A documentary about the people behind Chevron’s more than 30-year presence in Kazakhstan premiered on November 4. Titled The People Shaping the Future, the film follows Kazakhstani professionals whose careers have developed alongside the Tengiz project, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
One of its central stories follows Araylym Alikhanova, a TCO plant operations advisor who grew up in Atyrau. She chose mechanical engineering at university, despite expectations that she would pursue a field more directly connected with oil and gas. “When it was time to choose a specialization, I selected mechanical engineering.
That surprised everyone, including my parents. I was the only woman in my class: 20 men and me,” she recalls. After graduating in 2017, Alikhanova joined Tengizchevroil’s graduate recruitment program. She says she wanted to build her career in Kazakhstan, close to her family.
“My goal was clear: to pursue the best opportunity available here in Kazakhstan. For me, that was TCO,” she says. Her work later took her to Australia for a two-month assignment at Chevron’s Gorgon operations. There, she supported a major maintenance project and exchanged experience with international colleagues.
Another employee featured in the documentary is Nurtas Kenganov, TCO’s General Manager of Health, Safety and Environment. He began his career at the company more than 26 years ago as an engineer. His professional development included training in Europe and North America and a two-year assignment with Chevron in Calgary, Canada.
“I am grateful to the company for investing in my development through international assignments and global training opportunities,” Kenganov says. He also stresses that employee health and safety must remain the company's priority. “No operational objective takes precedence over human life or health.
Our primary responsibility is to provide a safe working environment for everyone,” he says. The documentary also follows Hamish Paulse, TCO’s Deputy General Manager of Government and Public Affairs, who moved from the United States to Atyrau with his family nine years ago.
“I genuinely enjoy working at TCO. I find the Kazakh language, traditions and culture fascinating. Kazakhstan has a remarkably rich history and culture, and learning more about them brings me great joy,” Paulse says.