Ahmedjan Smagululy Essimov (, Ahmedjan Smağūlūly Esimov, ; born 15 December 1960) is a Kazakh politician who's served as the chairman of Samruk-Kazyna from 2017 to 2021. Prior to that, he was the director of Expo 2017 from 2015 to 2017, akim of Almaty from 2008 to 2015, Minister of Agriculture from 2006 to 2008 and 2001 to 2004, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 2002 to 2006 and 1994 to 1996, First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 1996 to 1998, Acting Head of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan and State Secretary of Kazakhstan in 1996. Early life and career Yessimov was born to a Muslim Kazakh family in the village of Internatsional of Almaty Region. He is a nephew of Nursultan Nazarbayev In 1974, Yessimov graduated from Kazakh Agricultural Institute, majoring in Mechanization of Agriculture and then later from the Academy of Social Sciences under the CPSU Central Committee in 1991. He earned a PhD in Economics in 1999. Yessimov started his professional experience in 1968 as a sports methodologist at the Druzhba State Farm; upon graduation from the institute, he worked as a mechanical engineer at the Leninsky State Farm and later as the chairman of Trade Union Working Committee at the Kazakh Research Institute of Potato and Vegetable Farming. In 1979, he became an instructor of Organizational Department at Kaskelen District Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan and then he was elected Secretary of Leninsky State Farm Communist Party Committee. From 1982, Yessimov served as an instructor of Agriculture Department at Alma-Ata Oblast Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. In 1983, he became the director of the Leninsky State Farm. In 1985, Yessimov was appointed as chairman of Kaskelen District Executional Committee. In 1986, Yessimov was elected as the First Secretary of Chilik District Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. Early political career From 1988, he occupied the positions as the First Deputy Chairman of Alma-Ata Oblast Executional Committee, chairman of the Oblast Agroindustry Committee and the secretary of Alma-Ata Oblast Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. In 1990, Yessimov became the First Deputy Chairman of Agroindustry Committee of Kazakh SSR, and in 1991, the First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food of Kazakh SSR. From September 1991 to February 1992, he served as the chairman of Almaty Oblast Congress of People's Deputies. On 8 February 1992, Yessimov was appointed as the