internships and professional development programmes, the Foundation seeks to help students and researchers gain access to knowledge, experience and networks that might otherwise remain beyond their reach.

Behind this work is Galimzhan Yessenov, a Kazakhstani businessman and philanthropist whose public initiatives span education, science, sport and social development. Although these projects operate in different areas, they are connected by a common principle: sustainable progress begins with investing in people.

Turning a family legacy into a modern institution

Galimzhan Yessenov was born in Almaty in 1982 into a family closely associated with Kazakhstan’s scientific history.

His grandfather, Academician Shakhmardan Yessenov, was a prominent geologist, statesman and former president of the Academy of Sciences of the Kazakh SSR. He made an important contribution to the development of geological science and the study of Kazakhstan’s natural resources and received a number of major distinctions, including the Lenin Prize.

For Galimzhan Yessenov, this family history became more than a personal connection to the past. It helped shape his understanding of education, public service and responsibility to future generations.

When establishing the Foundation named after his grandfather, Yessenov sought to transform that legacy into a practical institution capable of supporting young scientists and specialists in contemporary Kazakhstan.

He has described the Foundation’s work as being built on continuity between generations. The objective is not simply to preserve the memory of Shakhmardan Yessenov, but to continue the values associated with his life by creating opportunities for those who may contribute to Kazakhstan’s scientific and intellectual development in the future.

Education without narrow boundaries

Yessenov’s own academic background combines economics, law and international business.

He studied Economics and Management at the Eurasian Institute of Market and later earned a degree in Law from the Kazakh Humanities and Law University. He subsequently completed an Executive MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

This multidisciplinary education is reflected in the Foundation’s approach. Its programmes are not limited to providing financial assistance or helping participants obtain formal qualifications. They are intended to develop professional independence, critical thinking, research skills and the ability to work in an international environment.

Yessenov has repeatedly emphasised that education should not be reduced to receiving a diploma. In his view, meaningful education teaches people to analyse information, solve complex problems and continue learning throughout their lives.

“Learning should be continuous,” he has told students, encouraging them to read widely, study foreign languages, exchange ideas and remain intellectually curious throughout their careers.

How the first internship programme began

The idea of sending young Kazakhstani researchers to international universities appeared even before the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation was formally established.

Eldar Akhmetgaliyev, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees and one of the initiators of its earliest educational programmes, recalls that he had been developing the concept for several years.

Akhmetgaliyev is the founder of MOCAP Analytics, which was acquired by Sportradar in 2017, as well as several other start-ups. He currently serves as Chief AI Officer at narya.ai.

“I had been thinking about launching a programme for young Kazakhstanis to undertake internships at foreign universities as early as 2011 and 2012,” he recalls. “I approached various government institutions with the proposal, but it was not possible to implement the idea at the time.”

The turning point came after he met the team of the recently established Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation.

“By 2013, we were already discussing the first programme in the Foundation’s new office, where there were still unpacked boxes,” Akhmetgaliyev says.

This early episode illustrates how the Foundation developed: not around a single finished model, but through cooperation between people who shared a belief that international scientific experience could expand the opportunities available to Kazakhstan’s young researchers.

The concept was relatively straightforward. Talented young people would be given the opportunity to work at foreign universities and research centres, learn from international colleagues and become familiar with different scientific methods and institutional cultures.

The longer-term expectation was that this experience would not end when the internship was completed. Participants would return with knowledge, professional connections and a broader understanding of how research could be organised and developed in Kazakhstan.

From an idea to a long-term system

In 2013, Galimzhan Yessenov formally established the Shakhmardan Yessenov Science and Education Foundation.

Its activities focus on students, young scientists and professionals in fields that are important to Kazakhstan’s long-term development, including the exact and natural sciences, engineering, information technology and medicine.

The Foundation provides scholarships and grants, organises international research internships and supports programmes intended to improve the professional competitiveness of young specialists.

The underlying model is based on long-term capacity building rather than one-time financial assistance. Funding is treated as a tool that enables participants to acquire knowledge, experience and connections that can influence the course of their careers.

Akhmetgaliyev believes that the Foundation’s long-term prospects depend not only on the quality of its programmes, but also on the personal involvement of its founder.

