Bfb brochure

www.teas.eu

The EuropeanAzerba i jan Soc iety

Business Forum BrusselsWednesday 14 October 2015

BUSINESSFORUM

teas.euteas.eu

Promoting Azerbaijan

The

Euro

pean Azerbaijan Society

Azerba i jan Through the Eyes of In ternat iona l Investors

Diamant Conference & Business Centre,Auguste Reyerslaan 80, 1030 Brussels

Partners

Media Partners

BUSINESSFORUM

teas.euteas.eu

Promoting Azerbaijan

The

E

uropean Azerbaijan Society

TEAS Business Forum Brussels 2015Azerba i jan Through the Eyes

of In ternat iona l Investors

The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS) serves as a networking and knowledge-sharing platform aimed at fostering business network creation, investment opportunities – both in and outside of the energy sector – and strategic commercial alignments.

Following the success of the inaugural Brussels forum in September 2014, TEAS is pleased to present the 2nd Annual Business Forum Brussels at the prestigious Diamant Conference & Business Centre.

This year, the Business Forum will comprise the following sessions: Azerbaijan through the eyes of international investors, infrastructure, agribusiness, energy and ICT.

Azerbaijani companies will be attending, together with their counterparts from Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Slovakia, Spain and the UK.

We hope you will find the forum both interesting and valuable.

08.30 Registration and Welcoming Coffee

09.00 Official WelcomeMarc Verwilghen – Director, TEAS Benelux Herman De Croo – Belgian Minister of StateH.E. Fuad Isgandarov – Head of the Azerbaijani Mission to the European Union and Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of LuxembourgDirk Schuebel – Head of Division, Eastern Partnership: Bilateral, European External Action Service

09.30 Introductory Session: Azerbaijan through the Eyes of International InvestorsAzerbaijan has huge investment potential, for which there are many reasons. Are international investors aware of the burgeoning opportunities in the country? What are the main obstacles impacting foreign direct investment? What would be the most effective strategy that Azerbaijan could adopt to communicate with the international investment community? All these important topics impacting the future growth of the Azerbaijani economy will be discussed during this session.

Moderator: Sergey Stanovkin – Head, Commercial Representative Office, BBC World News

Dr Heinz Olbers – Director, Eastern Neighbourhood and Central Asia Department, European Investment BankZiya Kangarli – Chief Investment Advisor, State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) Luc Pierre Devigne – Head of Unit Europe: European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area, Western Balkans, Turkey, Russia and CIS, Central Asia; Directorate-General for Trade, European CommissionVugar Mammadov – Head, Deloitte Legal, AzerbaijanJames Hogan – Managing Partner, Dentons BakuWim Naudé – Dean-Director, Maastricht School of Management (MSM)Q&A

10.30 Coffee Break

10.45 Session 1: Infrastructure The strategic location of Azerbaijan makes it an ideal hub and transit route for intercontinental trade and transportation. The country has invested heavily in building and expanding its road, rail, air and sea infrastructure.

During the past decade, Azerbaijan has built four international airports – transforming itself into a Eurasian air hub – and added 6,835 miles of new roads and about 300 bridges to its transportation network. It has also reconstructed all its main thoroughfares, connecting the country with Georgia, Russia and Iran. Furthermore, Azerbaijan is upgrading its maritime infrastructure, and the cargo transportation capacity of Baku Sea Port will gradually increase to 25m tonnes – equating to one mill ion containers – per year.

Also known as the ‘Iron Silk Road’ project, the Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway will be completed by the end of 2015. This will augment Azerbaijan’s multi-modal transportation opportunities and ensure the growth of passenger and freight transportation.

Azerbaijan’s determination to upgrade its rail, maritime, road and air networks mark it as the major Caucasian participant in the growing north-south and east-west Eurasian transit trade route.

