Gani Ashimkhan

Practice Areas

Gani Ashimkhan is a partner and head of the M&A and Corporate practices at Dentons Kazakhstan.

As practice head, Gani leads the team on such matters as M&A and regulatory approvals, joint ventures, general corporate transactions and corporate reorganizations. Clients include businesses based in mainland Kazakhstan as well as at the Astana International Financial Center.

He focuses on foreign investment issues, crossborder M&A, and general corporate transactions. His excellent background includes legislative drafting in the areas of both public and private law, advising private equity, banking and other corporate and private clients on various M&A deals and jointventure

agreements.

Gani has been at the forefront of negotiating deals for clients across various industries, such as aviation, banking and finance, food and beverages, transportation services, real estate management, telecommunications, medical services, subsoil use and related services and construction. His clients include major players from private equity funds, banks and financial organizations, subsoil users as well as private clients.

Career

• Partner– Dentons Almaty (2020 – present)

• Counsel – Dentons Almaty (2017 – 2020)

• Senior Associate, Dentons Almaty (2014–2017)

• Associate, Dentons (formerly Salans) Almaty (2011–2013)

• Legal Assistant—Litigation and Arbitration Division, Herbert Smith LLP, London (2006–2011)

• Legal Officer—Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan, Astana (2001–2004)

Professional Memberships

• AIFC Roll of Registered Legal Advisers

• Kazakhstan Bar Association

Publications

Gani has been a regular author to issue Insights on Kazakhstan law.

Languages Spoken

English, Russian, Kazakh

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Kazakhstan

Personal

Pro-bono: Assisted Dara Foundation (https://dara.kz/en/) a private charity fund with one of the projects aimed at improving the quality of teaching in the state schools for children with special educational needs in Almaty.

Experience

• Air Astana: Advised Air Astana JSC (Air Astana), the largest airline group in Central Asia and the Caucasus region based on market share, on its US$350 million Rule 144A/Regulation S initial public offering (IPO) and triple listing on the main market of the London Stock Exchange (LSE), the Astana International Exchange (AIX) and the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE).

• KAZ Minerals: Assisted KAZ Minerals Holding, a company holding group assets in Kazakhstan, with re-domiciliation from Cyprus through Luxembourg to the jurisdiction of the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC), Kazakhstan.

• Eurasian Resources Group: Acted for an ERG group entity which is transferring its IT and IP assets, as an investment into a private equity fund (organized in the Astana International Financial Center as limited partnership).

• TAV Airports Holding: Acted as local law counsel in the acquisition of shares in Almaty international airport and related entities. Assisted on full scope services including DD, structuring, documentation, regulatory approvals and completion.

Education