International Director  ·  Narxoz Business School, Almaty

Ewan Simpson, PhD

Trained as a socio-economic researcher at the University of Glasgow — where I also completed my PhD — I have spent over twenty years working in Kazakhstan's higher education sector. I have held roles ranging from senior executive positions at KIMEP University and Dean at KBTU, to my current role as International and Strategic Director at Narxoz Business School in Almaty.

My work sits at the intersection of institutional transformation, AI-focused program development, and international accreditation. My current research focuses on AI governance, access and agency frameworks, and the implications of public AI for knowledge work and education systems. Central Asia is underrepresented in serious Anglophone discussions of higher education reform and AI governance. I try to change that.

Previously, I advised development agencies, government departments, and the European Commission on entrepreneurship, social inclusion, and economic development through the University of Glasgow.

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Ewan Simpson

Almaty, 2026

Career

Over thirty years across research, executive leadership, and academia in the UK and Central Asia.

2024 – present
International Director
Narxoz Business School, Almaty
2023 – 2024
Director of Accreditation and Institutional Research
Narxoz University, Almaty
2021 – 2023
Adviser to the President on Academic Quality
Narxoz University, Almaty
2021
Dean, School of Digital Technologies
Narxoz University, Almaty
2018 – 2021
Dean, School of Society, Technology and the Environment
Narxoz University, Almaty
2014 – 2018
Dean, Business School
Kazakh-British Technical University (KBTU), Almaty
2004 – 2014
Vice President Planning and Development; Executive Director; Associate Professor of Management
KIMEP University, Almaty
1993 – 2004
Research Fellow in Entrepreneurship and Economic Development
Training and Employment Research Unit, University of Glasgow

Education

University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde.

1999
PhD in Management
University of Glasgow  ·  The Impact of Attempts to Involve the Private Sector in the Management of Urban Regeneration Partnerships
1993
MSc Urban Development
University of Strathclyde
1991
MA (Hons) Social Science
University of Glasgow