Zaituna Karipovna Zhandosova is a prominent Kazakhstani lawyer and journalist, Academician of the International Informatization Academy (IIA), quantum psychologist, and member of the Eurasian Creative Guild.
She is the author of numerous scientific publications featured in collections published by the All-Union Research Institute of Forensic Examinations in Moscow and the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She has also authored numerous journalistic articles and interviews published in various Kazakhstani newspapers and magazines, featuring successful Kazakhstani and international figures who have made significant contributions to the development of Kazakhstan's economy and culture.
Zaituna Karipovna began her legal career after graduating from the Faculty of Law at S. M. Kirov Kazakh State University with a degree in Law in 1980 (Diploma No. G-1, No. 285851, dated June 28, 1980).
From 1980 to 1992, she worked at the Kazakh Research Institute of Forensic Examinations, first as a departmental expert and subsequently as a senior research fellow specializing in handwriting examination. Through the analysis of handwriting and signatures, she contributed to the investigation and resolution of numerous criminal cases.
During this period, she developed a methodology for probabilistic and statistical modeling of handwriting examination objects using Bayesian theory and fuzzy numbers (cluster analysis). The methodology was intended for official use. While studying as a full-time postgraduate student at the All-Union Research Institute of Forensic Examinations in Moscow and at the Kazakh Research Institute of Forensic Examinations in Almaty, she prepared eight scientific publications on this methodology for official use.
From 1992 to 1994, she served as Chief Legal Counsel in the Treaty and Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In this capacity, she drafted intergovernmental agreements on the promotion and mutual protection of investments, trade and economic cooperation, cooperation in culture and banking, as well as international declarations and memoranda between the Republic of Kazakhstan and foreign states.
She conducted negotiations with international experts, defended the interests of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and prepared draft documents for signature by heads of state.
One of her most significant professional achievements was her work on the draft Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Pursuant to Order No. 26-21/6307 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated April 30, 1993, she conducted the first round of negotiations in Brussels, Belgium, in May 1993. Representing the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the Commission of the European Communities, she negotiated with the foreign affairs and foreign economic relations ministers of the participating countries. She successfully defended Kazakhstan's interests with regard to all provisions of the draft agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Her effective efforts to protect Kazakhstan's interests contributed to securing favorable conditions for Kazakhstani companies exporting goods to European Community countries, including protection against the imposition of anti-dumping duties. The agreement also provided for safeguards against the imposition of embargoes prohibiting the importation of Kazakhstani goods into these countries.
Furthermore, during the first round of negotiations, she persuaded the ministers of the European Community member states to provide Kazakhstan with a draft framework agreement on trade in services, described as valuable know-how, within the framework of the Partnership Agreement.
Since 1994, she has held senior legal positions in major international companies, including the American auditing firm Arthur Andersen and RJR Reynolds. In these roles, she defended the interests of the Republic of Kazakhstan and major Kazakhstani companies before international courts and courts of various jurisdictions and levels in Kazakhstan.
From 2012 to 2015, she served as Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Association of Banks of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty and as Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Banks of Kazakhstan magazine.
During this period, she represented and defended the interests of second-tier banks and their clients. She also participated in working groups of the Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan, contributing to the preparation of draft laws and other regulatory legal acts governing the banking sector.
She took part in numerous international economic forums and authored articles addressing the strengthening of Kazakhstan's financial system, improvements in the operations of second-tier banks, support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and the importance of financing innovation.
In 2015, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Kazakhstan recognized her as the Best Journalist of Central Asia and Kazakhstan. She subsequently led a delegation of journalists on a visit to China to explore the country's cultural and scientific achievements.
In 2024, she received the Best in Profession medal and the Pride of the Republic diploma from the National Medical Association of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 2026, she was awarded the Best Professional of the Year medal (Zhyldyn Үzdik Mamany) and a Certificate of Honour from the Zhana Kazakhstan Republican Innovation Competition.
Zaituna Karipovna holds a perpetual state licence issued by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan authorizing her to practice law. The licence is No. 0003991, dated August 9, 2002.
Since 2009, she has been writing for various media outlets about talented individuals from Kazakhstan, Europe, the United States, and the Russian Federation.
Since 2023, Zaituna Karipovna has hosted her own video podcast, The Principle of Simplicity, a YouTube project featuring in-depth interviews with prominent creative professionals, film directors, artists, and other fascinating personalities.
The programme focuses on thoughtful conversations about life, art, and the deeper meanings behind human experiences. Through the lens of simplicity and sincerity, it explores human values, the essence of creativity, and the ideas that shape people's lives.