“Galimzhan Yessenov applies the same principles to the Foundation’s work that guide him in business and in life,” he says. “What matters to me is that he actually does everything he speaks about. That is why, in my view, the Foundation has a very promising future.”

His observation points to an important feature of institutional philanthropy. A foundation may begin with the vision of one person, but its lasting impact depends on whether that vision is converted into functioning programmes, clear selection processes and a community capable of continuing the work over time.

International experience with a local purpose

The results of this approach can be seen most clearly through the experiences of the programme participants themselves.

Many gain access to leading international universities and research centres. They work with foreign academics, learn new research methods and build professional relationships beyond Kazakhstan.

At the same time, the programmes are intended to encourage participants to apply what they have learned at home.

Murat Kozhanov, a winner of the Foundation’s research internship programme, is undertaking a research placement at Óbuda University in Hungary. He regards international experience as one of the programme’s most significant advantages.

“In Kazakhstan, there are not many organisations that consistently support young scientists and provide access to international experience,” Kozhanov says. “These opportunities help people grow professionally, broaden their perspective and return home with new knowledge and ideas.”

For him, participation in an international research environment is not only an investment in an individual career. It can also contribute to the development of national expertise.

Kozhanov believes that support received from public institutions and society carries a responsibility.

“If the state and public institutions invest in a person, the best way to show gratitude is to return that investment through knowledge, through one’s work and through benefits created for other people,” he says.

His words reflect the broader philosophy behind the Foundation’s programmes. The aim is not simply to help an individual participant study or conduct research abroad. It is to create a cycle in which international experience eventually strengthens Kazakhstan’s scientific, educational and professional environment.

Supporting talent beyond science

Education and scientific development form the central part of Yessenov’s philanthropic work, but his public activities also extend into sport and social initiatives.

He serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Courage to Be First Corporate Foundation, the organisation behind the Almaty Marathon.

The event has developed into one of the most prominent mass-participation sporting events in Central Asia. It promotes physical activity while also supporting charitable projects, connecting sport with civic engagement and social responsibility.

Yessenov has described the Almaty Marathon not only as an international sporting platform, but also as an important charitable initiative. Its development reflects a similar philosophy to that of the educational Foundation: large-scale social change can begin with individual participation, discipline and a sense of shared responsibility.

From 2015 to 2020, Yessenov served as president of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, contributing to the development and wider popularisation of chess in the country.

Chess and distance running may appear to be very different pursuits, yet both depend on qualities that are also important in education and entrepreneurship: patience, concentration, strategic thinking and the ability to work towards long-term goals.

Yessenov has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mother’s Home charitable foundation since 2014. The organisation assists women facing difficult circumstances and works to prevent social orphanhood by helping families remain together.

Measuring impact through people

The initiatives supported by Galimzhan Yessenov cover different areas, but they share a consistent focus on human potential.

Scholarships enable students to continue their education. Research internships expose young scientists to international experience. Professional programmes help specialists develop practical skills. Sporting projects promote discipline and community participation, while social initiatives provide assistance to families during vulnerable periods.

Viewed together, these projects form a long-term approach to philanthropy. Their impact cannot be measured only by the amount of funding distributed or the number of programmes launched.

The more important question is what participants do with the opportunities they receive.

Do they return with useful knowledge? Do they build new research teams, launch projects, teach others or strengthen professional institutions? Do they use their experience to create opportunities for the next generation?

The accounts of Eldar Akhmetgaliyev and Murat Kozhanov provide two perspectives on this process. One recalls how the first international internship programme was developed while the Foundation itself was still being established. The other demonstrates what such a programme can mean to a young researcher more than a decade later.

Together, their stories show how an initial idea can become an institution and how an institution can gradually influence individual careers and the wider professional environment.

This may be the most meaningful link between Shakhmardan Yessenov’s scientific legacy and Galimzhan Yessenov’s present-day work.

The methods have changed. Instead of geological expeditions and state scientific institutions, the tools now include scholarships, international partnerships, research internships and charitable foundations.

The underlying purpose, however, remains similar: to give talented people the knowledge, experience and confidence they need to contribute to Kazakhstan’s future.