Kenes Rakishev always had an eye for good investment opportunities. His involvement may be viewed as a marker for undervalued assets. Petropavlovsk gold mining company is just one of the companies he had owned. It illustrates the point at its best.

To the moment Kenes Rakishev decided to purchase the troubled mine operation it was far from obvious that the company will gain in value. Petropavlovsk gold mining company has a turbulent history and corporate conflict behind it. The company, which was in derelict state after changing hands from their previous owners were sold with a good rebate. It was a bargain poised to grow once the new owner applies his crisis management skills and financing. Kazakh businessmen has managed to stabilize the mine performance, unclog the financial pipes and give the company the legitimate look it deserved.

Soon after it was accomplished Kenes Rakishev sold the company to Roman Trotsenko. The value of the company has increased manifold. Shares gained 70 percent since the company has changed hands. Trotsenko decided to sell Petropavlovsk mining to another billionaire and focus on working together on another mining project.

Kenes Rakishev is looking to buy another gold mine to repeat the drill. It seems that crisis management and extraordinary measures are the true passion of the Kazakhstan’s #12 richest businessman. His interests are spreading from mining companies to the digital age startups and from banking and insurance to the cybernetic security systems. His choice of investment projects are often far from obvious but almost always prove to be success story.

Tom Howard from The Times wrote on this occasion.

Billionaires’ golden handshake

Petropavlovsk waved goodbye to one Russian billionaire shareholder yesterday and immediately welcomed another.

Roman Trotsenko, through his Aeon Mining vehicle, sold his 28.34 per stake in the London-listed goldminer to Uzhuralzoloto, another goldmining company controlled by Konstantin Strukov, who will take over as the company’s largest shareholder.

“We welcome the new shareholder on board, and are delighted that a new significant shareholder shares our vision,” a spokesman for Petropavlovsk said.

Roman Trotsenko sold his Petropavlovsk shares yesterday. The deal will have netted Mr Trotsenko a tidy sum, given that the shares have soared by more than 70 per cent since last summer, when he bought the stake from Kenges Rakishev, a Kazakh tycoon.

Petropavlovsk’s market value is now £560 million and the shares are worth about £160 million.

Petropavlovsk has bounced back after a tumultuous few years in which Peter Hambro and Pavel Maslovskiy, its co-founders, were ousted in a revolt led by another billionaire, Viktor Vekselberg. Mr Vekselberg sold out a couple of years ago to Mr Rakishev.