TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Does your business association have experts to help members operate more efficiently and sustainably? Do you have professional trainings for new entrepreneurs to help them get started? Do you have accredited people in your association who can certify products and service? Do you have experienced professionals who could teach others, but don't know how? Do you have coaches and designers who can help the enterprises in your association look and operate professionally? We are here to assist you with training coaches, energy auditors, certification officers, and other professionals who will help to make your business association more competitive in both local and global markets.

Our Recent Writings

Events

Post Release

On December 10, a business conference "Business Development: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects" was held. It became a large-scale dialogue platform, and was held simultaneously online and offline, including 24 webinars,…

Press Release

Press Release 07.12.2020

We invite you to Project Opening Conference "Business Development: Challenges, Opportunities and Prospects" on December 10, 2020. The project "BOOST – Business and Organisations of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan operate sustainably"…

Events

BOOST meets with JIA (Batken)

We strive to build relationships with Business Associations and are always open to new interactions. As part of a trip to the Batken region, we met with the team of…

Events

BOOST meets with First Deputy, entrepreneurs of the Kadamzhai region

Dear friends, as part of a trip to the Batken region, we met with the Akim of the Kadamjai region Algynbay Imarov, the first deputy Akim Abdymanap Zhakbarov and entrepreneurs…

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Job Platform

Finding the right employees is one of the biggest obstacles to business growth in Central Asia. What about your company? Do have enough qualified staff?

Enter Job Platform

Become a Coach or Consultant

Are you passionate about teaching others? Do you want to help businesses in your region? Learn how you can become a Coach or Consultant in your area!

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Share what you know!

Do you have valuable knowledge, insight, or experience that might help others in your Business Association or beyond? Learn how to create effective presentations for training others online or in person.

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Become a Certification Officer

Certifications for products and services are essential for supporting quality standards and building trust in a brand or company – especially if they are exporting. Learn how you can become an accredited Certification Officer and help enterprises in your area to get certified.

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Become an Energy Auditor

An energy audit is an essential first step for any company to control energy and utility costs. Learn how to conduct an official energy audit, and how to advise businesses to help them cleaner and more efficiently.

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Qualified
experts

We have professionals from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and the EU working together to adapt proven business methods to a local audience and establish a lasting infrastructure of trainers and coaches.

Real
Success

We teach representatives from BIOs proven business methods that have used effectively all over the world, to give them the necessary tools to compete in the global market.

Project Implementation
Experience

Our team has extensive experience in managing and implementing European Union projects in Ex-Soviet countries and Asia.

Individual
Approach

We work with individual BIOs to assess the strengths and weaknesses of their organization and help them to create a strategy that lets them capitalize on existing resources and teach them where to find access to finances and other resources they may lack.

Advantages

Give your Business Association a competitive advantage by making sure you have individuals trained in business planning, branding & visibility, product certification, energy efficiency and more!

50 Experts

More than

10 BIOs

Team

Managers

Michael Herberholz

Boost Project Director

Project Director of the BOOST project, is responsible for the technical and management backstopping of the project. Within the framework of international projects financed by the EU, he has acquired extensive expertise in project management, recruitment, co-ordination, and management of multi-national expert teams, monitoring and quality management, and procurement. Mr. Herberholz holds a degree (M.Sc.) in Regional Studies (course work included economics and political science) from the University of Cologne. Since 2004, he works as Project Manager and Consultant for Technical Assistance projects in the field of institutional strengthening worldwide. From 2009 – 2012, Mr. Herberholz worked as Technical Advisor for Organizational Development for GIZ in Brazil, including the design and implementation of Trainings Needs Assessments, training activities, and strategic planning for more than 20 partner organisations.

Christian Gessl

Boost Project Team Leader

Christian Gessl is studied management at the University of Innsbruck. He opened a computer company in Innsbruck during his studies. He worked for over 25 years for the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber in Vienna and as Trade Delegate in South Korea, the Russian Federation, Belgium, Ukraine, and Spain promoting Austrian export and economic cooperation between Austria and the target countries. Since 2015 he worked in different projects like East Invest 1 and 2, SMEDA and as an advisor to the Governor of the ATU Gagauzia (Republic of Moldova). In 2020 he joined Sequa and is the team leader in the Project “BOOST – Businesses and Organisations in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan operate sustainably”. He speaks German, English, French, Spanish and Russian.

Gabriele Höflinger

Controller of the project

Gabriele Höflinger is in charge of contractual, financial and accounting issues at sequa headquarter in Bonn / Germany and offers continuous administrative support to the team in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyz-stan. She holds a degree in economics and has 21 years of professional experience in controlling, finan-cial and contractual management. During the last 16 years of her career at Mrs. Höflinger has special-ised in EU and other donor regulations and procedures and the overall financial management of donor financed project activities. In addition, she offers profound knowledge in the financial monitoring and evaluation of EU financed projects (Grant and service contracts). She is specialised in financial project monitoring and co-ordination, providing also input to and fulfilment of reporting requirements.

Kerez Kashkaeva

Project Coordinator Kyrgyzstan

Kerez Kashkaeva is studied Economics, Ecology and Management at the University of Bishkek and she got the Master of Business Administration degree. She worked for over 7 years in leading commercial banks in Kyrgyzstan, as well as more than 5 years in the leading telecommunication companies of Kyrgyzstan. During her work with these companies, she has made a significant contribution to the development of retail sales throughout the country, and particularly in the southern regions of the country. Since 2019, she joined ololo group and manages co-working space in Osh. In 2020, she joined Sequa and is the Administrative and Finance officer in the Project “BOOST – Businesses and Organisations in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan operate sustainably”. She speaks English, Kyrgyz and Russian.

