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SSH Advisors

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About Us

SSH Advisors is a boutique consulting firm specializing in tax, legal, accounting and financial advisory and relevant processes automation. The firm has been operating in Kazakhstan and Central Asia since 2009, serving the region’s largest private and state-owned companies.

We help businesses properly structure local and international transactions, conduct operations without tax risks, and establish and automate financial, tax, and accounting processes.

We provide our clients with the highest level of professional expertise and a “family office” approach to service, including 24/7 support and “turn key”  approach to resolution of issues and implementation of solutions.

Our goals are to:

  • To provide effective and high-quality support to our clients in tax, accounting, legal, and financial matters, based on the highest professional standards
  • To develop and assist in implementing highly practical solutions based on a deep understanding of your business, priorities, and needs
  • To establish and maintain long-term client relationships based on trust, integrity, and personal responsibility for the results
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Our Services

Three good reasons

Legal Services

All our professionals have more than 12 years of legal experiences.

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Tax Services

We offer you professional consultation of our specialist.

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Financial and Accounting Services

Our prices are fixed for some standard services.

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SSH Advisors Team

Safkhan Shahmammadli

Managing Partner, Legal&Tax
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Email: safkhan.shahmammadli@sshtax.com
Phone: +7(727)259 62 62

Education and Admission
Safkhan holds a Masters degree in Law from the London School of Economics (Univ. of London) (1999), and LL.M. in Taxation from New York University School of Law (2004). He obtained his Bachelor degree in international law from Baku State University (1997). Safkhan is admitted to practice law in the State of New York (2005).
Experience
Safkhan has over 20 years of diverse experience in consulting and representing clients ranging from locally based investors through multi-nationals, state agencies and high-net worth individuals on
various legal and tax issues.

Prior to establishing SSH Advisors, Safkhan has worked as a Legal Director for a large private equity fund in Kazakhstan, which had Goldman Sachs, Mittal Investments and several high net worth individuals as partners. More than 10 years of his career Safkhan has worked for international law firms (Baker Botts LLP) and legal practices of «big four» consulting (PwC, KPMG and E&Y) in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and the United Kingdom and over 5 years as a general counsel in industry/private equity funds.

Principal areas of concentration include M&A, corporate law, corporate financing and international tax structuring. Also, Safkhan has a strong experience in other areas, such as contracts, anti-trust,
employment and dispute resolution matters.

Jahangir Juraev

Managing Partner, Tax
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Email:jahangir.juraev@sshtax.com
Phone: +7(727)259 62 62

Education and Admission
Jahangir holds both his Masters and Bachelor degrees in Banking and Finance from Tashkent State University of Economics (Tashkent, Uzbekistan).

Experience
Jahangir started his career in Tashkent, Uzbekistan and has over 20 years of experience in providing consulting services in tax.

Prior to joining SSH Advisors, Jahangir has been a tax partner with Ernst & Young Kazakhstan where he led International Tax Services and Financial Services groups. In the periods of 2007-2008 and
2011-2013 Jahangir was a part of the Group servicing financial institutions in Ernst & Young, Moscow.

In addition to tax law, Jahangir has a broad understanding of various business and investment related issues that domestic and foreign investor encounter in their operations. He has proven experience
of tailoring solutions to specific requirements of the business within the framework of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and international tax law.Jahangir is specialized on taxation including:
• Full spectrum of issues on taxation of banks and financial establishments, including securitization, issuance of derivative financial instruments, structured products, Islamic finance, restructuring of problem assets, etc.;
• International tax structuring, M&A, corporate reorganizations;
• Taxation of subsurface users and contractors related to them;
• Taxation of companies in real estate and hospitality, construction, retail and industrial sectors of economy.

Ravshan Ismadiyarov

Partner, Accounting & Financial Services
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Email:ravshan.ismadiyarov@sshtax.com
Mobile: +7(727)259 62 62

Education and Admission
Ravshan obtained his Bachelor degree in University of World Economy and diplomacy (Tashkent, Uzbekistan). Ravshan is a US certified public accountant.

Experience
Ravshan has been admitted to SSH Advisors as a partner and leads the accounting and financial service line. Since joining SSH Advisors in August 2011, Ravshan has built a solid client portfolio which consists of both, Kazakhstani and international companies.

