Steppe Cement Ltd. announced that longstanding Chairman, Mr. Xavier Blutel, has now stepped down as Independent Non-Executive Chairman, with effective from 15 January 2026. The Board announced the appointment of Mr. Javier del Ser, previously CEO, as Executive Chairman of Steppe Cement. In addition, Rupert Wood will be appointed as the Senior Independent Non-Executive Director, with effect from 15 January 2026.
The Board of Directors also welcomes Saida Djarbolova as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Steppe Cement. Saida Djarbolova is a Kazakh national based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. She is an international finance professional with over 30 years of experience.
She spent the majority of her executive career at ING Bank, where she held senior leadership roles, including Country Manager for Kazakhstan, CEO of ING Ukraine, and Change Lead for the EMEA region. Saida retired from her corporate career in 2024 and currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Alatau City Bank JSC in Kazakhstan and Uzbek Industrial and Construction Bank (SQB) in Uzbekistan. She also lectures on corporate governance at a local university.
Saida holds a Master's Degree in system engineering from Kazakhstan Polytechnic University and a Masters in international finance from the University of Amsterdam. Following the above changes, the Board will consist of an Executive Chairman, a CEO, and three non-executive directors (two of which are classified as independent).