Moderator: Marc Verwilghen – Director, TEAS Benelux

Lucas Conings – Deputy General, Basix Chris Bond – CEO, Qaya Real Estate Hadji Huseynov – Senior Infrastructure Specialist, World BankAxel Enthoven – President, Enthoven AssociatesQ&A

11.45 Session 2: Agribusiness Agriculture is a meaningful component of the Azerbaijani non-oil economy and has significant potential for boosting export revenues. It employs around 40 per cent of the Azerbaijani workforce and is a priority in the context of food security.

Programmewww.teas.eu | aygun. ismayi [email protected]

Traditionally, the main destination and the largest consumer of agricultural and food exports has been the CIS market, but in recent years this has expanded to include many other countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The country has 4.8m ha of agricultural land, which comprises over 50 per cent of its total territory, of which 39.6 per cent is arable.

Moderator: Manuela Traldi – President, Italy–Azerbaijan Trade Institute (ITAZERCOM)

Roman Trofimov – Head, Gilan Agricultural GroupLuc Vanoirbeek – Senior Advisor: Horticulture, BoerenbondHugo Mazel – Export Manager, Grandes VinosQ&A

12.45 Lunch Break

13.45 Session 3: EnergyOil and gas extraction have an extensive history in Azerbaijan, and the Absheron Peninsula was the birthplace of mechanised oil extraction and transportation. There is evidence of petroleum being used in trade as early as the 3rd and 4th centuries, with commercial production, as we would view it, beginning in the 1870s under the guidance of such European companies as the Nobel Brothers, Shell and the Rothschild Brothers.

Today, energy remains the lifeblood of the Azerbaijani economy, due to its oil and gas resources, its capacity to be a reliable and committed exporter, and its will ingness to engage with its neighbours and the EU in ensuring security of transit and supply.

Our energy panel discussion will look at current energy issues in Azerbaijan, focusing on those related to oil and gas, including the Southern Gas Corridor project which will bring Azerbaijani Caspian gas to Europe via the South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP), Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The participants will also discuss various energy opportunities that may emerge in the future, including the potential for the Southern Energy Corridor to convey resources from Central Asia and even Iran.

Moderator: Rick Gill – Managing Director, Natural Gas Europe

Dr Urban Rusnák – Secretary-General, Energy Charter SecretariatVusal Mammadov – Director, SOCAR BelgiumBart Lavent – Managing Director of LNG Infrastructure, EXMAR Ilham Mehraliyev – Senior Assistant to the General Director, Baku International Sea Port Dirkjan Douma – Water Management and Business Development Expert, Royal HaskoningDHVDenis Parein – Segment Manager, Oil and Gas, Arcelormittal Europe: Flat ProductsFrank Coenen – Chairman and Owner, InControl; Managing Director and Owner at Northwester 2 Offshore Energy; and Executive Director and Owner of Dimnick Strategic Management AdviceJamil Malikov – Deputy Chairman, Azerbaijani State Agency on Alternative and Renewable Energy Sources Q&A

14.45 Coffee Break

15.00 Session 4: Information and Communications Technologies (ICT)Azerbaijan recognises the importance of ICT-based infrastructure for improving the competitiveness of the digital economy and creating a legal framework to facilitate e-Trade. ICT has become the fastest-growing sector in Azerbaijan and is now the second largest recipient of foreign investment, after the hydrocarbons industry. During the past decade, $3bn has been invested in the sector, and Azerbaijan is transforming into the ICT hub of the region.

Azerbaijan has made significant technological advances. In 2013, the country launched AzerSpace–1, its first telecommunications satellite, also being the first in the South Caucasus, which delivers services to customers on an international basis. A second satellite will be launched in 2018.

Azerbaijan was also the first country in the region to digitalise its fixed telephone network, linking all residences with telephone lines and connecting regional centres to the backbone fiber-optic network. It is now playing an integral role in the UN-mandated Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM) project that will provide reliable, enhanced-bandwidth services between Frankfurt and Hong Kong, thereby reducing the digital divide.