Prior to joining SSH Advisors Ravshan had been working with Ernst & Young (E&Y) for 14 years. Over the last 4 years of his E&Y career Ravshan headed the Transaction Support department, and was responsible for the financial consulting, due diligence and debt restructuring projects in Kazakhstan, while the first 10 years he worked as a senior manager / manager in the audit department. Ravshan’s client portfolio included wide range of companies and financial institutions in Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and
Ukraine.

Ravshan has an extensive advisory, due diligence and audit experience which includes working with a number of international investment companies, top Central Asia financial institutions and large
production, mining, oil & gas and FMCG companies in Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Ravshan’s technical skills among others include:
• Buy side & sell side due diligence services;
• Development / analysis of business plan andfinancial forecast; cash flow and working capital management;
• Transformation of the statutory financial statements to IFRS / US GAAP;
• Audit and setting up internal control system;
• Audit of the IFRS/US GAAP financial statements under the international audit standards;
• Advisory services in preparation to audit of Big Four companies.

Ivan Rodionov

Partner
Almaty, Kazakhstan
Email: Ivan.rodionov@sshtax.com
Mobile: +7 (701) 223 40 69

Education
Novosibirsk State University, Master’s Degree in Economics, Novosibirsk, Russia
Licensed Auditor (Russian Federation)

Experience
Ivan has more than 28 years of experience in taxation and IFRS advisory, tax and accounting automation, business process optimization, and implementation of tax (horizontal) monitoring regime and internal control frameworks for major companies in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia.

Prior to joining SSH Advisors, from 2008 to 2025 Ivan served as an Equity Partner in the Kazakhstan and Russia practice of Ernst & Young (EY), where he led the Accounting Advisory Services practice, the Tax Technology and Transformation practice for Central Asia, and the Tax & Legal consulting practice for the Technology, Telecommunications and Media sector across the CIS region.

Ivan’s core area of specialization is the design and implementation of methodological frameworks and complex automation of accounting and tax processes for large enterprises across multiple industries. Ivan has led the delivery of more than 200 successful projects in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia related to the development and end-to-end process automation of accounting, tax, and management accounting  methodology.

Ivan is recognized as one of the leading regional experts in tax (horizontal) monitoring in Kazakhstan and Russia and has been actively involved in the development and enhancement of tax legislation in this area across the CIS region.

Ivan is also a recognized expert on the implementation of the OECD BEPS 2.0 Pillar 2 rules and has unique experience in leading comprehensive Pillar 2 implementation projects for major state-owned and private enterprises in Kazakhstan.

Ivan’s clients include major state-owned enterprises in the CIS region (Samruk-Kazyna Group, Samruk-Energo Group, Kazzinc Group, Uztransgaz JSC, Uzbekugol JSC, Gazprom PJSC, Rosatom Group, Russian Railways PJSC, Sberbank PJSC, Rostelecom PJSC, among others), private multinational groups (ERG Group, Kazzinc Group, AFK Sistema Group, Lukoil Group, Norilsky Nickel Group, MTS PJSC, among others), as well as leading global corporations (Cisco, AstraZeneca, Jaguar Land Rover, Procter & Gamble, etc.).

In addition, Ivan has extensive experience advising on matters related to tax law, accounting, and financial reporting, including:
• Turnkey projects on tax optimization and obtaining tax grants and incentives;
• Restructuring and corporate reorganizations;
• Transaction tax structuring and optimization;
• Tax audit readiness and litigation support;
• Tax due diligence and M&A tax structuring;
• IFRS / US GAAP financial statement transformation;
• Development of accounting policies for IFRS, tax, and management reporting;
• Advisory on complex tax and accounting matters; and more.

Посмотреть на карте Алматы
Фотографии компании
Найти проезд до Форум-Достык, бизнес-центр
Forum Business Centre
Office 410, 202 Dostyk Ave.,

050051, Almaty, Kazakhstan

Telephone: +7 (727) 313 35 50
e-mail: info@sshtax.com

Working hours: Mon-Fri 09:00-18:00
 
All rights reserved, SSH Advisors

LEGAL SERVICES

Our specialists provide a wide range of legal services, including corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, project finance and PPPs, support for infrastructure and construction projects, antitrust practice, and restructuring and bankruptcy support. We also offer our clients legal advice in energy and natural resources, ecology, technical regulation and industrial safety, banking and corporate finance, intellectual property, sports law, criminal law, real estate and construction, taxation, family, labor, and customs law.

