Raison Privé: Female Leadership in Investing

On April 25, we hosted Raison Privé, an intimate, closed-door event at the Swissôtel Almaty. One day, a select circle of participants and a high-impact program ranging from deep-dive sessions to a gala dinner with professional wine pairing.

Raison Privé is a format currently unmatched in the market. Women who manage capital, navigate complex financial instruments, and make high-stakes investment decisions rarely find themselves in the same room — specifically as investors, rather than just attendees at a general conference. We set out to create that exact space: where capital meets expertise and the conversation happens among equals.

Event Highlights

The day opened with remarks from Andrey Berezin, co-founder of Raison, and Alma Issimova, Business Development Director for Central Asia. Andrey provided a breakdown of current investment strategies, Raison’s deal selection methodology, and a comprehensive market outlook, followed by a direct Q&A session.

Next, the floor was given to several Raison clients — professional investors who shared their personal experiences and investment solutions through dedicated presentations. The raw, firsthand experience of individuals managing their own capital is what made these sessions truly substantive.

A special highlight was the presentation by Gulnara Salmen, Head of Teach for Qazaqstan — an organization with which Raison has partnered on multiple occasions. Teach for Qazaqstan addresses systemic educational inequality in Kazakhstan by training motivated teachers, transforming school cultures, and engaging families and communities. This is an investment in human capital with a decades-long horizon, which is precisely the type of long-term thinking that resonates with the Raison Privé audience.

Gulnara presented concrete data on program structure, participant demographics, and the measurable impact observed among students, teachers, and schools.

Alma Issimova concluded the formal program with a final block on the key takeaways and strategic priorities Raison has identified for the near future.

The Evening

The gala dinner served as a natural finale to the day: informal networking, wine pairing, and conversations that flowed effortlessly into the night.

Why This Matters to Us

Raison Privé is a format we intend to scale. We believe that women investors deserve their own dedicated space: for honest discussions about finance, access to unique expertise and analytics, and dialogue with like-minded peers. It is important to us to be the ones building that space.

Thank you to everyone who spent this day with us. We look forward to seeing you next year!