Timur Kulibayev

Timur Askaruly Kulibayev (, , ; born 10 September 1966) is a Kazakh businessman. He is the son-in-law of former Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev. He is known as Kazakhstan's "Oil Prince" due to his connections to Kazakh political elites and Kazakh state-owned energy companies.

Kulibayev held several high-level government positions during his father-in-law's rule of Kazakhstan, including in Kazakh state-owned enterprises that manage Kazakhstan's natural resources and have immense influence over the country's hydrocarbon industry. He is the former head of Samruk-Kazyna (Kazakhstan's sovereign wealth fund). In 2020, the Financial Times reported that Kulibayev was involved in schemes to skim at least tens of millions of dollars from contracts that the Kazakhstani state made on pipeline construction.

Kuliabayev and his wife's wealth have been estimated at more than $10 billion.

Early life and education Kulibayev was born on 10 September 1966 in Alma-Ata (now Almaty), Kazakh SSR, USSR. His father was a Communist Party boss in the Soviet Union.

He defended his PhD thesis on the topic "Improving the Organizational and Economic Mechanism of Enterprise Management in Market Conditions (Using the Example of the Oil Industry)" in 1999.

From 1992 to 1995, he headed the Altyn-Alma concern (it was transformed into the Almex holding).

In 1995, he founded the Almaty Trade and Financial Bank together with his partners. He took the position of chairman of the supervisory board and joined the credit committee.

From 1997 to 1999, he was vice president for economics and finance at Kazakhoil.

From 2005 to 2013, he was a freelance advisor to his father-in-law, Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan. From 2006 to 2007, he was a member of the board of directors of KEGOC, and from 2008 to 2011, he headed the board.

Kulibayev joined the board of Gazprom in 2011. In March 2022, he resigned from Gazprom's board with immediate effect.

In 2020, the Financial Times reported on emails and whistleblower information which showed that staff for Kulibayev was involved in schemes that would allow Kulibayev to skim at least tens of millions of dollars from contracts that the Kazakhstani state made on pipeline construction.

Kulibayev was appointed to the board of directors of the Russian largest energy company shows the particular importance of economic cooperation between Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, as well as a recognition of high professional qualities of the chief executive of Samruk-Kazyna Fund.

From 2009 to 2024, he headed the Kazakhstan Boxing Federation. During this period, the Kazakh boxing team won one gold, one silver, and two bronze medals at the 2012 Olympic Games and one gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the 2016 Olympics.

In 2010, he took the position of chairman of the Presidium of the National Economic Chamber of Kazakhstan "Atameken Union".

From 2012 to 2016, he held the position of chairman of the Association of Legal Entities in the Confederation of Combat and Power Sports, which included the republic's federations of boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, and judo.

In 2013, the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan was established by decision of the government of Kazakhstan and Atameken Union. Timur Kulibayev was elected chairman of the Presidium of the Chamber. He held this position until January 17, 2022. During this period, he supervised the implementation of the Chamber's projects, regularly traveled around the country, visited enterprises, and communicated with entrepreneurs and representatives of various government bodies.

From 2015 to 2024, he was the president of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan and chairman of the executive committee of the National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan Public Association.

From 2016 to 2019, he headed the Swimming Sports Federation of Kazakhstan.

From 2017 to 2019, he was a member of the Public Affairs and Social Development Through Sport Commission (PASD) of the International Olympic Committee. It was transformed into the IOC Olympism 365 Commission, which Kulibayev joined in September 2022. He owns a vast real estate portfolio, including a mansion in the United Kingdom, castles in Switzerland and Germany, and a Spanish estate.

Kulibayev has two sons from an extramarital affair with Goga Ashkenazi.

In 2007, Kulibayev (with the help of Kazakhstani investor Kenes Rakishev) became the owner of Sunninghill Park, a country house formerly belonging to Mr Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, after Sarah Ferguson and their daughters left the property in 2006. Kulibayev paid $19.7million for the house, $4million over the asking price, even though there were no other bids. In 2016 it was demolished and a 14-bedroom mansion was built in its place.

Kulibayev's sporting hobbies include golf, skiing, and soccer.

He speaks Kazakh, Russian, and English. Jubilee medal "10th Anniversary of Astana" (2008) Jubilee medal "20th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (2011) Jubilee medal "25th Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (2016) Badge "Honored Worker of the Oil and Gas Industry" (2020) Order of Otan (Fatherland) (2021) Order of Enbek Ushin (For Labors) of the Head of the Metropolitan District of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Republic of Kazakhstan (2021)