From engineer to advisor: Building a world-class career in Kazakhstan

Looking at your career today, you have progressed from a Mechanical Design Engineer to an Operations Advisor at Tengizchevroil. Do you think Kazakhstan offers ambitious young professionals enough opportunities to grow, take on major responsibilities and work on projects of international scale?

Based on my own experience, my honest answer is yes, Kazakhstan absolutely offers ambitious young professionals the opportunity to grow, take on significant responsibilities, and work on projects of international scale. In fact, my own career is proof of that.

I started as a Mechanical Design Engineer, focused primarily on technical design and engineering solutions. Over time, I was given opportunities to move far beyond my original discipline. I gained experience in maintenance and reliability, worked in Business Performance where I learned how operational decisions are connected to business outcomes, served as a Turnaround Supervisor where I was responsible for coordinating complex execution activities during critical shutdown periods, and today I work as an Operations Advisor supporting strategic operational, reliability, process safety, and business planning initiatives.

What I appreciate most is the diversity of assignments I have been trusted with throughout my career. Rather than developing only deep expertise in a single discipline, I have been given opportunities to build a multidisciplinary perspective across engineering, operations, maintenance, turnaround execution, business performance, process safety, and organizational leadership. Looking back, these moves were not random. They were thoughtful development opportunities designed to broaden my capabilities and prepare me for increasingly larger responsibilities.

I have been fortunate to work for a company that genuinely invests in developing future leaders. Throughout my career, I have been recognized as an employee with leadership potential, and every assignment has challenged me to develop a different part of my skill set. Whether it was leading teams, facilitating complex cross-functional workshops, driving business planning initiatives, supporting major incident recovery efforts, or representing the company during international assignments, each experience helped me grow in a different way.

What stands out to me is the intentionality behind that development. The company did not simply give me new positions; it gave me experiences. Each role expanded my understanding of the business from a different angle: how assets are designed, how they are maintained, how they are operated, how major turnarounds are executed, how performance is measured, and how strategic decisions are made. That combination of experiences has been invaluable.

As I look at my career today, I see that these assignments have provided not only technical growth but also leadership growth. They have helped me understand how to influence without authority, align different stakeholders, make decisions under uncertainty, and lead through complex challenges. Those are skills that cannot be learned from a textbook.

For that reason, I firmly believe Kazakhstan provides exceptional opportunities for ambitious professionals. Companies such as TCO, NCOC, and KPO operate assets of global significance and are increasingly developing local talent to take on larger leadership roles. Young professionals here have opportunities to work on billion-dollar projects, collaborate with international experts, and build careers that can compete with the very best anywhere in the world.

When I compare my own journey with what I have seen abroad, I realize that many professionals spend decades building the breadth of experience that I was able to gain here in Kazakhstan. That is why I often say that Kazakhstan is not simply a place where I work. It is a place where I have been able to build a truly world-class career.

Perhaps the biggest advantage Kazakhstan offers today is that the industry is still evolving. There are opportunities not just to operate existing assets, but to shape the future of the sector through modernization, digitalization, reliability improvements, decarbonization efforts, and development of the next generation of talent. Young professionals have the chance to leave a visible mark on the industry.

So when people ask whether Kazakhstan provides enough opportunities for ambitious professionals, my answer is simple: yes, if you are willing to pursue them. I have been fortunate to grow from a mechanical engineer into an operations advisor while working on projects that influence assets of global significance. That journey convinced me that you do not have to leave Kazakhstan to build a world-class career. Sometimes the most exciting opportunities are already right here at home.

For young Kazakhstanis who are considering building their careers abroad, what would you tell them about the opportunities waiting for them at home? Is it possible to achieve an international-level career without leaving Kazakhstan?

I would tell them that Kazakhstan offers something many young professionals underestimate: the opportunity to grow alongside a country and an industry that are still actively evolving.

When we look at successful careers, we often focus on destinations rather than trajectories. What I have observed is that some of the most exciting opportunities exist in environments where change is happening, where industries are modernizing, and where the next generation of leaders has a chance to help shape the future. Kazakhstan is very much that kind of place.

Today, international companies operating in Kazakhstan are not just executing global standards here. They are increasingly relying on local professionals to lead complex initiatives, solve strategic challenges, and influence the direction of the business. That creates opportunities for young specialists to develop skills and experiences that are relevant anywhere in the world.

When I worked abroad, I met professionals who were highly respected because of their expertise, leadership, and ability to deliver results, not because of where they were based. That reinforced an important lesson for me: an international-level career is defined by the quality of your experience and your impact, not simply by the country written on your business card.

What I would encourage young Kazakhstanis to do is to think globally but not limit their vision geographically. Learn from the world. Pursue training, international assignments, and exposure to different perspectives. Build relationships with people from different cultures. But at the same time, recognize the advantages available here.

We have access to world-scale projects, advanced technologies, multinational teams, and global expertise operating right here in Kazakhstan. In many ways, we have the opportunity to gain international exposure without permanently leaving home.

I also believe that Kazakhstan's greatest competitive advantage is its people. Every year I see more young professionals who are confident, highly educated, digitally savvy, and eager to make a difference. They bring new ideas and a global mindset while understanding the local context. That combination is incredibly powerful.

And perhaps the most rewarding aspect is that your success creates value beyond yourself. When talented people develop their skills and apply them here, they help strengthen organizations, develop future leaders, and contribute to Kazakhstan's long-term growth. There is something very fulfilling about knowing that your professional achievements are connected to the progress of your own country.

So, my message would be simple: don't view Kazakhstan as a stepping stone. View it as a platform. A platform that can connect you to the world, expose you to world-class challenges, and allow you to build a career that competes on an international level. The opportunities are here. The question is how much you're willing to invest in yourself to take advantage of them.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Tengiz remains one of the three major projects forming the backbone of Kazakhstan’s oil production. Tengizchevroil was also Kazakhstan’s largest oil and gas taxpayer in 2025, contributing around 3.6 trillion tenge.