IT families: how three brothers build their careers in IT

Ayder Mambediyev, 33 years old, city — Almaty, Head of Product, Instagram, LinkedIn

Damir Mambediyev, 31 years old, city — Astana, project manager

Assan Mambediyev, 23 years old, city — Astana, chief specialist, LinkedIn

About Us

Ayder. I am the eldest of three brothers and work as Head of Product at Sergek Group. Initially, I planned to follow in my parents' footsteps and become a communications engineer, but my interest in IT prevailed. I have been in IT for over 13 years, with the last 7 years specializing in Smart City solutions and the B2G segment. I started with web development, and now I am developing SCADA solutions and AI platforms for smart cities. 

The key projects I am most proud of are the automated dispatcher system 101 for Almaty, which reduced response times to emergency calls by four and a half times. And the geo-analytical system project, which helped the city administration make decisions about exiting quarantine during the pandemic.

Damir. I am a project manager in the public safety direction at Sergek Group. Before entering IT, I worked at Alstom as a lead logistics engineer, implementing lean management, and also worked on a rotational basis at an oil field. Thus, I worked in production for over five years, but I realized the prospects of remote work, the high demand for specialists, and development opportunities. I came to IT thanks to Ayder, who became my mentor and helped me master IT project management. 

Today, I manage projects aimed at city safety, and after two years, I receive letters of appreciation from the police department for my contribution to city safety.

Assan. I am the youngest brother and work as a chief specialist in the server infrastructure and big data service at JSC State Technical Service. My path in IT began even in school, attending the "SHAG" academy, then I entered Astana IT University for cybersecurity. Currently, I am engaged in server system administration and process automation, which ensures the reliability of IT infrastructure, and I think my path is just beginning. 

Joint projects or initiatives in IT

Ayder. As the eldest brother, I took on the role of mentor — being as open as possible, which makes the general plan and actions clear to everyone. I have a development track that I share with my brothers. When Damir received an award in 2024 as one of the best employees of the company, it was a special pride for me, as he is one of my most important "projects."

Damir. In addition to mutual support in family matters, my brothers and I, under Ayder's guidance, are working on the MedTech startup Helsi in the field of preventive medicine through data analysis and AI. In this project, each of us brings our own expertise.

Assan. We support each other's technological experiments: together we build a smart home, come up with home automation scenarios, set up a home server for AI projects. This experience helps us in our professional endeavors as well.

In our family startup, I am responsible for DevOps and cybersecurity. It's great that we can combine our different competencies in a common cause. 

Ayder. Damir and I work in the same company, but in different directions. It's sometimes funny when colleagues are surprised that we are brothers — we look different and have different personalities. But the main thing is that we have learned to separate work and family relationships.

Damir. In work, we strive to be professionals, where each is responsible for their area, and we rarely intersect on projects. This helps maintain a healthy balance between family and work relationships.

Assan. Although I work in another organization, we often exchange experience. It is especially interesting when we discuss technological trends from different perspectives — product, project, and technical.

How IT families differ from others

Ayder. It's funny, but we use Agile in family life — with Kanban boards, weekly syncs, planning, and rituals. Our favorite tool to keep up with everything is the Google Calendar. Even for family matters, we send calendar invites to each other. Yes, you understood correctly, I am the most uptight of the three, but this helps achieve goals much faster.

Damir. It is important to respect each other's personal boundaries and interests. We do not criticize each other's hobbies, even if they seem strange. On the contrary, we try to find potential for growth in them.

Assan. An IT family is an opportunity to constantly learn from each other, and we also love to goof around. But we need to remember that we are a family first, and IT professionals second.

Ayder. The topic that really captivates me is working in the Smart City sector. When I share my passion with family and friends, I always receive support. I like solving "urban equation" problems using various technologies. A city is a complex system with thousands of variables and coefficients: from traffic flows and human behavior to weather, date, and time. Technologies allow us to find optimal solutions where human reasoning is limited by the scale of the task.

Damir. We have three more cousins with whom we grew up. One of our brothers has severe cerebral palsy, under which he cannot do anything without the help of loved ones, and I know how much he loves walking in his wheelchair with our favorite Atashka and Azheka. We want to feel calm about them when they move around the city, both for their safety and comfortable stay.

Assan. We are convinced that technology is not only about hardware and code, but also about people.