Kazakhstan’s energy sector demonstrates high potential for substantial expansion. Kazakhstan plans to increase its annual oil and gas condensate output to 96.2 million tons during 2025 which represents a 9.7% growth from the previous year. The upcoming launch of the Tengiz field expansion in the second quarter of 2025 with $533 million investment drives this increased production. The development of the Kalamkas-Sea and Khazar fields alongside the sixth gas reinjection compressor installation at Karachaganak represents ongoing projects that receive substantial investments to improve both production rates and operational efficiency.
Nursultan Sitmagambetov.
The successful achievement of our goals requires not just capital and technology but professionals who fit their positions effectively. A new generation of hybrid leaders who would link operational execution with strategic oversight and project management acumen needs to emerge in Kazakhstan to boost that endeavor.
The oil and gas industry across the world undergoes fundamental changes because of energy transition objectives, digital transformation and changing investor requirements. To stay competitive and attract international partners Kazakhstan needs to develop a workforce that matches its evolving infrastructure. The organization needs to create an environment that encourages continuous learning while promoting multidisciplinary teamwork since these are key characteristics of hybrid professionals. Kazakhstan’s ability to supply well-rounded talent will establish itself as a strategic advantage as the global industry of today requires enhanced agility and integration.
The value of hybrid professionals becomes evident through my personal experience since I transitioned from drilling engineering to project management work. My work enables me to support large-scale projects throughout the oil and gas value chain. Daily observations show that our team members with technical expertise and field experience produce much more effective and meaningful project contributions than colleagues without such experience.
Field-experienced project leaders develop operational understanding through real-world experience which enables them to recognize project risks and operational constraints as well as build teamwork that links execution to strategic vision. These managers use their expertise to transform strategic goals into practical execution through flexible methods. Such career changes represent more than professional transitions because they deliver expanded perspectives on complex energy projects throughout the entire lifecycle.
There are many engineers who work and grow under pressurized conditions that enable them to acquire skills of making urgent critical decisions within a limited timeframe. These are the precise skills which define superior project managers. Unfortunately, local companies of Kazakhstan still lack equivalent frameworks for developing comprehensive professionals as major international energy firms like Shell, BP and Chevron do investing in structured development programs, cross-functional rotations and leadership training. The current career paths in most of our native companies isolate different roles from each other thus preventing technical staff from developing strategic management competencies and learning about multiple disciplines. The development of Kazakhstan’s complex energy projects requires bridging talent development gaps to achieve sustained success and global competitiveness.
Project managers responsible for Kazakhstan’s integrated value chains in upstream and downstream energy sectors need to possess both knowledge of physics behind the flow and the logic behind the flowcharts. The most effective strategy to enhance project execution, cut overruns and meet Kazakhstan’s ambitious energy goals would be to train experienced engineers for project leadership roles.
Developing these hybrid competencies requires specific support from employers together with the broader industry through deliberate initiatives. Transitional programs, training initiatives including Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, cross-functional job exchanges and mentoring programs can all help to prepare employees for leadership positions. Organizations which invest in such development strategies achieve better project outcomes through their complex project execution efforts.
The growth of talent needs to be approached differently by encouraging young professionals and mid-career experts to expand their fields of expertise and evolve new capabilities. The value of primary specialization should remain intact while we add broader competencies to make the professionals more effective, resilient and future-ready.
The author is Nursultan Sitmagambetov, the deputy director of the Project Management Department at Rompetrol KMGI in Constanța, Romania, where he oversees a portfolio of capital growth and asset integrity projects.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of The Astana Times.
