Zaure Tursunova

Kazakhstan

Ms. Zaure Tursunova is the Founder and CEO of The Steppe, a local Kazakhstani media start-up, which she founded in 2016. Ms. Tursunova is one of the first businesspeople in Kazakhstan who sought to run a media outlet as a successful business. In just a few years, The Steppe has already gained significant recognition among the journalism society of Kazakhstan. The main goal of The Steppe is to provide people with high-quality credible content and to focus on education, technology, cultural economics and tourism. The Steppe also pioneered the introduction of native advertising to the local market and has successfully partnered with both Kazakhstani and international brands. Previously, in 2013, Ms. Tursunova founded Kids Lab, an innovative entertaining area for children at a shopping mall in Almaty - a unique concept which attracted many of visitors and grew quickly popular. In 2016, Ms. Tursunova successfully exited the Kids Lab. In 2019 Ms. Tursunova was selected as a Forbes Asia 30 under 30 Honoree. She holds a BBA in Management from American University in Dubai, UAE (2009) and a BBA in Marketing from KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan (2013). Ms. Tursunova has also completed a Program for Entrepreneurs at Startup Academy at the Moscow School of Management in SKOLKOVO (2016).