Zarina Zhumanbayeva is a Kazakh entrepreneur, manufacturing executive and second-generation business leader. She is the Founder of DANORO, a natural food brand, and Director of Damir AA LLP, a leading flour and pasta manufacturer based in Karaganda.
Since joining the family enterprise, she has led its strategic transformation, focused on modernization, product innovation and sustainable growth. Founded in 2002 as a flour mill, Damir AA has become an integrated food manufacturer employing more than 150 people. Under her leadership, the company is advancing its transition to premium durum wheat pasta and expanding in domestic and international markets.
She founded DANORO to develop high-quality, naturally produced food that reflects Kazakhstan’s agricultural strengths and its potential as a producer of value-added consumer goods. Her vision is to build trusted brands that bring the quality of Kazakh-made products to regional and global markets.
A graduate of KIMEP University (BSc in Accounting and Audit). Beyond business, she champions Kazakhstan’s cultural heritage through initiatives on intergenerational engagement, family values and youth development, keeping the next generation connected to the Kazakh language, traditions and identity. She supports a children’s home and an elderly care home through the charity Zharqyn Bolashak.
She is a resident of Kaizen Club, an international network of senior business leaders from more than 20 countries, and a member of BeWoman, a leading Central Asian platform for women’s leadership and entrepreneurship.
