Yessenov Galimzhan Shahmardanovich – Chairman of the Board of Directors
Education:
Mr. Yessenov holds an Executive MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Law degree from the Kazakh State Law University (KazGUU) and a degree in Economics and Management from the Eurasian Market Institute.
Labor activity:
Mr. Yessenov has over 10 years of experience leading financial institutions, having been Chairman of leading Kazakh bank ATFBank JSC from 2013 to 2020.
From 2011-2013 he was General Director of finance and insurance group KNG Finance LLP, and he has also been a major shareholder and General director of fertilizer producer Kazphosphate Ltd.
Mr. Yessenov’s early career was dedicated to entrepreneurial activity in the agro-industrial sector.
Outside of his career, Mr. Yessenov founded the Shakhmardan Foundation in 2013, a fund dedicated to the development of scientific and IT education for prospective Kazakh students. The foundation is one of Kazakhstan’s largest educational funds, and provides grants, internships and scholarships in the technical sphere, as well as support for promising start-ups.
A keen sportsman, Mr. Yessenov founded the Almaty Marathon and has led both the Kazakhstan Triathlon Federation and the Central Asian Triathlon Association. He has been President of the Kazakh Mixed Marital Arts (MMA) Federation and represented Kazakhstan on the Board of Directors of the International Federation. He was also President of Kazakhstan’s Chess Federation from 2015 to 2020.