Moderator: Dr Sandor Erdei – CEO, DBH Group

Kamran Agasi – Director of Innovations Centre, State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of AzerbaijanRonny Depoortere – Senior Vice-President, Zetes PASSAnar Talibov – Chairman, AzsiğortaJavier López Otero – COO, AnalysIQZaur Hasanov – Director, Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM)

Closing comments: Marc Verwilghen, Director, TEAS Benelux.

16.00–17.00 B2B Meetings

Speakers

Marc Verwilghen – Director, TEAS BeneluxMarc is Director of TEAS Benelux, having previously been a distinguished Belgian Senator, member of the House of Representatives and Minister. During his extensive ministerial career, he focused on developing countries, economy, foreign policy, science, justice and energy. He is also a practising lawyer.

As Vice-President of the Belgian Senate, Marc visited Baku in 2011 to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of Azerbaijani independence, and was astounded by the development of the country.

Marc is passionate about developing bilateral trade and educational relations between the Benelux countries and Azerbaijan. He is also focused on increasing Azerbaijani–EU engagement at the highest level. This is both for trading purposes and as a means of bringing about greater awareness of the need for peaceful resolution of the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and the related humanitarian crisis.

Herman De Croo – Belgian Minister of StateHerman is a Belgian liberal politician and member of the Open VLD party, first elected as an MP in March 1968. He is the longest-serving Belgian MP, and has held the title of Minister of State since 1998, when he celebrated 30 years in Parliament. He holds a PhD in Law from the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and attended the University of Chicago Law School on a Fulbright Scholarship. Herman is also a Professor of Common Law at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).

One of Belgium’s most-respected political figures, he was President of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives from 1999–2007, and is currently Mayor of Brakel in East Flanders, where he lives. Herman has held various ministerial positions, including those responsible for transport, foreign trade and education.

H.E. Fuad Isgandarov – Head of Azerbaijani Mission to the European Union and Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Kingdom of Belgium and Grand Duchy of LuxembourgAmbassador Isgandarov was appointed in 2012. In addition to being Azerbaijani Ambassador to Belgium and Luxembourg, he is also Head of the Azerbaijani Mission to the EU. In April 1995, he became Head of the Department of Information and Analysis at the Azerbaijani Ministry of National Security. He was subsequently appointed as Deputy Minister of National Security for Political Affairs in 2002. In 2006, he became an Ambassador-at-Large at the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and from 2006–07, he was Secretary-General of the Azerbaijani National Commission to UNESCO. He was Azerbaijani Ambassador to the Netherlands from 2007–12.

Dirk Schuebel – Head of Division, Eastern Partnership: Bilateral, European External Action ServiceDirk is a German national whose current responsibilities see him head up the Eastern Partnership: Bilateral division of the European External Action Service (EEAS). He has held various positions within the European Commission, the EEAS and the German Foreign Ministry since 1992. During his time in European institutions, Dirk served as Head of the Delegation to the Republic of Moldova and, prior to this, was Head of the Political and Press Section at the Delegation to Ukraine and Belarus. He has also worked at the European Commission’s DG Energy and Transport, DG Enlargement and DG Trade. Whilst serving at the German Foreign Ministry, Dirk focused on foreign trade and foreign trade promotion.

Sergey Stanovkin – Head, Commercial Representative Office, BBC World NewsSergey was appointed in 2012 as the Head of the Commercial Representative Office for BBC World News in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Moldova, Russia, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. As an expert on international media, he has organised training courses on National Branding and International Communications at the BBC Headquarters in London twice a year since 2009.

Prior to his current appointment, he held the position of Head of the Commercial Representative Office for BBC World News in Russia from 2006. Before that, he was Managing Director of Dars Consulting (UK), leading projects on national and corporate branding, together with strategic communications; public, government and international relations. He was elected as a Member of the UK Institute of Directors in 1999.

Born in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Sergey graduated from the Faculty of Aerophysics and Space Research at the Moscow Physical Technical Institute (University) in 1989. A year later, he graduated from the International Trade Faculty of the Moscow Foreign Trade Academy.

