Empowering female entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan - CEAS workshop

The workshop brought together insights from the collaborative Research England International Science Partnerships Fund Official Development Assistance Institutional Support Grant 2024-25 on Empowering Female Entrepreneurs, conducted by Dr Irina Heim, the Deputy Director of CEAS.

More than 30 participants were invited to attend the workshop, including CEAS members, industry professionals, policymakers, female entrepreneurs from Atyrau in Kazakhstan and researchers from both the UK and internationally.

The aim of the workshop was to report on the research project's progress on developing strategic links with academic and regional business communities in Kazakhstan and creating an impact through policy-oriented developmental research. A key part of this was to share policy recommendations developed for policymakers, including the UK Parliament, to find new solutions for many of the challenges they face; Dr Heim's report on The Barriers Facing Female Entrepreneurs: Written Evidence to the Women and Equalities Committee underscores this message and was the source of much of the evidence presented at the workshop.

The Henley Business School members of faculty who co-ordinated the research workshop alongside Dr Heim included Professor Yelena Kalyuzhnova (CEAS Director) and Maria Richert (a PhD student and CEAS member). After a warm welcome by Professor Kalyuzhnova and Professor Gulzada Shakulikova, Rector of Atyrau Oil and Gas University, Dr Heim presented on the topic 'Kazakhstan's Diversification from the Natural Resources Sector Strategic and Economic Opportunities', with Maria presenting on 'Advancing Women's Business Leadership in Kazakhstan: Research Insights'.

From Kazakhstan, Almagul Turdagaliyeva, the Director of the Center for International Co-operation, covered the topic 'Breaking Barriers: Challenges for Businesswomen in Kazakhstan'. She was followed by Irina Gorbachenkova (head of a public organisation on female entrepreneurship) and Gulnaz Omarova (Senior Manager at Nazarbayev University School of Medicine and founder of Academia GN), who led a 'Voices of Women' Q and A session.

The workshop facilitated some spirited discussion, with Professor Anna Grosman from Loughborough University providing valuable comments and insights from her research. It concluded by recommending that more support should be provided to female entrepreneurs in both UK and Kazakhstan, highlighing the need for both digital and financial inclusion.

Commenting after the workshop had concluded, Dr Heim said:

"This workshop underscores our commitment to shaping evidence‑based policy on women's economic empowerment, strengthening our growing research collaborations with universities in Kazakhstan, and demonstrating the impact our work has on advancing the role of women in economic diversification across resource‑rich countries."