Kuanysh Bishimov Appointed New Head of Atyrau Oil Refinery

At an extraordinary general meeting of ANPZ LLP participants held on April 10, Kuanysh Bishimov was officially appointed as the new General Director of the Atyrau Oil Refinery. His predecessor, Galymzhan Zhusanbayev, was dismissed ahead of schedule, Orda.kz reports.

One of the meeting attendees confirmed Bishimov’s appointment as an Orda.kz correspondent shortly after the session. KazMunayGas later formally verified the information.

KMG’s management set specific tasks for the new CEO of the Atyrau Refinery to improve operational efficiency, increase the yield of light petroleum products, improve the reliability and energy efficiency of production processes, further implement environmental projects, ensure high-quality implementation of planned preventive maintenance in 2025, and create comfortable and safe conditions for employees, KMG said in a statement.

Between 2011 and 2017, Kuanysh Bishimov led the Petropavlovsk Heavy Machinery Plant JSC, served as deputy chair of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, chaired Kazakhstan Engineering, and held a role at the Ministry of National Economy.

Before this appointment, from July 2022, he served as General Director of the Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant.

A source from Orda.kz previously reported on April 8 that Zhusanbayev would be removed early. This announcement briefly appeared on the ANPZ website, was taken down, and reappeared the following day.

Galymzhan Zhusanbayev’s time as CEO was marked by a long-running dispute with plant employees, a widely publicized dismissal and court-ordered reinstatement, and several serious workplace incidents. 

According to sources, he received a harsh reprimand from Askhat Khasenov shortly before his dismissal, related to issues with repairs at the delayed coking unit, one of the plant’s core facilities.

Original Author: Nikita Drobny