Based in the Kazakh capital, Almaty, Antal Kazakhstan was developed by Kurkchi out of the Antal Russia operation in Moscow. Both operations are part of the FiveTen Group.

A team of four, including Kurkchi, is running the Kazakh business, which covers key disciplines across all sectors. The greatest revenues are emerging from the fast-moving consumer goods (FCMG), pharmaceutical and industries serving the oil, gas and mining sectors, Kurkchi told Recruiter.

By Kurkchi’s estimate, Antal Kazakhstan is competing in a market with 16m people and about 30 recruitment companies, of which less than a third are international. The overall business climate in Kazakhstan is promising at the moment, she said. In 2010, the number of start-ups in Kazakhstan increased, along with the demand for qualified and experienced specialists and managers from more developed countries, Kurkchi added.

“When you look at the market and the firms and people we’ve get to work with, the potential is enormous,” she said.