Tomas Akynov

Tomas designs and develops social programs at the Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia that address socio-economic and environmental challenges in Kazakhstan, and leads the organization’s fundraising activities. Among EFCA’s notable projects, he led the design of the Omirlik Maqsat program, selected as one of 50 recipients globally under the Citi Foundation’s 2024 Global Innovation Challenge, a 24-month initiative addressing homelessness in Kazakhstan with a focus on women with disabilities and parents of children with special needs. He also designed Batys AgroHub, a three-year agribusiness development program initiated by Shell Kazakhstan and Eni through the KPO B.V. consortium, aimed at empowering vegetable growers in Western Kazakhstan.

Tomas serves on the OSCE roster as a National Consultant for the project on Improving the Effectiveness of the Justice System in Kazakhstan, and actively participates in international projects as a speaker, moderator, and researcher, including with the Asia-Europe Foundation in Singapore.

Prior to joining the NGO sector, Tomas worked in business analytics at one of Southeast Asia’s largest e-commerce companies, Shopee and at telecom start-ups in Malaysia and India. He holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Graduate School of Public Policy at Nazarbayev University and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community in Kuala Lumpur.