Mergers and acquisitions

We represent the interests of buyers and sellers at all stages of a transaction, from the preparation of a price offer and documentation for negotiations, ending with the execution and the procedure for closing the deal. We provide consulting services on all types of mergers and acquisitions, including public and private offers. Our experience in M&A, expertise and local knowledge enable us to provide efficient and high-quality legal services.

We provide consulting services and legal support to foreign investors, national companies, corporations and entrepreneurs on structuring, development, and discussion of documentation for the establishment of joint ventures.

We provide full legal support (from the initial stage to the stage of readiness to carry out activities) on the registration of joint ventures, subsidiaries, representative offices / branches, as well as the incorporation of new legal entities (commercial and non-commercial).

Corporate law is one of the main fields of our company’s activities. We offer our clients assistance both in complex projects and in any corporate issues that arise during everyday business.

We represent the world’s largest financial institutions and corporations, advising on all types of securities placements, including the issue of Eurobonds, initial public offering (IPO) of shares and private placement of securities.

Generally, we recommend our clients avoid any litigations, but still in some cases they get involved into legal proceedings. We understand the importance of speedy settlements of disputes with minimal damage to our client’s business. Our position of quick reaction and efficiency is fundamental if we want to achieve the desired result. Through the joint efforts of our team, we can offer vast experience, innovative and practical solutions. We also have experience in the enforcement of international arbitration decisions in Kazakhstan.

We have vast experience in the development and preparation of short-term and long-term forms of labor agreements, collective labor agreements, optimization of the staff, resolution of labor disputes (judicial and extrajudicial).

We provide consulting services in relation to a set of legal issues related to intellectual property, including protection and development of all types of intellectual property (patents, trademarks, registered and unregistered marks, know-how, copying), development of IP contracts and their negotiations and registration with the relevant authorities.

TAX SERVICES

You will be supported by recognized tax professionals with many years of experience advising major clients and leading consulting and advisory practices at Big Four firms.

We provide a comprehensive range of tax services in the areas of corporate and personal taxation, including the following:

Tax Technology and Tax Function Transformation Services

We deliver end‑to‑end services for the establishment and automation of corporate tax functions, enabling companies to elevate their tax processes to a new qualitative level through the formalization and automation of tax and accounting processes. Our services include:

Implementation of Horizontal (Tax) Monitoring

We deliver turnkey projects assisting our clients in transition to the horizontal monitoring (Tax monitoring) regime, including:

  • Assessment of readiness for transition to horizontal monitoring, identification of required resources and budgets, and development of a detailed transition roadmap
  • Development and formalization of tax and accounting methodologies
  • Identification and documentation of tax risks and development of control procedures
  • Automation of tax and accounting processes in compliance with tax authority requirements
  • Implementation of a Horizontal Monitoring Data Mart (Horizontal monitoring Platform) for automated information exchange with tax authorities
  • Design, implementation, and automation of internal control systems for tax processes in line with regulatory requirements
  • Preparation of the full documentation package required for application and admission to the horizontal (tax) monitoring regime
  • Ongoing support during negotiations and coordination of participation parameters with tax authorities, and related matters

Our team has successfully completed more than 200 horizontal (tax) monitoring projects in Kazakhstan, Russia and CIS countries, including projects related to the development of legislation and regulatory frameworks.

Tax accounting methodology projects include the development and updating of tax accounting policies, documentation and formalization of tax accounting methodologies for individual taxes and duties, tax registers, data collection forms, internal regulations, and other methodological documentation of the Company.

Tax and accounting automation projects involve the preparation of technical specifications, development of data collection forms, enhancement of data sources, and subsequent support of automation and system testing. Automation is performed for solutions based on 1C, SAP, Oracle, and other ERP systems.

Projects focused on the development and optimization of internal control systems include the design of policies, procedures, and regulations for internal control, risk and control matrices, and all necessary documentation required for the effective identification and mitigation of tax risks. These projects are implemented both for internal purposes and in accordance with specific legislative requirements applicable to horizontal (tax) monitoring.

Tax function optimization projects include the structuring of tax departments for large corporations and groups, development of risk management systems, and creation of internal regulations, policies, and procedures aimed at improving the efficiency of tax functions and their interaction with tax authorities, as well as internal and external stakeholders.

Our tax and accounting services include:

  • Preparation of tax returns for all applicable taxes;
  • Review of draft tax returns prior to their submission to the tax authorities;
  • Provision of a wide range of tax accounting services.
  • Provision of full outsourcing of statutory accounting and bookkeeping;
  • Provision of outsourcing of payroll function and accounting services;
  • Preparation of inquiries to the tax authorities and supporting the correspondence and negotiation process (if required).

