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
Adrian Hamilton-Manns
President & CEO, FlyArystan
Yevgeniya Ni
Vice President, HR and Administration
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.
Adrian Hamilton-Manns
Mr. Hamilton-Manns was born in 1970 and is a citizen of New Zealand. In 1996, he began his aviation career at Air New Zealand and of the United Kingdom. Prior to joining FlyArystan, he held several operations and sales positions, including within Qatar Airways (head of sales performance), South African Airways (executive vice president), IndiGo (chief commercial officer), Pacific Blue (commercial director), Radixx (managing director, Asia), Tiger Airways (chief commercial officer) and FlyAfrica (chief executive officer). Mr. Hamilton-Manns holds a bachelor’s degree in aviation from Massey University in New Zealand and an MBA degree
from the University of Cumbria, United Kingdom.
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.
Bella Tormysheva
Vice President, Corporate Communications
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.
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.
Yerdaulet Shamshiyev
Vice President, Strategy Development and Government Relations
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.