Our Management Team

Our management team is responsible for the successful planning and execution of the objectives and strategies agreed by the Board and ultimately responsible for the day-to-day running of the Company and delivering on key milestones.

Air Astana possesses a best in class management team with a strong international track record. Much of the team’s involvement with the airline dates back to its early years, and the strong blend of native Kazakh professionals possessing world-class qualifications alongside international airline experts creates a compelling mix.

Peter Foster

Chief Executive Officer

Ibrahim Canliel

Chief Financial Officer

Filippos Siakkas

Chief Operating Officer

Peter Foster

Mr. Foster was born in 1960 and is a citizen of the United Kingdom. He began his career at John Swire and Sons (HK) Ltd, the owners of Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. From 1982 to 1999 he served in a variety of management and senior management positions within Cathay Pacific Airways in Hong Kong, Asia, Australia and Europe. In 1999, he joined Philippine Airlines Inc. as chief company advisor. He subsequently served as chief executive officer of Royal Brunei Airlines from 2002 to 2005 prior to his appointment as President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Company in 2005. In the 2015 United Kingdom New Year’s Honours List, Mr. Foster was awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to British aviation in Kazakhstan. Mr. Foster is a graduate of Cambridge University, United Kingdom and has a business management training certificate from INSEAD.

Ibrahim Canliel

Mr. Canliel was born in 1971 and is a citizen of the Republic of Türkiye. He started his career in 1994 in tourism management and subsequently held various aviation management roles including within KLM, Northwest Airlines and Alitalia. He joined the Air Astana Group in 2003 and since has held senior management positions as director, VP, SVP across a range of departments prior to his appointment as CFO in 2017. He is currently a member of the board of directors of EUROBAK. Mr. Canliel holds an undergraduate
degree in economics from the Marmara University and an MBA degree from Bosphorus University, Turkey. He completed the Director Development Programme at the Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom.

Filippos Siakkas

Mr. Siakkas was born in 1966 and is a citizen of the Republic of Greece. In 1989, he joined Olympic Airways (now known as Olympic Airlines), the flag carrier of Greece, where he flew several aircraft types as first officer and captain and held a number of senior appointments. After leaving Olympic Airlines in 2013, he joined the Company as director of operational training and in November 2022 was appointed to the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Gerhard Coetzee

Chief Safety Compliance Officer

Yevgeniya Ni

Chief Human Resources Officer

Yerdaulet Shamshiyev

Chief Government Relations Officer

Gerhard Coetzee

Mr. Coetzee was born in 1959 and is a citizen of South Africa. He started his career in 1978 in aviation safety management and has subsequently held a number of aviation safety management positions, including a secondment from BAE Systems to Air Astana as Head of Safety from 2006-2008. Mr. Coetzee holds a bachelor’s degree in Commerce and an Honours degree in Transport Economics from the University of South Africa, South Africa.

Yevgeniya Ni

Ms. Ni was born in 1977 and is a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She started her career at the Air Astana Group in 2002 as executive assistant to the President and has subsequently held various human resources roles. Ms. Ni holds a diploma in law from Karaganda State University, Republic of Kazakhstan and completed the Director Development Programme at the Cranfield School of Management, United Kingdom. She is a certified senior HR professional international (SPHRi) and a member of the Airline People Directors Council. Ms. Ni is a member of the Association of HR Managers in Kazakhstan.

Yerdaulet Shamshiyev

Mr. Shamshiyev was born in 1966 and is a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He started his career at the Company in 2002 in strategy and has held a number of strategy positions, most recently as regional general manager China and Mongolia at the Company. Mr. Shamshiyev is a graduate from the Beijing Language and
Culture University, Republic of China and the Civil Aviation Academy, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan.

Richard Ledger

President and CEO, FlyArystan

Yerdaulet Shamshiyev

Richard Ledger

Mr. Ledger was born in 1969 and is a citizen of the United Kingdom. He has an extensive background in the travel and aviation industries, having held key positions such as Sales Marketing Manager for the UK and Ireland at Royal Brunei Airlines and Helios Airways, and Senior Sales Executive at Singapore Airlines. In 2006, Mr. Ledger joined Air Astana as Regional General Manager for the UK, Europe, the United States, and Canada. In 2009, he relocated to Kazakhstan, where he served as Director of Sales for Kazakhstan and International operations. He later assumed the roles of Vice President of Marketing and Sales in 2017 and Senior Regional Manager for Western Europe and the Americas, based in London, in 2022. Mr. Ledger holds a Bachelor's degree in Geography from University College London (UCL) and a Master's degree in Tourism from Lancaster University. Additionally, he completed the Directors Program at Cranfield University.

Bella Tormysheva

Vice President, Corporate Communications

Bella Tormysheva

Ms. Tormysheva was born in 1966 and is a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She started her career in 1996 in public relations and has subsequently held a number of public relations positions including press, information and culture coordinator at the Delegation of the European Commission to Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Tajikistan. Ms. Tormysheva has a master’s degree in international relations from Kainar University, Kazakhstan.