Luc Pierre Devigne – Head of Unit Europe; European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area, Western Balkans, Turkey, Russia and CIS, Central Asia; Directorate-General for Trade, European CommissionLuc joined the Directorate-General for Trade of the European Commission in 1996, and has been in his current role since 2010. Since then, he has held various positions in trade defence (1996–99); aerospace issues (1999–2002); as Executive Assistant to the Director-General for Trade (2002–05); and as Head of Intellectual Property and Government Procurement, in charge of the EU international negotiating teams in these two fields (2005–10).

Prior to joining the European Commission, Luc was a banker in the corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions (M&As) sector, and conducted international negotiations in the US, Brazil, China and Japan. He holds an LL.M., with specialisations in both economic law and financial analysis.

Speakers

Dr Heinz Olbers – Director, Eastern Neighbourhood and Central Asia Department, European Investment BankDr Olbers was appointed as Director of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Eastern Neighbourhood and Central Asia Department in mid-2012, which was extended to cover the Southern Neighbourhood in early 2015.

Prior to this, Dr Olbers was the Director of the EIB Planning and Settlement of Operations Department in the Finance Directorate, covering its financial transactions for borrowings, treasuries and loans.

He has also established several EIB lending divisions. During 2008–09, he was in charge of the Risk-Sharing Finance Facility established by the European Commission and the EIB for the financing of Research Development and Innovation (RDI) projects in Europe; and in 2004, when several Central and Eastern European countries joined the EU, he became responsible for EIB activities in Poland and for lending operations in Southern Germany in 2000.

Earlier on, he worked as a Loan Officer for EIB finance operations in Germany and Austria and was an Advisor to one of the EIB Management Committee members. He joined the EIB in 1992, commencing in the Portuguese Division. Heinz Olbers started his banking career in corporate finance with Deutsche Bank in 1987. He completed his legal studies with a PhD in banking law, pursued additional studies in business administration, and holds a post-graduate degree in accounting.

Vugar Mammadov – Head, Deloitte Legal, AzerbaijanVugar is a Senior Legal Manager and Head of Deloitte Legal in Azerbaijan. He is responsible for legal due-diligence projects, together with providing structuring, legal and customs support for local and foreign entities. Vugar has extensive experience of contract drafting and negotiations, together with advising on employment regulations. He is currently involved in the human resources review of the various multinational companies operating in Azerbaijan. Vugar holds a Master’s degree (LL.M) from the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

James Hogan – Managing Partner, Dentons BakuJames is the Managing Partner of the Baku office of Dentons, an international law firm comprising more than 3000 attorneys in 53 countries. In international legal practice for the past 30 years, he has concentrated exclusively on the CIS region since 1988, particularly focusing on Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. An expert on energy, he has also advised major international companies on investment strategies, the establishment of joint ventures and co-operation structures, project finance, infrastructure development, privatisation, licensing and related tax, currency, customs, environmental, governance and other matters. He frequently advises financial institutions in secured lending, trade and export finance and capital markets, including the first Eurobond issue in Azerbaijan.

James graduated from the University of Michigan (A.B. with distinction, in Russian and East European Studies); the Pushkin Institute, Moscow; and the University of Texas School of Law (J.D., with honours). He is a member of the Washington D.C. Bar and was admitted in France as an avocat in 1992. He sits on the Boards of the International Tax and Investment Center (ITIC) and La Chambre de Commerce France–Azerbaïdjan.

Recommended by Chambers Global, Chambers Energy, Legal 500, IFLR 1000, and Best Lawyers, he was listed among the world’s 28 Most Highly Regarded Energy Lawyers in Who’s Who Legal – Energy 2015. He speaks fluent English, Russian and French.

