How does the IT company executives club work, how does it help residents, and how to join it

Erlan Meirambayev, Regional Director of the IT CEO Club, @itceoclub

About Me

I have worked for a long time in telecommunications operator structures, then moved into the distribution of IT and telecommunications solutions, working with system integrators to launch large-scale platforms and IT projects. Currently, I am the Regional Director of the IT CEO Club in Almaty, an entrepreneur, and an aspiring investor.

About IT CEO Club

The history of the IT CEO Club began in 2020 on the platform of a Telegram channel, where we discussed various professional topics of the IT market, joint projects, opportunities for attracting investments into our projects, and export. The channel served as a platform for dialogue between the IT market and government bodies to create joint projects. The visionary and founder of the club is an entrepreneur and teacher from the company Documentolog, a person known throughout the IT market.

At that time, the IT market was growing rapidly, and the number of participants in our channel quickly increased from 30 to 400 people. It was then that the decision was made to create the IT CEO Club.

Currently, the club unites leading opinion leaders and industry experts who actively contribute to the development of IT projects in Kazakhstan.

Club Members

At one of the meetings, it was decided to form a club strategy and create committees. Each committee deals with important issues for different sectors of the IT industry. The main task and priority of the club is to unite top managers with high competence and expertise in the Kazakhstani market.

As part of the strategy, we identified seven committees:

1. The Strategy and Resident Relations Committee, headed by the club's founder, Bayzhan Kanafin.

2. The Partnership Program Committee, under the leadership of Alexey Belimov, head and owner of IT Support Group.

3. The Analytics Committee, led by Andrey Beklemishev, Vice President of IDC.

4. The Export Committee, led by Admet Akhter, founder of Akhter Studio and CEO of Introdex.

5. The ESG and Education Committee, under the leadership of Rustam Yakubayev, Managing Partner of GPI Group.

6. The Startups and Venture Capital Committee, headed by Mirat Akhmedsadyk, co-founder of CEO Most Group.

7. The Ethics Committee, supervised by Evgeny Mukhamedzhanov, General Director of Econetwork.

Currently, we have more than 60 residents in our club. It is important to note that we are not an association or a union of legal entities — we are a club where individuals, leaders of the largest IT companies in Kazakhstan, are present. We have a clear segmentation system into levels. Each level provides different privileges. For example, gold-level members have the right to participate in the club's strategic decisions, have access to a directory and a chat of top decision-makers of clients, as well as exclusive offers and opportunities.

Advantages of IT CEO Club

We have a regulation for the club council. The club council is the key governing body responsible for planning and control. It consists of seven members: committee chairs and members. Each of them is responsible for their own area.

Recently, we held a meeting with the Minister of Digital Development, where we discussed IT export, joint trips with the Ministry of Digital Development and the Aerospace Industry to our colleagues and clients abroad, and the collection of IT market analytics with the help of Astana Hub. We raised issues regarding the development of IT education. Special attention was paid to interaction with digital deputy ministers of almost all ministries and colleagues from quasi-state organizations, akimats, and their deputies responsible for the digitalization of regions. Issues regarding the development of artificial intelligence in the country were also raised. We are also planning to hold the Eurasian Digital Summit in Almaty from September 11 to 13, fully organized by IT CEO Club.

Interesting Cases

In the club, I particularly appreciate cases where residents help each other, providing mutual support and assistance in establishing contacts with potential clients. Last month, we had a great example of such help: thanks to the efforts of residents, a profitable contract was signed. In this regard, I would like to thank Dias Elyubayev, Commercial Director of Linkmaster LLP and our resident, who is known as a networker and connector. He helps other residents get access to clients and arranges excellent introductions, after which contracts, deals, and agreements for further cooperation are concluded.

Development of the IT Industry in Central Asia

Our club unites IT professionals who have similar interests and business goals. We actively discuss current industry problems, seek collective solutions, and exchange experience. Meetings with experts help us navigate complex issues, and studying foreign experience gives us new ideas and approaches to the development of IT in Kazakhstan.

A major advantage of IT CEO Club is the diversity of ages among its members: there are both young directors aged 25 and 35, and experienced professionals over 40, each with their own vision of company management. We actively work together on standardizing national processes, developing regulations and procedures, and providing feedback on the development of ICT legislation to ministries and agencies.

I resonate with the philosophy that water wears away stone, and breaking down walls is not always the most effective way of management. Only by uniting within one club can we, like water, gradually change the situation in the country and steer the industry in a better direction.

How to Join the Club and Entry Conditions

My main goal in the club is to attract regional leaders from Central Asian countries and other cities in Kazakhstan. The more IT company directors we attract, the more benefit it will bring to everyone. For questions about joining the club, please contact me; I work with all regions. Currently, we have Almaty and Astana, and we are planning Shymkent, Atyrau, and other cities. We are also interested in regions of Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and neighboring countries, which we will be ready to discuss closer to autumn, in early September.

We have three membership levels: the Bronze package costs 120,000 tenge per year, Silver — 600,000 tenge per year, and Gold — 1,200,000 tenge per year. I believe this is a small amount, considering the huge opportunities and benefits that joining the club provides.

Every aspiring entrepreneur and modern IT company manager needs to develop management skills. In the club, we will help you master important skills such as change management, leadership, and solving complex problems. You need to strive, try, take risks, and the result will definitely be there.

Before creating the club, we carefully studied similar business clubs, which are usually divided by direction. IT CEO Club is unique in that it clearly focuses on its audience — companies with a turnover of 100,000,000 tenge and above. Unlike other clubs that invite all interested businessmen without ties to the IT sector, information security, innovations, and telecom, our club is specifically oriented towards this industry.

Plans

We have many plans; we are just gaining momentum. The main task is to attract as many people as possible to hear the market's opinion, to understand what the IT community wants. By uniting these wishes under the leadership of top managers, we aim to engage in dialogue with government bodies so that a large number of local projects can be realized. We aim to create a free-market environment where businesses can propose their own solutions.

We plan to hold business breakfasts, masterclasses, and outbound trips. One such trip took place in Japan, where colleagues familiarized themselves with the mentality of Japanese culture and business practices. Such trips will be held quarterly, with an increasingly larger group. Traveling as a team and supporting each other, I believe, will greatly enrich our experience.

Additionally, we plan to cooperate with clubs from Ukraine, Russia, and other countries, as they have interesting solutions that may be useful for our members. Mutual cooperation will bring benefits to all parties.