Askar Aituov: Developer Relations Coordinator

Askar Aituov

MSc Information Systems and Management, 2009

Warwickgrad Mentor

Based in: Kazakhstan and Turkey

Formerly from: Kazakhstan

Ambitions for the future:

Launching a digital venture.

Developer Relations Coordinator at EPAM Systems on behalf of Google for MENA & Türkiye team

Describe your current role and what attracted you to it.

I am a developer relations coordinator for Google in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), Türkiye, and Central Asia. My responsibilities include:

Developing community engagement and educational programmes for developers and start-ups, supporting six countries in Central Asia and Mongolia
Helping Kazakhstan start-ups to win the Google Solution Challenge for the first time in history
Running an in-person exam for 520 students online for four weeks non-stop in 2024
Teaching Google Cloud to 8000 developers via community programmes
Leading API calls (Gemini AI) to 300 developers via codelabs
Teaching 500 product managers through devs.university
Developing the UK brand, devs.bot
Building a machine learning (ML) system in Europe (Clicklog.io)
Developing product management tools and launching Central Asia’s first Product Conference in Central Asia (productscentral.asia)

What’s your favourite part of the role?

When Kazakhstan start-ups won the Google Solution Challenge for the first time in history, it wasn't my victory – it was a validation for our region's innovators that they can compete worldwide when given the right support.

What are the key skills you learnt at Warwick that have helped you with your career to date?

The critical thinking, ethical leadership, global perspective, and some methodologies, such as PRINCE2 and ITIL gained in the UK.

Did you have a specific career path in mind when you chose to study at Warwick?

I wanted to be a consultant.

What top tips do you have for Warwick graduates who would like to work in your sector?

It’s better to grasp the hard skills first, regardless of the industry you go into.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Mostly planning programmes (documents) and meetings.