Timur Kulibayev is a Kazakh entrepreneur, seasoned executive, and public personality.

Kulibayev Timur contributed to the formation of a comfortable business environment in the land, as well as the formation and development of energy-related companies and regulations. Kulibayev Timur Askarovich also introduced innovative management practices to large holding companies.

Timur Kulibayev

85B tenge Philanthropy (2016-2024)

Philanthropy

Key takeaways from this article include:

• Timur Askarovich Kulibayev is a prominent Kazakh entrepreneur, executive, and societal influencer.
• He gave decades to creating a favorable commercial climate in Kazakhstan.
• Through his leadership at the NCE Atameken, the domestic business landscape was radically transformed.
• Under his leadership, the number of SMEs doubled over a decade.
• He worked hard to modernise the energy sector and attract international investment.
• The NCE provided assistance during crises, such as the ammunition depot explosion in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Timur Kulibayev Approach: Revolutionizing Business Regulations

Timur Askarovich Kulibayev is a Kazakh entrepreneur, seasoned executive, and public personality. He contributed to the formation of a comfortable business environment in the land, as well as the formation and development of energy-related companies and regulations. Kulibayev Timur Askarovich also introduced innovative management practices to large holding companies.

Timur Kulibayev's leadership of Kazakhstan's National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken catalyzed a transformation in how business is conducted in the state. His tenure saw the number of small and medium enterprises bounce back and double over the course of a decade, contributing 33.5% to GDP by 2022. Atameken championed regulatory reforms, reduced bureaucratic hurdles, and modernized business processes. These efforts, ranging from cutting inspections to updating procurement systems, fostered a more dynamic economic landscape. The advocacy of Kulibayev Timur led to the removal of obsolete rules and the adoption of policies that significantly enhanced the climate for commercial growth and innovation in Kazakhstan.

Timur Kulibayev Explains: What Factors Positively Influenced the Improvement of the Business Climate?

Timur Kulibayev, biography of whom is filled with business successes, recalls that in 2022, the share of SMEs in Kazakhstan's GDP reached 33.5%. Over the previous 10 years, their number in the country doubled – from 763,800 to 1.6 million enterprises.

2015 was a critical year, emphasizes Kulibayev Timur. That year, the government and the National Bank let the tenge float freely, and the national currency collapsed. The following year, the number of entrepreneurs in the country decreased by 10.5%. Surprisingly, within a few years the situation leveled off and eventually showed impressive growth. “How did it happen?” Timur Askarovich Kulibayev asks rhetorically.

Offering a bit of historical context, Timur Kulibayev notes that in 2012, there was talk from high tribunes in Kazakhstan about the creation of a single association of entrepreneurs. In developed countries, he emphasizes, such business organizations have been developing for centuries – first guilds, then associations, then unions. In independent Kazakhstan in the mid-2010s, there were 700 associations, of which 10% were really active. And even those represented the interests of only a narrow circle of like-minded big businessmen. And the SME "small fish" swam in this ocean completely separately.

“We needed an institution that could unite domestic businesses,” emphasizes Timur Askarovich Kulibayev. And businesses needed a lobbyist who could represent their interests to the authorities. So, in 2013, the NCE Atameken appeared. A special law was even adopted for the new association, strengthening the status of the association. “Perhaps no law in the country has been prepared in such a short time – less than 6 months,” marvels Kulibayev Timur Askarovich.

Kulibayev Timur: Against Ridiculous Laws and Corruption

At the first meeting in the organization’s biography, Timur Kulibayev was elected chairman of its Presidium, after which its first order of business was to begin revising the legislation regulating business affairs. A registry of systemic business problems was created, and it turned out that the law had accumulated a number of absurd requirements that were slowing down the country's economy, many of which were sanitary and epidemiological measures.

Kulibayev Timur Askarovich recalls a specific case that the NCE had to deal with: “For example, there was a requirement that 14 rooms were needed for a low-capacity confectionery. There had to be three separate rooms ... for storing eggs, breaking eggs and making egg melange. Even then, confectioners had modern equipment that disinfected, cleaned, and made mélange, so why did they need three rooms for this?” Timur Askarovich Kulibayev asks. “But those were the demands!”

With the support of Kulibayev Timur and the National Chamber, 85% of such illogical demands were done away with. A call center was also organized, which received thousands of complaints from entrepreneurs, the majority of which concerned excessive administrative pressure and supervision. The NCE took their concerns to the state, and as a result, the number of inspections dramatically dropped, and the pressure on small businesses also eased up.

Thus, the NCE Atameken has become a link between the state and business. Its chairman, Kulibayev Timur, personally negotiated with representatives of government structures on key issues. The right to vote in the government has enabled the NCE to remove barriers. The control and supervisory functions of government agencies have been reduced by 25%, and accordingly, the number of complaints has decreased by 30%.