We provide a full range of consulting services in the field of international taxation, including taxation aspects of foreign investments made in Kazakhstan and Kazakhstani investments made abroad, organization of financing and repatriation of profits. We offer solutions tailored to the specific situation of our clients. We not only advise our clients on the tax implications of the transaction based on the legislation of the respective jurisdiction, but also take into account the industry specifics of a particular market so that our clients get a full understanding of the benefits and risks that may arise from the implementation of the transaction. We provide support both in Kazakhstan and in foreign jurisdictions (using an established network of partner companies in various jurisdictions) at all stages of business restructuring and structuring operations — from the initial planning stage to the final implementation stage. We also provide ongoing support after the completion of the restructuring.

We provide a full range of consulting services in the field of international taxation, including taxation aspects of foreign investments made in Kazakhstan and Kazakhstani investments made abroad, organization of financing and repatriation of profits.

We offer solutions tailored to the specific situation of our clients.

We advise our clients on the tax implications of the transaction based on the legislation of the respective jurisdiction, taking into account the industry specifics of a particular market so that our clients get a full understanding of the benefits and risks that may arise from the implementation of the transaction. We provide support both in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and other foreign jurisdictions (using an established network of partner companies in various jurisdictions) at all stages of business restructuring and structuring operations — from the initial planning stage to the final implementation stage. We also provide ongoing support after the completion of the restructuring.

Full tax and legal support of mergers and acquisitions provided by our specialists can help properly prepare and implement a transaction structure that will mitigate or prevent unnecessary financial injections and unwanted tax consequences. We offer a comprehensive range of services for sale and purchase transactions in Kazakhstan and abroad, including the following:

  • Tax due diligence;
  • Development of the structure for the acquisition or sale of assets;
  • Tax modeling;
  • Assistance to the seller or buyer of the business (assets) with effective tax structuring of the transaction;
  • Assistance with integration of assets after the conclusion of the transaction.

Our corporate tax services include the following:

  • Advise on tax aspects of corporate structuring (including reorganization) for M&A and other transactions;
  • Analysis of the taxation regime for financial instruments and structured products;
  • Analysis of contractual and other documentation on transactions for the purposes of identification and assessment tax risks or tax costs;
  • Advise on technical and tactical taxation issues related to carrying out commercial activities in Kazakhstan;
  • Conducting periodic reviews of the tax accounting methodology applied by our clients for compliance with applicable tax laws and for the purposes of identification tax risks and opportunities to optimize the tax burden.

Our indirect tax services include the following:

  • Comprehensive VAT diagnostics and ongoing advisory support;
  • Review of existing VAT calculation methodologies, assessment of related risks, and development of practical risk‑mitigation recommendations;
  • Identification of VAT amounts that were not claimed for input VAT recovery for various reasons;
  • VAT refunds and support in tax disputes and court proceedings;
  • Preparation of draft amendments to tax legislation.

Our services in this area include:

  • Design and implementation of personal and family holding and financial structures considering the structure of assets and activities of the owner and his family;
  • Advisory services on individual taxation and compliance with tax legislation;
  • Migration support for your employees in Kazakhstan.

Our transfer pricing services include:

  • Development / revision of the transfer pricing policy;
  • Advice on minimization of identified risks (if any) and assistance in its implementation;
  • Preparation / adaptation of transfer pricing documentation for the purposes of justification of the chosen pricing method;
  • Benchmarking of market prices for the controlled transactions;
  • Design of pricing monitoring methodology for intragroup transactions;
  • Automation of transfer pricing reporting processes;
  • Consideration of the possibility of concluding an advanced pricing agreement with tax authorities.

Accounting, reporting and financial advisory services

We provide a comprehensive range of advisory services in accordance with IFRS / US GAAP and other accounting and management reporting standards, for both existing companies/groups and new businesses and projects in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Russia.

Our services include:

  • Preparation and transformation of financial statements under IFRS / US GAAP for companies and groups
  • Preparation of management reporting for companies and groups
  • Development of business plans and financial models (balance sheet, profit and loss statement, cash flow statement)
  • Development of IFRS accounting policies
  • Advisory services on various technical IFRS matters
  • Financial due diligence
  • Agreed-upon procedures
  • Design and implementation of internal control systems
  • Advisory support during audits conducted by Big Four firms
  • Accounting training for staff, and other related services