| Birth Place: | Almaty, Kazakhstan |
| Citizenship: | Kazakhstan |
| Education: | KazGUU, Eurasian Institute of Market, University of Chicago Booth School of Business |
Galimzhan Yessenov (Kazakh:Ғалымжан Шахмарданұлы Есенов; born 10 March 1982) is a Kazakh businessman. He is the owner and major shareholder of Jusan Bank,[1] and a major shareholder of mobile operator Kcell.[2]
Yessenov was born in 1982 in Almaty. The Yessenov family are notable members of the Kazakh intelligentsia. Yessenov's grandfather was Shakhmardan Yessenov, a notable scientist and academic of Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences. Yessenov named his educational foundation after his grandfather.[3] Yessenov graduated from the Eurasian Market Institute with a degree in Economics and Management, and KazGUU University with a degree in Law. He holds an Executive MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.[4]
Yessenov began his career in 1999 with Golden Grain, an agro-industrial complex, where he managed the machinery operation and fuel supply departments.[5] From December 2018 to May 2021 he was Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Kazphosphate LLP.[6] From 2011 to 2013 he was General Director of KNG Finance LLP.[7]
In April 2013, KNG Finance acquired ATF Bank JSC, the fifth largest bank in Kazakhstan by assets[8] from Italy's UniCredit. Galimzhan Yessenov became a major shareholder in ATF Bank JSC.[9] From May 2013 to December 2020, Yessenov was Chairman of the Board of Directors of ATF Bank JSC. In December 2020 First Heartland Jusan Bank (Jusan Bank) purchased 99.76% of ATF Bank JSC. As a result, Galimzhan Yessenov became a minority shareholder of Jusan Bank.[10]
In July 2023, Galimzhan Yessenov became the majority shareholder of Jusan Bank. He was transferred ownership of First Heartland Securities JSC and was elected as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of First Heartland Securities JSC. Yessenov was transferred 80% shares of Jusan Bank, bringing his total share holding to almost 100% of Jusan Bank. The share transfer was part of a large Settlement that discontinued numerous legal disputes between the Jusan Bank shareholders, the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Galimzhan Yessenov. Under the settlement, Jusan Bank was successfully returned to Kazakh ownership.
In 2023, Galimzhan Yessenov became Chairman of the Board of Directors of Jusan Bank.[11]
In February 2013, Yessenov founded the Shakhmardan Yessenov Scientific and Educational Foundation [12] [13] to support STEM education in Kazakhstan. The foundation runs a number of educational and scientific programs including scholarships, internships and innovation incubators.[14] The Foundation is also actively involved in popularizing chess in schools across the country.[15]
Since the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation was founded in 2013, over 30,000 talented Kazakh students and scientists have had the opportunity to complete the scientific internships in leading laboratories in the USA, UK, Canada and Switzerland as well as internships in tech start-ups in Silicon Valley.[16]
In 2022, the Foundation granted 10 scholarships to university applicants from low-income families.[17] In 2023, 19 Kazakh undergraduate students were the winners of the Yessenov Scholarship program, which is held annually by the SY Foundation.[18]
A keen sportsperson, Galimzhan Yessenov has been a promoter of amateur sport in Almaty and Kazakhstan for many years.
In 2017 Yessenov founded the Almaty marathon, through his charitable fund "Courage to be First".[19] In 2018, the Almaty Marathon was attended by 14 thousand people, and in 2019 a record 17 thousand people from 53 countries took part in the marathon. It has grown to be one of the largest sporting events in Central Asia.[20]
In 2018, funds raised by the Almaty marathon were donated to an oncology hospice and two specialized schools for children with special developmental needs, as well as being used to build sports grounds, a soccer field and to purchase sports equipment.[21] In 2019, part of the funds raised by the marathon were allocated for the construction of sports grounds in three special children's institutions.
From November 7, 2017 to July 1, 2022 Yessenov was the head of Almaty Triathlon Federation.[22] From October 2017 to July 2022 Yessenov was Vice President of the Kazakhstan Triathlon Federation and the Almaty Triathlon Federation.[23] He was also President of the Central Asian Triathlon Association from March 2019 to July 2022.[24] From June 19, 2019 to March 24, 2023 Yessenov was a Board Member of the Asian Triathlon Confederation (ASTC).[25]
In August 2018, Galimzhan Yessenov competed in the annual IRONMAN 140.6 held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Yessenov finished with a time of 12 hours 45 minutes 21 seconds.[26]
From December 2018 to February 2020 Yessenov was President of the United MMA Federation, President of the Association of United Federations of Kazakhstan in MMA and President of the Kazakhstan United Federation of Mixed Martial Arts MMA; and from November 2019 to April 2022 he was a Member of the Board of Directors of the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF)[27]
From July 2015 to January 2020, Yessenov was President of the Chess Federation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.[28] In 2016, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation organized the first "Almaty Open" chess tournament, which brought together over 100 participants with a total prize fund of 2.5 million tenge.Yessenov is a member of the Young President's Organisation Kazakhstan. He also supported the Mom's House (Anayyi) Charity project, building crisis centres for single mothers, and providing care for orphans with special needs. The project has successfully reduced orphanhood statistics in Kazakhstan over the first two years of its operation. By 2018, "Mother's House" helped 3,047 Kazakh children not to become orphans and find homes.[29] [30]
He was previously married and has one son.