Dr. Renata Faizova
Dr. Renata Faizova holds a Master of Sustainability from the University of Saskatchewan (2025), a PhD in International Relations (2012), an MSc in Economics (2009), and an MA and BA in International Relations (2008, 2006) from RUDN University, Moscow.
Expertise and Experience
Dr. Faizova has over 17 years of combined academic and industry experience across Kazakhstan, Türkiye, Eurasia and Europe. Since 2015, she has been actively engaged in international climate governance dialogues, enhancing public debate and policy exchange on sustainability, resilient business strategy and global energy transitions.
In the corporate sector, Dr. Faizova was head of sustainability at a multinational energy corporation across nuclear, wind, mining projects. Her work included contributing sustainability initiatives and stakeholder engagement in Egypt, Türkiye, India, Finland, Kazakhstan and Russia. Earlier in her career, she worked in marketing and customer relations with Procter & Gamble, managing demand forecasts and luxury fragrance and cosmetics portfolios.
She has served as a Visiting Scholar at the University of British Columbia in Canada, conducting comparative research on climate policy, resilience and sustainability regulation, as well as at Istanbul University in Türkiye, where her work focused on energy transition integration, green investments and climate finance.
In academia, Dr. Faizova has taught business and international governance courses at MNU University (Kazakhstan), the University of Bologna (Italy), UBIS (Switzerland), and Istanbul University (Türkiye). As Dean of Graduate Programs and Head of the International Office at MNU, she led the development and transformation of MBA, Master’s, and Doctoral programs, successfully securing international accreditations. Since 2014, she has also served as an Expert Member of FIBAA (Foundation for International Business Administration Accreditation, Germany), where she regularly evaluates and accredits universities and academic programs worldwide.
At University Canada West, she teaches courses in Marketing. Her teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that education must go beyond technical knowledge to make a lasting impact on holistic sustainability and resilience, while also cultivating a sustainable mindset that empowers students to drive meaningful change. She emphasizes bridging academic theory with real-world practice, drawing on her extensive global experience in academia, corporate ESG leadership and international policy.
She has also designed and delivered executive education programs with the UN Global Compact, corporate academies, and government agencies worldwide, focusing on sustainability leadership, ESG transformation and climate strategy.
Publications and Scholarly Activity
Dr. Faizova has authored and co-authored numerous refereed publications and reports on sustainability, climate governance and international relations.
Her current research focuses on comparative climate governance models, sustainable business strategy, energy transitions and the integration of sustainability into corporate and educational systems.
