Kazakhstan elections
I'm just back from another working trip to Kazakhstan, where the parliamentary elections took place on 15th January.
The elections came shortly after the country's 20th anniversary of independence which was overshadowed by the riots in Zhanaozen.
Kazakhstan has a bi-cameral parliament, with the Senate having 39 seats and the Lower House of Parliament having 107 seats.
Preliminary results of the elections are as follows:
7 parties took part in the elections, of which 3 met the 7% threshold needed to enter the Lower House of Parliament.
Voter turnout was around 75%, which means that nearly 7 million people voted.
The ruling party, Nur Otan, took 80.7% of the votes, Ak Zhol took 7.4% and the Communists took 7.2%.
Turkmenistan
I recently went to an interesting event about business opportunities in Turkmenistan.
A few facts about Turkmenistan that you may not know:
- Currently celebrating its 20 years of independence
- Rich cultural heritage
- Famous for carpet making and Akhelteke horses
- Has fourth largest reserves of gas in the world
- Small population of 5.2 million
- Massive development programme, including transformation of the capital Ashgabat, Turkmenbashi port, and the creation of a new tourist resort, Avaza, on the Caspian sea
- GDP growth around 10%
- Priorities include development, education, sport, healthcare, transport, power and public welfare.
Russia Midlands Business Club
The next networking event of the Russia Midlands Business Club will be on Wed 7 December at Tonic Bar and Restaurant on Angel Row, Nottingham.
For your free place, please email your contact details to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Registration and welcome drinks from 6pm, followed by presentations at 6.30 pm. There will be networking and refreshments will be provided before the event finishes at 8 pm.
The event will be sponsored by RSF Consultancy and Sly Filters (Europe) Ltd.
Looking forward to seeing you there!
Images from last year's December networking event
"Russia Ready" workshop images
In February 2010 UK Trade and Investment organised a series of one-day "Russia Ready" workshops, delivered by Rachel Farmer of RSF Consultancy. Delegates from around the East Midlands attended the workshops and learned to speak 20 or so phrases in Russian, to read the alphabet and to understand Russian business culture. This reduced their risk and made them more effective in the market. For testimonials from the workshops, click here.
Photo Album:
Meeting and greeting in Russia
When you are invited into a Russian business or a home, resist the urge to hold out your hand as you step across the threshold. Wait until you are in the room before you greet your host. Shaking hands across the threshold is considered to be bad luck - not the sort of first impression you want to create!
Testimonials
"I would like to express my great appreciation to Dr. Rachel Farmer with whom I had four private sessions on personal presentation skills. I’ve gained much more than I expected. Dr. Farmer has a fantastic ability to understand the specificity of her client’s needs and to suggest the most appropriate plan. I would certainly recommend Dr. Farmer’s professional services to everyone who is in business."
- Alla Cranham, Director In Vivo Health Limited, Nottingham
"The project has helped enormously and led me to develop my business in a way that I don't think I would have discovered without your input and support."
- Gill Montia, copywriter, Nottingham
"Just a quick thank you for a brilliant day. It was said that it has been the best day since the start of Admin Conference days. Hope to see you again in the near future. Thanks again."
- Alison Wynne British Red Cross (Northern Territory)
Other comments from British Red Cross team day participants:
"Very worthwhile training and I feel more empowered"
"The training was very good and helpful in understanding of team work."
"Brilliant and it kept our interest all day."
"I thought Rachel picked up on our requirements and tailored the day to 'our team'."
"Hit the mark spot on!"
"Rachel delivered training, which got the messages across to my team in an innovative and fun way. I have found myself referring back to the day and its relevance in the months following the event, which proves how useful it has been."
- Jo Edney, Area Manager, British Red Cross (Northern Territory)
"We asked Rachel to run a teambuilding day for us. This was the first time our team had experienced such a thing so it was important to get it right. The result was a great combination of fun activities and learning and reflecting, that left the team feeling more able to appreciate each other and share an understanding of our business objectives. Thank you Rachel!"
- Deana O’Dare, Eagle Eye Health, Boots Opticians, Derby
Comments on one-day Russian Business Language and Culture workshops Very good – an excellent beginner’s course. Jane Waldron, UK Trade and Investment For a one-day course it was perfect! Kaz Fawzi, JET International Training was very well paced and excellent content. Simon Daniels, GL Industries Services 10 out of 10! Tim Jelley, UK Trade and Investment The day flowed very well. Nice mixture of culture with language. Thank you! Sally Fagan, Rendez Vous Management Consultancy Training was excellent! Wanted to keep going! Miranda Rose, COI East Midlands Really good pace throughout the day. Had fun but also learned a lot! Claire Nicholls, Rolls Royce A good introduction to Russia. Andrew Wilde, GL Industries Services Has given me confidence to go and work in Russia Jon Coles, GL Industries Services Excellent course - a great taster of Russian Language and Culture which will aid our business in Russia Tim Manns, GL Industries Services I was surprised by how much I could learn in one day. The training was well paced and well delivered. Rachel is a very good trainer and presenter. She kept the material at an appropriate level and made it interesting. Mark van Ling, Europe Solutions The kick start to learn more thoroughly. Good clear participative style. Warm, engaging and enthusiastic manner. Quentin Kopp, AQK Change Management Excellent - informative and relevant with right level of content for the time allowed. John Roberts, Siemens
