Contributor(s): Roza Otunbayeva | Roza Otunbayeva is the first female President of Kyrgyzstan and the first woman to head a country in Central Asia. In this lecture she will reflect on her journey to the highest level of public life. This event is part of the Above the Parapet project, which seeks to capture the experiences of high profile women who have shaped public life. Roza Otunbayeva is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politician who went on to head the government during its transition from an authoritarian regime to a parliamentary democracy. In June 2010, she was elected President of the Kyrgyz Republic and served in that post until successfully facilitating the first peaceful transfer of state power in Central Asia in December 2011. Purna Sen (@Purna_Sen) is Deputy Director of the Institute of Public Affairs at LSE. Above the Parapet (@LSEParapet) is a research project at the LSE’s Institute of Public Affairs which explores the stories of women in high profile public life. The Institute of Public Affairs (@LSEPubAffairs) is one of the world's leading centres of public policy. We aim to debate and address some of the major issues of our time, whether international or national, through our established teaching programmes, our research and our highly innovative public-engagement initiatives.