Nurlan Yermekovich Sauranbaev is a statesman, experienced manager, and graduate of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University. In 1991, he graduated from S.M. Kirov Kazakh State University with a degree in Political Economy. He also completed training at the Oil Industry Training Center in Italy. He is an economist and holds a Master’s degree in Petroleum Administration.
Nurlan Sauranbaev was born on May 20, 1967. He graduated from Secondary School No. 30 in Almaty. He began his professional career in 1991 as the head of a private commercial company, where he worked until 1997. In 1997–1998, he served as Executive Director of the Congress of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and in 1998–2000, as Director of a department of the Republican State Enterprise “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy.”
In 2000–2002, he served as First Vice President, General Manager, and Head of the Project Management Group for the Reconstruction of Atyrau Oil Refinery at Atyrau Oil Refinery OJSC of Kazakhoil NOC CJSC. In 2002–2004, he was Director of the Engineering and Service Projects Department of KazMunayGas NC CJSC, and in 2004–2007, he served as General Director of TenizService LLP. In 2007–2010, he was Managing Director of KazMunayGas NC JSC.
In 2010–2011, he served as Adviser to the Deputy Chairman of the Management Board and Managing Director of Samruk-Kazyna Sovereign Wealth Fund JSC. In 2011–2014, he was Vice Minister of Industry and New Technologies of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and in 2014–2016, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 2016–2017, he headed the Organizing Committee of the Headquarters for the Preparation and Holding of the International Specialized Exhibition EXPO-2017. In 2017–2018, he served as Akim of the city of Shymkent. In 2019–2021, he was Head of the Department of State Control and Organizational and Territorial Work of the Administration of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In 2021, he was appointed Chairman of the Management Board of NC “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” JSC. On June 30, 2025, by Decree of the Head of State, he was appointed Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan. On September 3, 2026, Nurlan Yermekovich Sauranbaev was reappointed to this position. Currently, Nurlan Sauranbaev is listed as the Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the official website of the Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The professional career of Nurlan Yermekovich Sauranbaev is closely associated with public administration, economics, the railway, oil and gas, and transport and logistics sectors. His extensive managerial experience and professional expertise are of great importance in advancing Kazakhstan’s transit and transport potential, developing transport infrastructure, and expanding international transport corridors.
The professional path of Nurlan Yermekovich Sauranbaev, a graduate of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, in the fields of public administration, economics, and transport and logistics is a source of great pride for the University. His reappointment to a high-level government position is a clear testament to the significant contribution of KazNU graduates to the socio-economic development of the country.
The Alumni Association of Al-Farabi Kazakh National University sincerely congratulates Nurlan Yermekovich Sauranbaev on his reappointment as Minister of Transport of the Republic of Kazakhstan!
We wish him great success, good health, inexhaustible energy, and new achievements in his new responsible position for the benefit of the country!
