Mike is a former senior British diplomat with many years of experience leading various teams in foreign positions in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Most recently, he served as the British Ambassador to Kazakhstan from 2018 to 2021, based in Nur-Sultan.

His past posts as British Ambassador include: The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) from 2012-15 and Yemen from 2004-2007.

In January 2022 Mike was appointed OBE for services to British foreign policy.

Eric has worked for the British Council in more than nine countries. He currently works in Nur-Sultan heading the work of the British Council in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. He believes that access to English gives young people the opportunity to expand their educational opportunities and create new aspirations for a country like Kazakhstan, as it plays an increasingly prominent role at the international level.

During his career, Eric has led several joint educational programmes of the UK Government and the host country aimed at ensuring the quality of secondary and higher education in order to ensure that graduates are prepared for the needs of the labor market and have the necessary skills for employment.

Hugh is the founding CEO of NPCAT, one of the largest multi-academic trusts in the UK. With more than 9,000 students and more than 1,350 employees from 27 academies, which, according to the Ministry of Education, NPCAT ranks 6th in England.

Over his 29 years of experience, Hugh’s previous positions include Director of Academic Programmes and Operations, he led several education reform programmes, as well as developing and opening new schools around the world. Hugh played a key role in the development of one of the leading educational improvement agencies in the Middle East, and his teams of educational improvement consultants provided support to educational institutions in the region.

Marc has over 25 years of experience in international Oil, Gas, Utilities and general energy in major international oil companies. Leading successful companies, international business development, Marc has managed successful transactions and commercial negotiations in Upstream, Midstream (gas and LNG) and Downstream. His technical expertise includes Upstream operations (assets, reservoir, production and rig operations), and Corp & Asset M & A.

Marc is the founder of the T. Alan Payne Engineering Scholarship at Penn State University. His philanthropic activities have supported renewable and clean energy technologies, environment, economic empowerment, workforce development, STEM education and individual mentoring.

In addition to overseeing the creation of the AIFC and IAC Courts, Chris also serves as judge for the enforcement of court decisions of the AIFC Court. In the Republic of Kazakhstan, he is a member of the AIFC Legal Advisory Council, which reviews and approves AIFC legislation. He is a member of the Working Group on Judicial and Legal Reform of the Supreme Council for Reforms under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He is a member of the International Council of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which advises on the reform of Kazakhstan's courts and dispute resolution. He is an Honorary Professor at KAZGUU University, Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as a member of the AIFC Academic Council and the AIFC Academy of Law Advisory Board, which advise the AIFC Bureau of Continuing Professional Development and the AIFC Academy of Law.

In 2020, he was awarded the Jubilee Medal of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for "significant contribution to the formation of statehood, strengthening of sovereignty and socio-economic development of the Republic of Kazakhstan". In 2021, for his "contribution to the development of international cooperation", he was awarded the "Medal of the Chief Judge of the Republic of Kazakhstan" by Chairman Z. Assanov.

Heather, in addition to being the current Vice-Rector and Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at De Montfort University, has also held senior positions at other universities and had a professional career as a chartered accountant.

In the past, she was the Master of Livery of Worshipful Company of World Traders and maintains good ties with the international trade and business community. She worked as a specialist adviser on a Separate Committee on Transport of the House of Commons and was a member of several international expert groups on maritime transport. Currently, she is a member of the editorial board of the journals "Maritime Policy and Management" and "Research in the field of transport business and Management".

Heather is an elected member of the Board of the Charter Association of Business Schools and Chairman of the Committee on Learning, Teaching and Student Experience. She has also published a number of articles in the field of business education.

Nigel is a professor of international higher education. Prior to his appointment to the University of Limerick, he held senior academic positions at the National University of Fiji, the University of Nottingham Trent, the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and Manchester Metropolitan University and taught at the University of Leicester and Leeds Beckett University.

He is the Chairman of the QS-APPLE Academic Conference Committee and until recently was a member of the Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU). He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management and the New Zealand Institute of Management and Leadership, and a principal member of the Academy of Higher Education.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics (honours) from the University of Nottingham, a Master's degree in Economics from the University of Leeds, an MBA from the University of Warwick, a DBA in Higher Education Management from the University of Bath and a PhD in Management from Nottingham Trent University.

In addition to her current on-site duties as President at De Montfort University Kazakhstan, Sakina has also been Former Deputy Director General, Academic Director and Project Director in a variety educational projects and institutions both in the UK and abroad. She has more than 25 years of experience in managing improvement programmes, as well as devising and overseeing activities and management in the field of education. Her experience covers both government initiatives to reform education and the implementation of programmes led by private investors.

Sakina worked as a senior adviser in the regional public education authorities of Great Britain. She also served as a member of the steering group for the improvement of university education in Central Asia.