Board of Trustees
  • Yerkin Tatishev
    Founder of High Tech Academy /
    Chair of the Finance Committee

    In 2017, Yerkin founded High Tech Academy, the first innovative project based learning school in Kazakhstan, and where he is the member of the Board of Trustees for the Finance Committee. Since 2013, he has also been a member of the Board of Trustees of Almaty Management University.


    Yerkin launched Kusto Group in the 1990s with the aim of developing high growth potential in the world’s most dynamic economies and applying management insights, alongside the expertise of local staff, to build businesses that last.


    Under his leadership, Kusto has grown to become a multinational investment company with operations spanning three continents and industries ranging from construction and energy, to agriculture and real estate.

  • Doris Korda
    Chair of the Board of Trustees /
    Chair of the Education Committee
    Doris is the Chair of the Board of Trustees at High Tech Academy and she provides strategic vision and leadership for the education committee.

    Doris has founded and currently leads Korda Institute for Teaching in the USA, a non-profit organization whose singular mission is to transform the way teachers teach and learners learn. She has created a globally acclaimed entrepreneurship education program and was the co-originator of the Mastery Transcript Consortium, an initiative to change the high school transcript to reflect the unique skills, strengths and interests of learners.

    Doris has worked with hundreds of educators to change teaching and learning in urban and rural districts, career tech programs and all types of schools.
  • Tatiana Magambetova
    Co-Founder and Principal of High Tech Academy / Chair of the Foundational Values Committee
    Tatiana is the Co-Founder and Principal of High Tech Academy. As a member of the Board of Trustees her areas of responsibility are fundamental values and culture of the school.

    Tatiana provides vision and leadership for the High Tech Academy community which secures its success and improvement, ensuring high quality education for all students and improved standards of learning and achievement.

    Tatiana is an experienced business development professional. She has a history of working in the human resources industry, directing and coordinating the administrative functions of organizations. Tatiana is skilled in negotiation, sales management, customer service, and business development and strategy.
  • Murat Utemissov
    Chair of the Safeguarding and Premises Committee
    Murat is a member of the Board of Trustees where his areas of responsibility at High Tech Academy are development of the school’s premises and safeguarding.

    Murat is the Chief Executive of Kusto Home LLP. Under Murat's leadership, Kusto Home has successfully completed the construction of the new campus of High Tech Academy, Koktobe City Residential Complex in Almaty (1-2 stages), the luxury Residential Complex of Diamond Island in Ho Chi Minh city, and the Alpine Town Residential Complex in Kiev.

    He has a diversified managerial background. Murat led projects in the mining sector before joining Kusto to head up a series of large scale international real estate projects.
  • Orazkhan Karsybekov
    Chair of the Internal Audit Committee
    Orazkhan is a member of the Board of Trustees where his area of responsibility at High Tech Academy is quality assurance through internal audits.

    Orazkhan is Chairman of the KazPetrol Group (KPG), he has been able to draw on and leverage his successful experiences in the oil and gas sector in companies ranging from subsoil specialists to drilling and fuel suppliers. He has been the key strategic thinker behind KPG’s success, helping turn complex investment into a billion dollar oil and gas company.

    Orazhan has also held leadership positions in the construction sector including overseeing a number of prestigious real estate developments across Kazakhstan.
  • Asel Tatisheva
    The Trustee for Culture and Strategic Communications
    Asel acts on matters delegated by the Board of Trustees and provides strategic oversight of the formation, external representation, and influence of the school's cultural identity on the community and society at large.

    Asel coordinates and oversees the school’s communications strategy, assesses reputational risks and reports on potential threats to the school’s sustainability, ensures the presence and up-to-date status of policies on strategic and crisis communications, and analyses the effectiveness of the school’s positioning and the presentation of its outcomes.

    She also reviews communication tools, channels, and the scale of the school’s public impact, and analyses and provides advice on strengthening the school’s long-term impact on the community and society at the local, national, and international levels.
HTA Leadership
Senior Leadership Team
Nadezhda Kim
Co-Principal School Academics
Aliya Aknazarova
Co-Principal School Operations
Yuliya Avdeyenko
Whole School Curriculum and Instructional Practice Lead
Jangir Korzhumbayev
Dean of Students
Aray Orazkhanova
Academic Lead Primary School
Roman Khoilo
Academic Lead Secondary School
Aigul Shaimardanova
IT Director
Zhuldyz Chalimbetova
Director of Strategic Communications and Impact
Leadership Team
Alima Beibitbayeva
LEIKKI Play and Learn Leader
Louiliza Collera
Grade 1 Level Leader
Criselda Sugabo
Grade 2 Level Leader
Aruzhan Alimgazy
Grade 3 Level Leader
Marina Utegenova
Grade 4 Level Leader
Kamar Tassan
Grade 4 Level Leader
Angelica Montero
Grade 5 Level Leader
Uliana Likhanova
Grade 6 Level Leader
Marina Yefremova
Grade 7 Level Leader
Meiirli Sailauov
Grade 8 Level Leader
Meruyert Turtubayeva
Grade 9 Level Leader
William Myers
Grade 10 Level Leader
Aruzhan Akchanova
Grade 11 Level Leader
Aigerim Amirzhanova
Primary School Advisory Lead
Gulmira Kapbassova
Middle School Advisory Lead
Aida Ibragimova
High School Advisory Lead
Griotti Jordan
Trilingual Programme Lead
Gauhar Beisekova
Kazakh Language Team Lead
Madina Ruziyeva
Student Support Team Lead
Yelena Varlakova
Student Support Team Co-Lead
Vidadi Mirzayev
Minerva Baccalaureate Team Lead
Kyial Bostonova
Academic Administration Lead
Narzhan Sadyk
Toddle Implementation Lead