NUR-SULTAN – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed Jan. 16 Asset Isekeshev Assistant to the President and Secretary of the Security Council, reported akorda.kz.
Photo credit: inform.kz.
Isekeshev, 48, replaced Kalmukhanbet Kassymov, who had previously served as Minister of Internal Affairs from 2011 to 2019. In the reshuffle, Kassymov was appointed head of the Kazakhstan State Guard Service that incorporates the national guard and the security service and which guards top government officials and some major buildings.
Isekeshev graduated from the Law School of Al-Farabi Kazakh State University in Almaty in 1994. In 1998, he graduated from the Higher School of Public Administration under the President of Kazakhstan.
After that he worked at the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms and the Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning. In 2003, he became Vice Minister for Industry and Trade, a position he occupied until May 2006. Following that, he worked as Kazyna Sustainable Development Fund’s Board Deputy Chair.
In 2008-2009, Isekeshev served as Assistant to the President. Along with this, he became Samruk Kazyna National Welfare Fund board member.
In 2009, he was appointed Minister of Industry and Trade. The next year, he became Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and New Technologies. Since March 2010 he started working as a Deputy Prime Minister while holding the position of the Minister of Industry and New Technologies. Isekeshev was reappointed to these positions twice, in 2011 and 2014.
From 2014 to 2016, he occupied the position of the Minister for Investment and Development.
In 2016-2018, Isekeshev served as Akim (Mayor) of the capital city of Astana (later renamed Nur-Sultan).
In September 2018, Isekeshev was appointed the President’s Chief of Staff, where he served until March 2019.
The last position he held before the new appointment was the Executive Director of the Foundation of the First President of Kazakhstan – Elbasy where he oversaw both the operations of the foundations and its charitable projects in the areas of education and youth, among others.
Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, following his voluntary resignation in March 2019, remains the chairman of the Security Council of the country and the leader of the ruling Nur Otan party.
