The prestigious business magazine Business Holistic in Uzbekistan has published an article entitled “Marat Akhmedjanov: Building bridges between Eurasia and the world.”
The article features Marat Akhmedjanov, a publisher, public figure, cultural diplomat, and the founder and head of the British media holding Silk Road Media – the only media group in the UK that has for more than 20 years provided analytical coverage of post-Soviet processes and events for the English-speaking business and public sector, while also specializing in representing writers, artists, and other creative professionals from Central Asia and the CIS in the English-speaking world.
The article notes that Marat was born in Jizzakh, Uzbekistan and grew up at the crossroad of cultures. His parents are a Ukrainian Christian mother and a Tatar Muslim father. This early experience of diversity shaped his lifelong mission – to build bridges between East and West. After graduating from the Tashkent Institute of Architecture and Civil Engineering, completing media internships in the U.S., and earning a Master’s degree in Publishing from the University of the Arts London under the Chevening scholarship, he founded Silk Road Media in 2004. What began as a small publishing initiative has since evolved into a full-scale international holding.
Today, the holding includes:
- Hertfordshire Press – a publishing house publishing books about Eurasia in 16 languages and introducing more than 150 authors from the region to the Western readership;
- OCA Magazine – an English-language quarterly on contemporary Eurasia, distributed in 20 countries and read by heads of state, diplomats, academics, and business leaders;
- Eurasian Creative Guild (London) – a non-profit cultural organization uniting over 3,500 members from 80 countries and organizing festivals, competitions, and exhibitions;
- Eurasian Star – a news portal connecting the region’s cultural and business developments;
- Silk Press – a bilingual (English-Spanish) online magazine focused on culture, cuisine, and tourism in Central Asia.
Thanks to his initiatives, dozens of international events have been held in London and other world capitals. Under his leadership, more than 250 books have been published, and he was a speaker at over 150 international forums and cultural assemblies.
“For me, publishing is a form of diplomacy. Through art and literature, we do not just share stories – we learn to understand each other,” says Marat.
His work has been recognized with awards from several countries, including the Chingiz Aitmatov medal and the Dove of Peace. He considers his greatest achievement is not the honors but the transformation of Silk Road Media into a living bridge between Eurasia and the UK – a space of trust where culture itself becomes the language of connection.
Today, Marat continues to expand the holding’s presence across Europe and Asia, developing new formats – from publishing platforms to educational programs. His way is an example of how a personal mission has grown into an international infrastructure of cultural influence, the article concludes.
