Management

Our management team has extensive experience in delivering large and complex projects in Kazakhstan, supported by decades of collective technical, operational and sector knowledge.

Arfan Khan

Chief Executive Officer

35 years of total industry experience.
From January 2020 until joining the Company, President of Stratum Energy Group (Romania).
From April 2014 to December 2019, COO of Amni International Petroleum (Nigeria).
From April 2012 to March 2014, Petroleum Engineering Director at Maersk Oil (Angola).
From August 2002 to March 2012, Chief Production Engineer at Shell (Nigeria & Kazakhstan).
Pre-2002: 12 years with ExxonMobil Gulf-of-Mexico Reservoir Development (US).
Member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.
Holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University and an MBA from Tulane University.

Arfan Khan

Chief Executive Officer

Petro Mychalkiw

Chief Financial Officer

Appointed as Chief Financial Officer of the Nostrum Group on 21 August 2023.
30 years of post-qualification experience, with almost 20 years of senior finance experience within the natural resources industry, including both oil and gas businesses and mining/metals companies.
Extensive public company experience and first-hand experience of E&P operations in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Previous roles in O&G and emerging markets include serving as Group CFO at I-Pulse Inc, High Power Petroleum LLC, Equus Petroleum Plc and Orsu Metals Corporation and serving as Regional Finance Director and Group Head of Corporate Finance at Oriel Resources Plc.
Holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Manchester.
Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Petro Mychalkiw

Chief Financial Officer

Thomas Hartnett

Chief Legal Officer, Company Secretary and Acting Head of Human Resources

Appointed as General Counsel of the Nostrum Group on 5 September 2008, as Company Secretary of Nostrum Oil & Gas PLC on
3 October 2013 and as Acting Head of Human Resources on 13 January 2020.
More than 30 years of post-qualification experience, including 16 years with the law firm White & Case LLP, where he was a Partner and specialised in cross- border corporate and M&A transactions based in the firm’s New York, Istanbul, London, Brussels and Bangkok offices.
Served as Senior Corporate Counsel in the EMEA headquarters of Intercontinental Hotels Group from 1996-1998.
Holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Comparative and Developmental Politics from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law.
Member of the New York Bar and the Association of International Energy Negotiators.

Thomas Hartnett

Chief Legal Officer, Company Secretary and Acting Head of Human Resources

Robert Tinkhof

Chief Operating Officer

Appointed as Chief Operating Officer of the Group on 12 February 2019.
36 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, mainly Royal Dutch Shell with assignments in the Netherlands, UK, Syria, Iran, Egypt, Dubai, Iraq and Russia.
Before taking the position as Chief Operating Officer, held several senior management positions since 2000 as General Manager Wells in Shell and Managing Director at the Scientific Research Institute of KMG for Production and Technology in Kazakhstan.

Robert Tinkhof

Chief Operating Officer

Ulugbek Makhmadiyarov

Head of Finance

Leading the finance function from 1 October 2022 till 20 August 2023. Chartered accountant with over 18 years of experience in business and professional services.
Held various roles within Nostrum Finance team from 2014, including leading accounting & reporting, internal audit and risk management. Prior to joining Nostrum developed his career at Ernst & Young in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, managing audits of large international companies including listed entities.
Holds Master’s and Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy.
Fellow member of ACCA (since 2014) and Certified Internal Auditor (since 2015).

Ulugbek Makhmadiyarov

Head of Finance

Abi Zivs

Director of Marketing

Appointed as Head of Marketing on 4 February 2022.
2017-2022 held position of LPG and sulphur sales manager with Zhaikmunai LLP.
More than 29 years’ experience in shipping and selling hydrocarbons in Latvia, Kazakhstan and Turkey.
Graduate of Latvian State University, Faculty of Physics and Mathematics.

