The Most Famous
BUSINESSPEOPLE from Kazakhstan
This page contains a list of the greatest Kazakhstani Businesspeople. The pantheon dataset contains 847 Businesspeople, 3 of which were born in Kazakhstan. This makes Kazakhstan the birth place of the 39th most number of Businesspeople behind Australia, and Finland.
Top 5
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Kazakhstani Businesspeople of all time. This list of famous Kazakhstani Businesspeople is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity.
1. Arkady Volozh (b. 1964)
With an HPI of 52.56, Arkady Volozh is the most famous Kazakhstani Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages on wikipedia.
Arkady Yuryevich Volozh (Russian: Аркадий Юрьевич Волож; born 11 February 1964) is a Russian businessman, technology entrepreneur, computer scientist, investor and philanthropist. His work includes developing search and navigation technology as well as intelligent products and services powered by machine learning. He is the founder and CEO of Nebius Group, and earlier co-founded several IT enterprises, including CompTek, Arkadia, InfiNet and Yandex. As of January 2025, he has a net worth of $1.5 billion, according to Forbes.
2. Dinara Kulibaeva (b. 1968)
With an HPI of 48.00, Dinara Kulibaeva is the 2nd most famous Kazakhstani Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Dinara Nursultanqyzy Nazarbayeva (Kazakh: Dinara Nūrsūltаnqyzy Nаzаrbаеvа; born 19 August 1968) is a Kazakh billionaire heiress, businesswoman and the middle daughter of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. She is married to Timur Kulibayev, a Kazakh oligarch. She is the second richest person in Kazakhstan, with a fortune estimated to be around $3.8 billion. During the 2022 Kazakh protests, she lost $200 million in fortune according to Forbes.
3. Mukhtar Ablyazov (b. 1963)
With an HPI of 47.66, Mukhtar Ablyazov is the 3rd most famous Kazakhstani Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 14 different languages.
Mukhtar Qabyluly Ablyazov (Kazakh: Мұхтар Қабылұлы Әблязов, Mūhtar Qabylūly Äbliazov; born 16 May 1963) is a Kazakh opposition leader, businessman and political activist who served as chairman of Bank Turan Alem (BTA Bank), and is a co-founder and a leader of the unregistered political party Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (QDT). He was also the former head of the state-owned Kazakhstan Electricity Grid Operating Company (KEGOC) as well as briefly holding the position of Minister for Energy, Industry, and Trade under Balgimbayev's cabinet before resigning from and joining the opposition against President Nursultan Nazarbayev. In November 2001, he, along with other former Kazakh government officials founded the Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (QDT). As result, Ablyazov was imprisoned in March 2002 over accusations of financial fraud and political abuse until being pardoned by Nazarbayev in 2003. After being released from prison, he ceased his formal political activities with the opposition. Ablyazov has been accused of embezzling $6 billion from BTA Bank while serving as chairman. In 2015, a French court in Lyon issued an extradition order. However, in December 2016, France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, canceled the extradition order, on the ground that Russia had a political motive in making the extradition request. Ablyazov was subsequently released from the Fleury-Mérogis Prison and was believed to reside in Paris. The UK High Court of Justice has twice issued arrest warrants on Ablyazov; most recently on 25 July 2019, and extended to 22 months a court-ordered detention originating in 2012 for a contempt of court judgement. In September 2020, Ablyazov obtained the status of political refugee in France. On December 9, 2022, CNDA finally deprived Ablyazov of political asylum in France. In July 2023, Ablyazov posted on his Facebook that he was ordered to leave French territory within 30 days.
4. Aliya Nazarbayeva (b. 1980)
With an HPI of 44.19, Aliya Nazarbayeva is the 4th most famous Kazakhstani Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Aliya Nursultanqyzy Nazarbaeva (Kazakh: Älia Nūrsūltanqyzy Nazarbaeva; born 3 February 1980) is a businesswoman who is the youngest daughter of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the first President of Kazakhstan.
5. Rauan Kenzhekhanuly (b. 1979)
With an HPI of 38.86, Rauan Kenzhekhanuly is the 5th most famous Kazakhstani Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Rauan Kenjehanūly (Kazakh: Рауан Кенжеханұлы, pronounced [ɾɑwˈɑn kenʑeχɑnʊˈlə]; born 1 May 1979) is a Kazakh entrepreneur and NGO activist who was named the first Wikipedian of the Year in August 2011 by Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales at Wikimania.
People
Pantheon has 5 people classified as Kazakhstani businesspeople born between 1963 and 1980. Of these 5, 5 (100.00%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Kazakhstani businesspeople include Arkady Volozh, Dinara Kulibaeva, and Mukhtar Ablyazov. As of April 2024, 2 new Kazakhstani businesspeople have been added to Pantheon including Dinara Kulibaeva, and Mukhtar Ablyazov.
Living Kazakhstani Businesspeople
Go to all Rankings
Arkady Volozh
1964 - Present
HPI: 52.56
Dinara Kulibaeva
1968 - Present
HPI: 48.00
Mukhtar Ablyazov
1963 - Present
HPI: 47.66
Aliya Nazarbayeva
1980 - Present
HPI: 44.19
Rauan Kenzhekhanuly
1979 - Present
HPI: 38.86
