Regional Director, Central Asia
Kanat Shakenov was named to the position of Regional Director of CRDF Globalâs Central Asia Hub in December 2024. Prior to being named to this position, Kanat served as the in-country Program Director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global Health Central Asia program and supervisor of the companyâs regional office in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Kanat earned his Master of Public Health degree from the University of Pittsburgh and directly afterwards accepted a role in the Administration of the President of Kazakhstan. He went on to support maternal and child health initiatives under UNICEF Central Asia, then the United Nations Development Programme in Kazakhstan, focusing on HIV/AIDS, followed by a position with the National Center for Biotechnology.
Kanat initially joined CRDF Global in 2007 and supported the companyâs operations in Kazakhstan and the surrounding areas for nine years, until CRDF Global suspended its operations in-country in 2016. Kanat supported public health missions and the medical field from 2016 â 2021 with the World Health Organization Country Office in Kazakhstan, the Almaty Medical College, the National Public Health Center and the Kazakh National Medical University. When CRDF Global once again resumed operations in country, Kanat was asked to lead the local Global Health program and manage the company’s programs and staff in Central Asia .
