NAMES

Kazakhstani theater and cinema actor, merited artist of the Republic Kazakhstan
Gennady BALAYEV was born in 1940 in Aktobe. He graduated from the Samarkand State Musical College, Samarkand branch of the Tashkent State Institute of Theater and Film, three courses of the Tashkent State Conservatory. He acted on stage of the Samarkand Russian Drama Theater and the Gorky Vladivostok Krai Drama Theater. In 1971, he joined the troupe of the Lermontov State Academic Theater of Russian Drama.

Economist, member of the Board of Directors – Independent Director of JSC KazAzot
Zhaksybek KULEKEYEV was born in 1957 in Zhambyl region. He is a graduate of the Kirov Kazakh State University. Between 1997 and 1999, he was the Chairman of the Kazakh Statistics Agency. In 1999-2000, he was the Minister of Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. From 2000 to 2002, he served as the Minister of Economy and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Later, he was the Minister of Education and from 2007 to 2008, he served as the President of KazakhstanTemirZholy company. In 2010, he was the Managing Director for corporate development at the Kazakh Oil and Gas Institute, advisor to the director of the Kazakh Oil and Gas Institute. Prior to joining Ulttyq Qurultai in June 2022 he was the member of the Center for Analysis and Monitoring of Social and Economic Reforms under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He was appointed to his recent post in June 2023.

Kazakhstani writer, author of the book series «Situational Kazakh»
Kanat TASIBEKOV was born in 1959 in Tselinograd region. He graduated from the Alma-Ata Veterinarian Institute. In 1985, he competed postgraduate studies at the Temiryuzevsk Agricultural Academy in Moscow. Between 1994 and 1998, he studied at the University of Burgundy under the Bolashaq Program. He is involved in the popularization of the Kazakh language.

Deputy of the Majilis of the Kazakh Parliament and chairwoman of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense, and Security
Aigul KUSPAN was born in 1961. She graduated from the Almaty Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages, Torez Moscow Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages, and National School of Administration, France. Throughout her diplomatic career, Ms Kuspan served at the Kazakh diplomatic missions in France, Austria, and Lithuania. She also held several posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Between 2018 and 2021, she served as the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belgium, Luxembourg, and was the head of the Kazakh Mission to the EU and NATO concurrently. She took up her recent post in March 2023.

Chess player, world’s champion among visually impaired, master of sports of international class, merited master of sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Murat ZHUNUSSOV was born in 1966 in Karaganda region. He started playing chess at the age of eight. In 1996, Murat Zhunusov won the World Chess Championship in Spain and then repeated his success in 2002 in Turkey. In 2005, he became the executive director of the Republican Chess School in the Kazakh capital.