ASTANA – Women leaders underscored that sustainability requires both strategic thinking and personal responsibility at the Global Businesswomen Council meeting on June 24 in Astana. They also called for deeper social investment and inclusive cooperation to address global challenges. The council brings together senior executives and policymakers to advance women’s leadership and foster cross-sector solutions.
Global Businesswomen Council meeting on June 24 in Astana. Photo credit: Nagima Abuova / The Astana Times
It serves as a forum for strategic dialogue among women executives from global corporations, national companies, and international institutions. This year’s session focused on the growing role of women in driving social investment and fostering international cooperation in education, healthcare, digitalization, and artificial intelligence (AI).
One of the main results was the signing of a memorandum and several bilateral agreements focused on strengthening cooperation in priority areas, such as education, healthcare, digital development, and AI.
Strategic vision for women’s leadership
Zhanna Baidasheva, a director of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Investors’ Council Association, described the businesswomen council as a unique international platform that brings together global business leaders, heads of international organizations, and women in politics to discuss concrete initiatives across sectors.
Zhanna Baidasheva, a director of the Kazakhstan Foreign Investors’ Council Association. Photo credit: Nagima Abuova / The Astana Times
“We live in an era where sustainability is not just a global priority but also a personal responsibility. Today’s agenda is more than a sequence of speeches; it is a chance to hear from women at the helm of multinational corporations, international institutions and government bodies. It is an opportunity to look into the future through the lens of strategic female leadership,” said Baidasheva.
According to her, the council’s mission is to develop a sustainable model of international women’s partnership, with a focus on socially significant initiatives and the economic potential of Kazakhstan.
“This is not just about raising topics. We strive to identify joint initiatives and projects that are already being practically implemented. We want to highlight the international experience of global women leaders and companies, and explore how that can be brought to Kazakhstan and realized here,” she said.
Social investment as corporate strategy
Emilie Mouren-Renouard, a vice president of the Air Liquide Group. Photo credit: Nagima Abuova / The Astana Times
“Social investment is way more than charity. It’s really part of our commitment and part of our strategy. We have specific objectives around social investment that go hand in hand with financial objectives,” said Emilie Mouren-Renouard, a vice president at the Air Liquide Group, a French multinational company that supplies industrial gases and services to industries, including healthcare, energy, electronics, manufacturing and chemicals.
She stressed the value of inclusive leadership platforms.
“These are platforms where we gather key women leaders. They are very important to promote gender diversity and to have a platform for exchange between leaders. Diversity in background, in experiences, in culture brings a lot and helps create value for the long term, both for the private sector as well as for society in general,” she said.
“Carrot and stick” approach
Kirsty Helen Wilson, a member of Baker McKenzie’s Executive Committee, underlined the importance of government support in cultivating corporate social responsibility.
Kirsty Helen Wilson, a member of Baker McKenzie’s Executive Committee. Photo credit: Nagima Abuova / The Astana Times
“It is really important that states encourage social responsibility through a number of different activities. Many of these are already happening in Kazakhstan, but continued focus is essential going forward,” she said.
“In this area, a combination of the carrot and the stick works well. Encourage socially responsible behavior in a positive manner, but also implement rules and regulations that require concrete action,” Wilson added.
Baker McKenzie is a leading global law firm specializing in corporate, tax, trade, and compliance services. Wilson emphasized that inclusion should be a fundamental principle across all organizations.
“It’s about energy, networks, and bringing everybody up together. Teams are stronger when they are diverse. That’s something we must believe in as individuals — and something organizations should embed at their core,” she said.
From rural schools to AI: digital inclusion and shared values
Marine Babayan, a global director of corporate affairs and government relations at VEON Group, shared concrete examples of the company’s social investment work in Kazakhstan, including initiatives in education, healthcare, and digital services.
“Social investments are about acting on the basis of the shared gaps that connect technology, innovation, and humanity. It is about turning progress into impact, impact that delivers positive changes to the lives of people,” she said.
She described the modernization of 280 classrooms in eight rural schools and the construction of a flagship school in the Shelek village, located in the southeast of Almaty, in response to the Kazakh government’s call for greater private sector involvement in education.
Babayan also shared a story from her visit to Shelek.
“A girl studying there told me, ‘After I graduate, I’m going to go back to Almaty, continue my education, and return here to become a teacher.’ That’s a beautiful story. Usually, we see people moving from rural areas to cities. But this shows the reverse – how investment can build strong roots and inspire people to return,” she said.
Highlighting the role of AI, Babayan emphasized VEON’s commitment to inclusivity, ethics, and local relevance.
“We are proud to contribute to the creation of Kaz-RoBERTA-conversational, or BeeBERT, the first Kazakh language model designed to empower digital inclusion and expand opportunities across communities,” she said.
VEON Group is a telecom company providing mobile and internet services in emerging markets, with Beeline Kazakhstan leading its digital and social initiatives locally.
Beeline Kazakhstan leads efforts to develop AI-powered linguistic tools to support the Kazakh language. BeeBERT, a generative AI based on Kaz-RoBERTA-conversational, is designed to improve customer service on digital applications and promote the development of AI-based solutions in the Kazakh language. The model is available to local developers free of charge.
