ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies have appointed new leaders to oversee their operations in Kazakhstan, where both companies hold significant interests in major oil and gas projects.

ExxonMobil named Kenan Nariman as its managing director for Kazakhstan, replacing Cecile Rauline, who had held the position since 2023. Nariman will also be responsible for the company’s operations in Azerbaijan.

Nariman joined ExxonMobil in 2001 and most recently served as president of ExxonMobil Korea and lead country manager for South Korea. He previously held a senior commercial role in ExxonMobil’s Russian operations, where he worked on the Sakhalin-1 and Far East LNG projects.

TotalEnergies, meanwhile, appointed Mourad Thabouti as managing director and country chair in Kazakhstan, succeeding Frode Ljones.

Thabouti has more than two decades of international experience in the energy industry. He has worked in France, Qatar, Algeria and Libya, and previously held senior finance and management positions within TotalEnergies.

Before his new appointment, he worked at the company’s Paris headquarters, overseeing consolidated budgeting and reporting for its exploration and production business.

The leadership changes come as both companies maintain substantial investments in Kazakhstan.

ExxonMobil and TotalEnergies each hold about a 16.8 per cent interest in the Kashagan oil and gas development in the Caspian Sea. ExxonMobil also owns a 25 per cent stake in the Tengiz oil field, Kazakhstan’s largest onshore oil producer.

TotalEnergies is also expanding beyond oil and gas in Kazakhstan. The company is involved in renewable energy projects, including the development of the 1GW Mirny wind power project in the Zhambyl region.

Both appointments became effective on September 1, 2026, positioning Nariman and Thabouti to lead their respective companies’ activities in one of Central Asia’s key energy-producing markets.