Yerzhan Yessimkhanov

Yerzhan Yessimkhanov is a Partner, Head of telecommunication & transport, construction & infrastructure department of GRATA International. Yerzhan has extensive experience in the areas of Construction and Infrastructure, Real Estate and Telecommunications.  Prior to joining GRATA International, Yerzhan worked in the Kazakhstan Investment Fund group, in a major Kazakh development company, and in the largest international law firm. Yerzhan acted as a consultant on a number of large infrastructure projects realized over the last decade in Kazakhstan, including work as a head of the legal team of Kazakhstani largest ski resort reconstruction project realized within the frameworks of Asian Games 2011; leader of the team of consultants working on reconstruction of the largest electrical energy producing enterprise in Kazakhstan with overall project value of approximately US$ 700 million; and leader of the team of consultants representing Kazakhstan’s largest infrastructure construction company in several judicial proceedings with overall value of the claims of approx. US$ 70 million. Yerzhan led the project on legal support of launch of Uber service in Kazakhstan, and represented a shortlisted consortium of Spanish, French and Turkish companies in a second stage of public tender for construction and operation of Big Almaty Ring Road (BAKAD), including review and negotiations over concession agreement with the Ministry of Investments and Development. 

Education:

• 2004 BA (Hons) – Kazakh Humanitarian Law University;
• 2003 - Center of European Law and Economic Studies;
• 2023 - LLM, University of Cambridge, UK.

Yerzhan is an author of numerous articles relating to EPC contracts, real estate investments and construction permits. He regularly contributes to the annual World Bank Doing Business surveys “Dealing with Construction Permits in Kazakhstan” and “Registering Property”. In 2016 he contributed to “Rule of Law Index 2016” by the World Justice Project. In 2016 Yerzhan also commented to UK Construction Law Journal on practical aspects of use of FIDIC contracts in Kazakhstan; to Asia Business Law Journal on implementation of construction projects in Kazakhstan within the frameworks of “One Belt, One Road” initiative, and to China Business Law Journal on Chinese real estate investments in Kazakhstan.