"I have a full life," says Dmitry Pak, Global ESG Coordinator at EPAM, about his lifestyle

Dmitry Pak, city — Almaty, Head of ESG & Sustainability Programs in Europe and Central Asia, EPAM, Instagram

About Me

I am the head of the ESG direction in Kazakhstan — a global ESG coordinator at EPAM. I live in Almaty, a city I love for its mountains, dynamism, and people.

I have been working since I was 17. At that time, I had no idea that volunteer work would lead me into the ESG field. During my university years, I volunteered at the EXPO-2017 exhibition, as well as with organizations such as The Human Nature Project for environmental protection and YCFA, the International Youth Council on Foreign Affairs, which focuses on human rights.

People often ask me what exactly I do in ESG. Usually, I say this: year after year, companies are paying more attention to responsibility toward the environment and society. ESG is a set of principles under which companies take responsibility by considering environmental, social, and governance factors. My job is to coordinate projects and initiatives aimed at adhering to these important principles.

I am involved in developing the ESG direction in various countries, so I have an irregular schedule. However, I always start my day with breakfast — I am convinced that this is the key to a good day. During breakfast, you can prepare yourself for a productive day, read the news, or watch funny videos. Sometimes I find time for a morning run. After that, I go to the office — I like working from there, with a beautiful view of the mountains and the opportunity to communicate with colleagues. And sometimes I work from home.

I have a busy life. For the second year in a row, I am studying at the university part-time, earning an MBA degree, so part of my schedule is dedicated to studies and writing my thesis. I chose a topic related to the specifics of my work — management in the non-profit sector and non-governmental organizations.

Where and How I Study

I am a proponent of Lifelong Learning. This attitude was instilled in me in my family since childhood — my parents always told me how important it is to keep learning. I also remember a phrase from the dean of the faculty at my university: "Education is more important than schooling." Over time, I am beginning to better understand that this applies not only to academic learning but also to gaining new knowledge through communication with diverse people or studying topics completely unrelated to work.

I am one of those people who endlessly click from one Wikipedia page to another and then forget which topic started it all.

When I first started working at EPAM, I had superficial knowledge about IT. I have been working at the company for two and a half years now and constantly discover something new, including thanks to my colleagues. It is incredibly interesting to learn about different areas in IT, the specifics of work in various teams, and processes.

Thanks to my work in ESG, I learn more about the problems of our society. There are many studies, articles, and different approaches on these topics — all of this might have passed me by if I were not working on projects in this area. For example, digital inequality, biases against women in tech companies, or inclusion issues.

I also learn from my MBA classmates. I am the youngest in the group, so I have a unique opportunity to learn from people with more experience, including entrepreneurs and managers of various companies.

Many of EPAM's ESG projects are related to educating schoolchildren and young professionals. Therefore, it is important for me to take the courses we prepare for them. For example, a programming course where children can create a game in Scratch. It is available in Kazakh as well, and it was one of the first projects I worked on at the company. It was important to me that children from all over the country could gain knowledge.

Among the trainings I would recommend:

— #IAmRemarkable — a self-promotion skills training developed by Google

— a course on LinkedIn to boost your productivity with AI tools

— a useful course on LinkedIn on emotional intelligence

— courses from UNICEF on the AGORA platform for those interested in volunteering, the work of international organizations, and corporate social responsibility.

Environment

As I get older, it becomes more difficult to make new acquaintances, so I try to take every opportunity. I am lucky: through work, I interact with many people from different countries, both colleagues and partners from organizations such as public foundations, startups, educational projects, and so on.

I attend various events, both professional and cultural.

For IT events, you can choose a suitable community to meet specialists in your field, share experience, and solve complex issues together.

If you are interested in learning about initiatives to support women in IT, I recommend subscribing to the channel of the TechnoWomen association.

To find like-minded people among volunteers, I recommend going through the National Volunteer Network.

How and Where I Spend My Free Time

EPAM has a strong community culture. Last year, my colleagues and I decided to organize our own Soft Skills community to explore topics such as emotional intelligence and building communication with people. For this, we come up with games, discussion topics, and record a podcast where we invite various guests. From the outside, this might look like work, but for us, it is a hobby — a way to express our creative side and recharge our energy.

I also love walking; in the evenings, I stroll along the river alone or with friends. When the opportunity arises, I dedicate time to cultural events. Recently, for example, I went to the ballet "La Sylphide" and visited the multimedia exhibition "Gustav Klimt and René Magritte. Living Paintings."

As a resident of Almaty, I cannot miss the opportunity to go to the mountains or take the cable car up to Kok Tobe.

My friends and colleagues also love quizzes. I think this is a unique activity that allows you to both strain and relax your brain at the same time.

And to completely unwind, I watch videos on TikTok; sometimes we even film something ourselves with colleagues.

Where to Buy What

I am an Apple fan. Gradually, my space has been filled with their products: phone, headphones, watch, laptop. I like how all the gadgets are interconnected. Moreover, their operating system is convenient for me and my family, which I have gradually converted from other companies' gadgets to my side.

I trust official stores, so I try to buy equipment at iSpace.