Almaty School of Management In the autumn of 1988, the Alma-Ata City Executive Committee initiated creation of "Union" Republican Cooperative Association, Leonid Solomin was invited to be head of the association. Together with Bazhangali Kozhshibayev, he decided to create the first business school in Kazakhstan. On December 12, 1988, the Alma-Ata School of Managers (ASM) has been organized in Alma-Ata on the basis of "Union" Republican Cooperative Association, its first listeners were engaged in assembly hall of the Soviet district committee of the
Communist party exactly during a month. In October 1989 Asylbek Kozhakhmetov who was working in the school as the teacher of computer science became the director of ASM. In 1990 the staff of ASM has taken part in the organization of Association of Schools of International Business, the director of ASM Asylbek Kozhakhmetov became a member of its council, assembly of institutes, schools of preparation of entrepreneurs of the
CIS. ASM was the first institution in Kazakhstan proposing MBA on the educational market of the country. In 1994 the Ministry of Economy of Kazakhstan announced a tender for the project on consultation of the enterprises, financed by the
World Bank. Five of six western organizations participating in the tender (the
European Foundation for Management Development,
École de management de Lyon, the
Maastricht School of Management and others) named ASM as the most preferable partner. In 1995 the educational institution has been renamed into Almaty School of Management (ASM). In 1996 ASM organized the international conference «Management of human resources: strategy and practice» with participation of more than 100 delegates from 15 countries, the Minister of Economy
Umirzak Shukeyev, an adviser of the
President of Kazakhstan for economic issues Altay Tleuberdin, the first secretary of representation of the
European Union in Kazakhstan Onno Simons, the representative of the
United Nations in Kazakhstan Nigel Ringrose and others.
Transformation to IAB On November 14, 1996, according to the Order of
Government of Republic of Kazakhstan #1387 Almaty School of Management has been transformed to the International Academy of Business (IAB). The first intake of to evening program of MBA with corporate management specialization has been carried out the same year. In 1999, the Almaty School of Management had an agreement with the
Canadian McGill University about start of joint program of preparation of financiers under the name "Professional Financial Diploma". At the same year an agreement of cooperation with the
HEC Paris (
France) has been signed with support of embassy of France in Kazakhstan and the first intake to the program «Master of Professional Management» was done. On January 14, 2000, official opening of the International Academy of Business in a new building (the corner of Abay Avenue and Bayzakov Street in Almaty) took place with participation of the President of Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan, the Chairman of the Council of Trustees of IAB
Daulet Sembayev, the Vice-Mayor of Almaty Kozy-Korpesh Janburchin, diplomats and businessmen. At the time of opening IAB included eight institutions providing economic education: Almaty School of Management, Almaty Center of Bank Education, educational center of network and telecommunication technologies «CISKO», Institute of Managers McGill — ASM, Institute of Economy and Finance, Kazakhstan Institute of Marketing and Management, business class, program «Begin and improve your business». In July 2000, IAB has received a grant from
Philip Morris Kazakhstan JSC for purchase of computers. In 2000, the Academy started the program of the higher professional education. In 2002, IAB as a pilot high school participated in public accreditation passing by criteria of
European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) initiated by the Central Asian Foundation for Management Development (CAMAN). From 65 high schools from Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan and
Uzbekistan applied for accreditation, only four educational institutions including IAB were able to pass it successfully. According to the results of 2002, the Academy became the winner of “With Overall Quality to the 21st century” competition of the Republican Quality Association in the category “Education” for the best management system. In 2003, the International Executive MBA (IE MBA) program was developed in cooperation with
HEC Paris and
Louvain School of Management (
Belgium). This program became a development of the one-year program «Master of Professional Management» operating from 1999. In 2003, the representative office of the International Academy of Business was opened in
Astana for realization of MBA programs, organization of corporate seminars, trainings and consulting services. In July 2003, the Kazakhstan-European Center of Strategic Management of Universities was created on a basis of IAB, the founders of the center were the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, the
European Foundation for Management Development, Association of High Schools of Kazakhstan, Association of Institutions of Professional Education of Kazakhstan, the Central Asian Foundation for Management Development (CAMAN). The same year in Kazakhstan business schools rating under МВА programs conducted by the
National Business magazine the International Academy of Business has won the first-place outstripping
KIMEP and
UIB.
Recent history In 2009 the president-rector of MAB
Asylbek Kozhakhmetov initiated the program «Support of rural schools by high schools»; according to the initiative it was offered to each of 144 Kazakhstan high schools to look after one of 200
rural districts of the country. IAB within the framework of the program has been incurring support of educational institutions of
Aiyrtau District of
North Kazakhstan Province. Within the framework of the program teachers of Aiyrtau District schools are gratuitously invited to Almaty for improvement of professional skill during spring and autumn school vacations. Since 2009 within the framework of republican competition "ZachOT" founded by the International Academy of Business more than 20 Kazakhstan journalists and mass-media are annually awarded for the best illumination of vital topics in sphere of Kazakhstan education. In autumn of 2009 teachers of IAB published the book «Business Express Course» within the framework of the project "Business Adviser" — gratuitous methodical support of individual entrepreneurs in village areas organized by Damu Entrepreneurship Development Fund. Since June 2010 IAB holds the international summer session Business Education Teachers Academy (BETA-2010) directed on development of professional skills and personal growth of teachers of Kazakhstan and foreign high schools. Since 2010, IAB has organises the Ulytau cultural-linguistic camp — a project for the studying of the
Kazakh language through immersion in the language and cultural environment. In the summer of 2010, the first participants of camp-
aul numberes 83 persons — heads and experts from the national companies participating in the
National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna". In 2011 60 participants passed "immersing" in Ulytau camp. In 2010 the International Academy of Business has opened representative office in the West Kazakhstan region (
Atyrau). Since autumn of 2011 the Academy became the first private high school in Kazakhstan technically ready to accept students and listeners with the limited possibilities (with infringement of the
musculoskeletal system and
visual system); toilets,
wheelchair ramps and special
lift were equipped for this purpose. In 2014, the International Academy of Business changed its name to Almaty Management University, with ALMA University used as a shortened form of the new name. == Academics ==