From oil field to start-up
Zhanna Kazakbayeva has put her successful career in the energy sector on hold to devote her attention to her start-up, Botaqan, a resale platform for children’s items.
Few industries are as male dominated as the energy sector, but Zhanna Kazakbayeva, from Almaty in Kazakhstan, was determined to break this particular glass ceiling from a very early age.
“Ever since I was young, I was drawn to technical sciences such as physics, math and chemistry, so choosing a career path was clear to me,” she says.
After graduating from Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, with a degree in chemical engineering, Zhanna began her career in the oil and gas industry as a drilling engineer.
“This was a real challenge for me because almost always I was the only woman in the oil fields in the Caspian region, Russia and the Middle East,” she adds. “Not only were there very few women in top management, but middle management lacked diversity as well.”
Fortunately, this is now changing. While there is still more work to be done to increase diversity in the energy sector, Zhanna says that there are now more women than ever.
“Now I see that lots of my peers are progressing in their careers, and young female students are seeing that it’s possible to build a fulfilling and successful career in the energy sector.”
Zhanna’s experience has clearly made her passionate about supporting and motivating other women working in sectors which are typically seen as male dominated.
“Because I didn’t have a role model, I aim to be the person I needed when I started my career. I want to inspire and support women to believe in themselves and their potential” she says.
Her message for young women considering a career in the energy sector, or any other industry, is simple: “If it’s really your passion, don’t be afraid. Just do your job, strive for excellence and success will follow.”
Women supporting women
Indeed, Zhanna’s experience in the oil and gas industry perhaps makes her uniquely qualified to speak about the importance of women supporting women.
Here, the She’s Next empowered by Visa initiative has been crucial in her journey from the oil and gas fields of Central Asia to entrepreneurship.
Zhanna recently put her career on pause to devote her attention to her start-up, Botaqan, a resale platform for children’s items. The name of the start-up comes from the Kazakh word meaning ‘Beloved Little One’.
“Resale services are booming nowadays, worldwide. And while it’s still a relatively new concept in Kazakhstan, I see tremendous potential for developing it,” she says.
The initial idea came to Zhanna after she got married and had a son. “I became very fascinated with early childhood development,” she says. “I did lots of research, took courses, listened to podcasts, and learned that a child’s development can flourish with simple, short, daily activities.”
This inspired her to come up with a service that would give parents access to guided activities for their children, along with high-quality eco-friendly toys.
That, at least, was the original idea, which she pitched at the She’s Next competition.
“When I presented it, Kristina Dorosh, senior vice president senior and regional manager of Visa, pointed out the potential for scaling into the local marketplace. That resonated with me. Then, a couple weeks after pitching, I traveled to the US for the Tech Women programme and during my stay I met with the founders of baby industry start-ups. I tried to analyse their experiences and it gave me a fresh perspective on my idea.
“I realised the scalability of my idea and decided to pivot toward a resale platform for children’s items. This approach combines sustainability with practicality, addressing the growing demand for eco-conscious solutions while helping parents save money and reduce clutter.”
‘Don’t be afraid to believe in your vision’
Pausing a successful career to become an entrepreneur is a brave move, and Zhanna says that she is thankful to her family for supporting her. She also emphasises the positive impact of taking part in She’s Next’s competition for budding female entrepreneurs.
“It was incredibly helpful,” she says. “The first stage comprised a series of online lectures which provided me with a great deal of information; information that I needed because coming from an oil background everything was new to me.”
“I was very well supported through each stage and at the finals, the juries were so open and willing to help me with all the resources that they have. It was really motivating and inspired me to work harder, to justify the time that was being invested in me.”
Zhanna is currently building her team and developing her minimum viable product (MVP).