Project Managers

Elmira Imanbekovna Bataeva

National Project Manager

Elmira performs a coordinating role between the project partners and regional managers in g.g. Osh, Batken, Jalal Abad, is involved in project activities. In the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic, he is the head of the Department of External Economic Relations (OECS). As the head of the leading department of the Chamber, coordinates the establishment and development of external economic and partnership relations of
the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic with the chambers of commerce and industry of foreign countries, business associations and international organizations, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic and the Kyrgyz Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs are responsible for the implementation of international projects. Coordinates the activities of the Business Councils of the CCI with foreign countries, the work of the representatives of the CCI of the KR in foreign countries, through the Business Council of the SCO, the CCI of the ECO, the Kyrgyz-Turkish Chamber Forum, the Islamic CCP, the CCP of the Turkic-speaking countries; as well as
cooperation with international organizations, etc.

Aizhan Kaiypova

Project Manager Jalal-Abad

Aizhan Kaiypova, a project manager of the BOOST project, is responsible for project coordination and management in the Jalal-Abad region of the Kyrgyz republic. Her duties are coordination of the ToT (Training for Trainers) and Training for job seekers and potential entrepreneurs, and also managing and coordinating activities related to Access to the Market. By studying, living, and working abroad and in the Kyrgyz Republic, she has acquired skills and experience in project management, digital marketing, and accounting.
Aizhan Kaiypova holds a degree (BSc) in Business Management (course work included economics and international trade) from the Istanbul Sehir University. Also, she holds a degree (MSc) in Economics in the major of International Trade from the University of Science and Technology Beijing. She acquired her accounting skills and experience by working as an assistant accountant for a year in Bishkek Services in the Kyrgyz Republic. And before joining
the BOOST Project, Aizhan Kaiypova was working in Digital Marketing department of Lenovo Group Limited in Beijing where she was also responsible for managing projects. During her time in Lenovo she also held several internal trainings for employees. As a person who is passionate about project management, agriculture, and trade, she is very excited and honored to work for this project.

Expert Trainers

Jill Suetens

Project Manager at VOKA

Jill Suetens holds a master degree in Germanic Philology from the University of Leuven, combined with an Erasmus exchange-program at the University of Oxford. She spent all her summer holidays as a child in Spain. Immediately after her studies, she worked for two Embassies in Brussels at commercial sections; namely the UK and the US. At the latter she won the “rookie of the year” award for her support to US companies. During this time, she also won a Rotary-scholarship to travel through Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei for an economic study program. She also worked for the Flemish Government as Commercial Counselor. Jill has been working enthusiastically as manager of the International Department for Voka - Chamber of Commerce in Antwerp-Waasland now for 13 years. Overall goal of the department is to support Flemish companies in their export endeavors, as well as welcome international delegations to the Chamber and attract investments – in short to create international synergies to the benefit of all.

Nadia Werkers

Trainer/Expert

Nadia Werkers graduated as a Master in Industrial Product Design in Antwerp. She headed for several years an R&D department at Henkel, a multinational soaping company. Next to that, Nadia was an internal ISO auditor for the Henkel production plant in Belgium and the Benelux offices. Nadia was responsible for the datamanagement of a pilot on Human Health and Environmental Risk Assessment. This initiative was ran by ‘the big soapers’ (Henkel, P&G, Unilever, Colgate Palmolive, Reckitt Benkiser...) in collaboration with the chemical council Cefic in preparation of the European Legislation on chemicals safety (REACH). Next to that Nadia has been assisting over a dozen SME’s to develop their innovation strategy. Currently, Nadia is responsible for the Antwerp CCI’s Industry department and the EFQM quality assurance of the Chamber. Nadia has a broad network of multinational company executives and wrote two management books on competitivity of production plants.

Luc Van Looveren

Trainer/Expert

Luc Van Looveren holds a master in applied economic sciences. He has been working for the Chamber of Commerce in Antwerp for more than 30 years. At the International Department he offers as a Senior Advisor EU relations information and advice to exporters and importers. He has been involved in many international capacity building projects focusing on exporting products to the European Union. In 2018 he received from the European Training Foundation (ETF) in Turin a Good Practice in Training Award for trainings in the field of internationalization of SMEs. This Award was offered for his training and tool for launching services for SMEs on identifying relevant EU market access rules for agri-food products.

Sven de Vocht

Trainer/Expert

Sven de Vocht has been working for the Antwerp-Waasland Chamber of Commerce for almost 20 years now! As director of services and entrepreneurship, he is responsible for the services towards startups and sme’s to help them succeed in a globalizing economy. Sven is also an associate professor at the Antwerp Management School and one of the Antwerp University Colleges, where he teaches several courses on entrepreneurship. He has been coaching startups since 2005, with a strong focus on ideation and value proposition design.

Consortium

Our consortium currently consists of Sequa - the lead implementing partner, VOKA - the Chamber of Commerce of Belgium, CCI K - the Chamber of Commerce Krygyzstan, and UTGA - the Uzbekistan Textile and Garment Association (associate partner).

Learn more about our Partnerships