Makhmud Kassymbekov

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Makhmud Bazarkululy Kassymbekov (born August 2, 1952) is a Kazakh politician and political scientist. He is best known for serving as Head of the Chancellery of the President from 1996 to 2019 under President Nursultan Nazarbayev. After that, he led the Chancellery of Elbasy (the First President) from 2019 until the title and its chancellery were dissolved in 2023.

Early in his career, Kassymbekov worked with the Communist Party and in Komsomol roles in Alma-Ata (Almaty). He later held positions in the President’s Apparatus and then in the Presidential Administration. In 2004 he became Head of the Chancellery of the President, a post he kept for 15 years. From 2013 to 2014 he was Acting Head of the Nazarbayev Center, and from 2014 to 2019 he served as Acting Head of the Library of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan — Elbasy. Since 2019 he was the Head of the Chancellery for Elbasy Nazarbayev.

Education wise, Kassymbekov studied math at Abai Kazakh National Pedagogical University, economics at the Alma-Ata Institute of National Economy, and political science at the Alma-Ata Higher Party School. He earned a Candidate of Political Sciences in 2000 and a Doctorate in 2002 with research on the Presidency as a tool of political modernization.

He is married to Zauresh Kenchebayeva and has three children: Janyl, Jenis, and Ardaq. His son Jenis Kassymbek has been the Äkim (mayor) of Astana since 2022, and Ardaq has worked for KazMunayGas. Kassymbekov has received numerous commemorative awards during his career.