Our Team
Yerzhan Shatenov
Managing Director and Partner, Astana
Yerzhan Shatenov is a corporate and construction lawyer with over 20 years of continuous practice in the Kazakhstani legal market. As Managing Director and Partner of Bond Stone's Astana office, he oversees the firm's practice in the capital, including its work with government authorities, state agencies and the AIFC regulator. Yerzhan is a member of the Legal Working Group of the Council of Foreign Investors under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Yerzhan's practice covers corporate, commercial and transactional work: M&A, joint ventures, real estate and high-complexity construction, employment law for international workforces, investment regulation, and AIFC advisory. He has led legal support on some of Astana's landmark construction projects and advised international acquirers on cross-border transactions involving Kazakhstan industrial and real estate assets. He has two decades of experience of working with state bodies.
Yerzhan manages Bond Stone's co-counsel relationships with Chinese, European, and CIS law firms — coordinating cross-border mandates across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and serving as the primary point of contact for international law firms requiring Astana-based partner-level engagement.
Selected Experience
- Advised on the liquidation of the Kazakhstan subsidiary of a Norwegian-based international group, including tax clearance and state deregistration.
- Corporate support for a Norwegian group's Kazakhstan business: director changes, state registration, bank mandates and governance (2025 to 2026).
- Reviewed services agreements and advised on branch matters for a Chinese EPC contractor on a power plant project in Aktau (2026).
- Legal support during construction of major Astana developments, including Expo-2017 facilities and the Abu Dhabi Plaza complex.
Experience
Construction · Astana · Infrastructure
Construction — Expo-2017
Full-cycle legal support for construction activity connected to the Astana International Exhibition Expo-2017 — licensing, contractor agreements, and permitting at the highest level of construction complexity.
Construction · Astana · Commercial Real Estate
Abu Dhabi Plaza — Development Legal Support
Legal support for Abu Dhabi Plaza — one of Astana's landmark mixed-use developments — covering construction licensing, contractor agreements, and regulatory compliance throughout the project lifecycle.
M&A · Kazakhstan · Industrial
Cross-border M&A — Industrial Acquisition
Leading regulatory and environmental due diligence on a cross-border acquisition of a Kazakhstan industrial facility — compliance review, post-closing obligations, and coordination with international acquirer's counsel.
Corporate · Kazakhstan · Energy / EPC
Chinese EPC Client — Contract Review & Branch Advisory
Advising a Chinese EPC contractor on a Kazakhstan power plant project — service agreement review, legal opinion on foreign branch establishment, and corporate authorisation document requirements.
Corporate · Almaty / Astana · Manufacturing
European Manufacturing Group — Dual-City Coverage
Ongoing corporate and regulatory legal support to a major European manufacturing group with operations across both Almaty and Astana — partner-level coverage across Kazakhstan on employment, compliance, and commercial matters.
Corporate · Kazakhstan / Uzbekistan · Co-Counsel
Chinese Law Firm Co-Counsel — Central Asia
Managing Bond Stone's co-counsel relationship with a major Beijing law firm — coordinating Chinese investor mandates across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan including M&A, corporate structuring, and regulatory advisory.
Construction · Kazakhstan · Commercial
Commercial Construction — High-rise Licensing
Obtaining construction licences for multiple high-complexity commercial developments in Astana — coordinating with the national construction regulator of the time on Class I and Class II construction activity permits.
Real Estate · Astana · Residential
Residential Development — Full Legal Cycle
Full-cycle legal support for a residential development in Astana — land rights, architectural permitting, contractor agreements, unit sale and purchase documentation, and buyer mortgage compliance.
Regulatory · Astana · Foreign Investment
Government Relations — Investment Regulatory
Representing international investor interests in regulatory engagement with Astana-based ministries and state agencies — negotiating on Investment Priority Project status, state grants, and regulatory licensing on behalf of foreign investors.
Employment · Kazakhstan · Manufacturing / Energy
Employment — Expat Workforce Compliance
Advising international companies on Kazakhstan's quota system for foreign workforce — obtaining work permits for senior executives and technical specialists, drafting executive employment agreements, and structuring expat compensation packages compliant with Kazakhstan labour law.
Corporate · Kazakhstan · Joint Venture
JV Formation — International Consortium
Structuring and incorporating a joint venture entity in Kazakhstan between a European strategic investor and a Kazakhstan state-adjacent entity — shareholders' agreement, management structure, governance documents, and regulatory approvals.
AIFC · Astana · Financial Services
AIFC — Entity Formation & Compliance Advisory
Advising international financial services clients on AIFC entity formation and AFSA regulatory compliance from Bond Stone's Astana office — coordinating directly with AFSA on licensing and regulatory correspondence.
Recognition & Memberships
Legal 500 EMEA — Bond Stone Top Tier Kazakhstan →
Bond Stone is ranked Legal 500 EMEA Top Tier in Kazakhstan. Yerzhan leads the Astana office practice, contributing to the firm's ranked M&A and corporate work.
Council of Foreign Investors — Legal Working Group
Member of the Legal Working Group of the Council of Foreign Investors under the President of Kazakhstan.
Almaty Bar Association
Member — "Professional Lawyers of Kazakhstan." Licensed to practise in Kazakhstan.
Education
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University — Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), 2000
Languages
Kazakh (native) · Russian (fluent)
