H.E. Kairat Kelimbetov, Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Republic Of Kazakhstan
H.E. Kairat Kelimbetov graduated from Moscow State University in 1993 and attended the Market Institute of Kazakh State Academy of Management and the National School of Public Administration of Kazakhstan. In 1993 Mr. Kelimbetov completed the Pew Economic Freedom Fellows Program at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Mr. Kelimbetov was awarded an honorary doctorate in International Relations by the Geneva School of Diplomacy in 2009.
From 1998 to 2002, Mr. Kelimbetov served as Head of the Social and Economic Department of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Chairman of the Agency for Strategic Planning, and First Vice-Minister of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
From 2002 and 2006, Mr. Kelimbetov led the country’s Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning, initiating a number of important long-term economic reforms during his tenure. In 2006 he was appointed the CEO of the newly created national Sustainable Development Fund, “Kazyna,” which incorporated the country’s development institutions and was instrumental to launching the industrial-innovative development program for Kazakhstan’s economic development.
Mr. Kelimbetov became Head of Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in January 2008. Under his direction extensive administrative reforms were undertaken, including the de-layering of the organizational structure. Following the onset of the global financial crisis in October 2008, he was appointed CEO of Kazakhstan’s Sovereign Wealth Fund “Samruk-Kazyna.” Among his broad set of objectives was to create and implement an effective stabilizing policy to counter the impact of the global financial crisis.
In April 2011, Mr. Kelimbetov took charge of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Economic Development and Trade which has since experienced a significant expansion of its functional capacity to fulfil the main coordinating and strategic role within the Gvovernment on issues of: economic diversification and modernization, competitiveness, development of SMEs and regional development. The ministry will play a key role in the implementation of the “people’s IPO” privatization program, which envisages multistate public offerings of national companies’ shares to both retail and institutional investors.