Abi Zivs

Director of Marketing

Zhomart Darkeyev

General Director of Zhaikmunai LLP

Appointed as General Director of Zhaikmunai LLP on 14 November 2016.
At Zhaikmunai LLP, Mr Darkeyev has also held the positions of Administrative Director, Assistant General Director, Chief Administrative Manager, Engineer Manager and Deputy General Manager.
Before Zhaikmunai LLP, Mr Darkeyev worked for Derkl Oil & Gas drilling as assistant driller and for Kazakhgas State Holding Company as a leading reservoir engineer.
Graduate of Furmanov Secondary School with further education completed at the Ivano-Frankivsk Institute of Oil & Gas with a specialisation in drilling of oil and gas wells.

Zhomart Darkeyev

General Director of Zhaikmunai LLP

Daulet Tulegenov

Group Head of QHSE

Appointed as Group head of QHSE in October 2018.
2017-2018 HSE Transformation team leader at KazMunaiGas JSC.
2010-2016 HSE manager at Lukoil.
2009-2010 Senior HSE expert at KazMunaiTeniz JSC.
2006-2009 Senior HSE specialist at LUKOIL.
2003-2006 Safety specialist at Tengizchevroil.
Over 20 years’ experience in E&P oil and gas assets (onshore and offshore).
Took part in major international projects at Chevron, Shell, Lukoil, Tengizchevroil and CNPC companies in Kazakhstan.
Graduate of the Tyumen State Oil & Gas University, Russian Federation.

Daulet Tulegenov

Group Head of QHSE

Gulnara Shadeyeva

Head of HR in the RoK

Appointed as Head of HR of Zhaikmunai LLP in October 2013.
23 years of experience in the oil and gas industry in several senior positions in Human Resources in KIOS, Baker Hughes Services Inc., AMEC, Exterran, Bolashak- Atyrau.
Holds Bachelor’s degrees in Automatics Engineering from the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil & Gas (Moscow), in Accounting from the West Kazakhstan State University and Master’s degrees in Human Resources Management from the RANEPA (Moscow) and in International Human Resource Management from Kingston University in the UK.

Gulnara Shadeyeva

Head of HR in the RoK

Natalya Dibe

Head of ESG

Appointed as Head of Budgeting and Control of Zhaikmunai LLP in January 2020.
In 2014-2020 held position of financier in budgetary control with Zhaikmunai LLP.
More than 19 years of post-qualification experience, including 9 years with one of the largest banks in CIS – Kazkom (currently Halyk) primarily in control and compliance.
Holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Audit, and in Oriental Studies from the Eurasian Academy, Master of Business Administration degree from the Russian Presidential Academy. Executive Master in Public Management degree from the Russian Presidential Academy is in progress.
Certified in Project Management (IPMA), and in ESG from University of Pennsylvania and London Reporting Academy.
Participant and semifinalist of the management competition Leaders of Russia in international track in 2020 and 2021.

Natalya Dibe

Head of ESG

Askhat Seitkazin

Deputy General Director of Zhaikmunai LLP

Appointed as Deputy General Director of Zhaikmunai LLP in March 2022.
2013-2015 held position of PR manager at Zhaikmunai LLP.
2015-2022 Head of PR department Zhaikmunai LLP.
Graduate of the Institute of International Law & Economics (Moscow) with a specialisation in Financial and Enterprise Management

Askhat Seitkazin

Deputy General Director of Zhaikmunai LLP

Melody Pinet

Head of HR outside the RoK

Appointed as Nostrum’s Head of HR outside the RoK in May 2018.
2016-2018 HR Manager at Bee Engineering in Belgium.
2015-2016 HR consultant at Tempo-Team’ Randstad company in Belgium.
2013-2014 Fieldworker at Terres Rouges in Senegal.
Holds two Bachelor’s degrees from the Université catholique de Louvain (one in Political Science and Government and one in Psychology).
Holds Master’s degree from the Université catholique de Louvain in International relations and the management of diplomatic conflicts.

Melody Pinet

Head of HR outside the RoK