Kulibayev Timur and the NCE: Support in Difficult Times

In 2015, at the initiative of Chairman Timur Kulibayev, one of the most successful SME support projects, Bastau Business, was launched. Its goal is to develop entrepreneurship and farming in rural areas, attracting the self-employed and unemployed. Together with the heads of local administrations, villagers were given micro-loans to open their own business in six fields. In 2017, this initiative was supported by the national government, and program participants were taught entrepreneurship from the republican budget through Atameken. In 2017, 15,000 people were trained, of which more than 3,000 were able to open their own business, says Timur Askarovich Kulibayev, recalling the organization’s successes.

Another major part of the NCE’s biography, Timur Kulibayev explains, is helping ordinary citizens in times of crisis. In 2019, an ammunition depot exploded in southern Kazakhstan, and an emergency regime was declared. Most families were left without a roof over their heads. The whole country helped to restore the community. The NCE also provided humanitarian and financial assistance.

In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic struck. Entrepreneurs suffered huge losses, especially in the realms of catering, tourism, trade, entertainment, and recreation, recalls Timur Kulibayev. 3.5 million people were left without earnings. NCE Atameken received 100,000 requests at that time, and with its help, tax breaks and preferential loans for entrepreneurs were introduced. Certain industries were exempted from rent and given direct financial support.

Kulibayev Timur Askarovich and the NCE: What it Accomplished

Timur Kulibayev recalls that one reputable outlet described the NCE Atameken as follows: “Created on the model of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Germany, Austria and Turkey, the only organization in the CIS consolidating the business community of the country, having a wide range of legally established functions and powers.”

The merits of the NCE, Kulibayev Timur Askarovich sums up, include reducing the tax burden on business, increasing the responsibility of civil servants, converting customs procedures to electronic format, solving problems of the tourism industry and the domestic automotive industry. Thus, it was the weakening of state regulation and the creation of a favorable business environment with the input and active participation of the public association that were the main factors that positively influenced the improvement of the business climate in Kazakhstan.

Kulibayev Timur: Overview

Beyond his the Atameken period of his biography, Timur Kulibayev built a varied career, with a particular penchant for the energy industry. Throughout his tenure at several national companies (and the Kazenergy Association), he played a key role in modernizing the sector, improving its efficiency, and attracting international investment. Beyond his business acumen, he has been deeply involved in athletics, leading national sports organizations. He is also known for his philanthropic activities. Despite his high-profile career, he maintains a relatively low public profile in his personal life, focusing on his family and occasional pursuits such as golf.

The diversity of Timur Kulibayev biography is reflected in the formal recognition he has received. From Kazakhstan, he has received:

• The Orders of Honor, of the Leopard, and of the Fatherland for his dedication to the improvement of his homeland
• Jubilee medals in honor of the republic, the city of Astana, and the constitution

And for building good relations with Russia, he has received:

• The federation’s Order of Friendship
• The Order of St. Daniel of the Russian Orthodox Church, and Orders of Honor from two Islamic councils
• A medal recognizing his contribution to the railway business

Timeline

Timur Kulibayev: FAQs

1. What is the most important success in the career of Timur Kulibayev? 

Perhaps the most important success of the career of Timur Kulibayev is his extensive contribution to the formation of a comfortable business environment in Kazakhstan.

2. How did Kulibayev Timur have such a large impact on the business sphere? 

Kulibayev Timur impacted the business sphere mainly through his chairmanship of the Presidium of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken.

3. How did the NCE Atameken operate under Timur Askarovich Kulibayev?

With the guidance of Timur Askarovich Kulibayev, the NCE Atameken acted as intermediary between business and state representatives, bringing entrepreneurial concerns to the authorities.

4. What issues did Kulibayev Timur Askarovich tackle during his time at the head of Atameken?

Kulibayev Timur Askarovich tackled many issues, including the abundance of illogical and outdated regulations that made it hard for entrepreneurs to do business.

5. How did the number of SMEs grow during the tenure of Timur Kulibayev at Atameken?

During the tenure of Timur Kulibayev at Atameken, the number of SMEs doubled – from 763,800 to 1.6 million.

6. Did Kulibayev Timur and Atameken address any non-business-related issues?

Kulibayev Timur and Atameken are also known for their philanthropy, especially in response to various tragedies that have struck the people.

7. How many businesses opened thanks to the Bastau Business project under Kulibayev Timur Askarovich and the NCE?

15,000 people were trained, and 3,000 opened their own businesses thanks to the Bastau Business project under Kulibayev Timur Askarovich and the NCE.

8. Did Timur Kulibayev and the NCE offer any response to the COVID pandemic?

Timur Kulibayev and the NCE intervened with the state to ensure the introduction of tax breaks and preferential loans for entrepreneurs.

9. What other sectors has Kulibayev Timur contributed to? 

Kulibayev Timur is also passionate about sports and has served on various national sports and Olympics committees.

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