Iskander Akylbayev was a 2018 Millennium fellow. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Xander Group, a consulting firm specializing in technology, geopolitics, investment, and human capital development.

Akylbayev has previously served as chief research fellow at the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, executive director at the Kazakhstan Council on International Relations, and senior fellow at the Academy of Public Administration.

Akylvbayev has received fellowships from Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, Harvard University’s Arms Control Negotiation Academy, Asia Society’s Asia 21, and the Pacific Forum. He frequently provides commentary for The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Al Jazeera, BBC, and TRT World.

He holds an MPA from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and an MA in international relations from the University of Tsukuba. He was awarded the Li Ka-shing and Japanese government MEXT scholarships. In 2014, he interned at The Japan News by Yomiuri Shimbun and participated in a study program at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.