Wim Naudé – Dean-Director, Maastricht School of Management (MSM)Wim is Dean-Director of the Maastricht School of Management (MSM) in the Netherlands. He also occupies the Special Chair in Business and Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets at the Maastricht University School of Economics and Business. He is currently a Research Fellow at IZA (Institute for the Study of Labour) in Bonn, Germany.

Wim studied economics and econometrics at North-West University, South Africa (PhD 1994), and quantitative development economics at the University of Warwick, where he obtained a first class MSc degree in 1991, and was awarded the Shiv Nath Prize. He started his career in 1994 as a research officer and lecturer at the University of Oxford, working within the Centre for the Study of African Economies, and as a Senior Member of St. Antony’s College, Oxford. In 2005, Trevor Manuel, the former South African Minister of Finance, nominated Wim for the South African Council of Statistics.

In 2007, Wim became Senior Research Fellow at the UN University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU–WIDER), then directed by Anthony Shorrocks, the leading development economist. In June 2010, he was invited to become a lecturer at the Technology Management and Entrepreneurship Institute of the Brown International Advanced Research Institutes (BIARI) of Brown University, USA.

From 2011–14, Wim became a Professional Fellow at the Maastricht Graduate School of Governance of Maastricht University, and a Professorial Fellow of UNU-MERIT, a research institute of the United Nations University (UNU), also based in Maastricht.

Wim joined MSM in 2011, and was appointed as Dean-Director in June 2012. He has been published widely, focusing on economic development and entrepreneurship. Wim’s work has contributed to and has been cited by many international agencies, including the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), USAID, and the UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), amongst others. According to Research Papers in Economics (RePEc/IDEAS), Wim is ranked amongst the top four per cent of economists in the world.

Chris Bond – CEO, Qaya Real EstateChris has worked in international real estate for over 12 years, specialising in worldwide investment and development markets. His experience includes five years on the City of London agency desk at Knight Frank, and five years with Savills LLP’s International Agency.

He became CEO of Qaya Real Estate in 2009. His areas of expertise are leasing, sales and development of both commercial and residential prime real estate.

Speakers

Hadji Huseynov – Senior Infrastructure Specialist, World BankHadji is a Senior Infrastructure Specialist at the World Bank. He has around two decades’ experience working in the development business for such international financial institutions as the International Monetary Fund, USAID and European Commission. During his career, he has contributed towards strategic policy advice regarding macroeconomic development, sector policies and structural reforms in Azerbaijan.

Hadji is currently responsible for the preparation and supervision of World Bank-financed infrastructure projects, mainly in Azerbaijan, but also in Georgia and Central Asia. His current work programme includes future and ongoing projects in the railway, urban transportation, solid waste, water supply, sanitation, urban planning and spatial development sectors. He is actively engaged in capacity-building for Azerbaijani public util ity companies, together with other donor organisations and NGOs. He also holds a doctorate in Petrochemistry (Instrumentation Engineering).

Axel Enthoven – President, Enthoven AssociatesAxel is the Founder and President of Enthoven Associates, and has been one of the leading Belgian designers for more than 40 years. He originally trained in industrial design, and was one of the pioneers of product design in Belgium. Axel started as an independent designer in the early 1970s, and achieved swift recognition, both as an innovative designer and due to the commercial success of the products he designed. In 1976, he started his own studio, his objective being to handle large-scale projects. The company became a high-profile design consultancy, specialising in product design and, more specifically, furniture and public transport vehicles.

Since 2000, the company diversified and expanded under a second brand name – Yellow Window – operating in the service design and social innovations sector, with subsidiaries in France and the Netherlands.

Axel is a specialist in design for mobility, and headed the ‘man and mobility’ department of the Design Academy, the oldest design school in Europe. He designed dozens of public transport vehicles, and currently works for operators in the urban and rail sectors; vehicle manufacturers, involved in the train, bus and light rail sectors; and sub-system manufacturers, focusing on such sectors as seats and public furniture.

Axel is a frequent speaker at public events on design and on mobility, and participated in various television production projects on design, including his appearance as a jury member for product/innovation-related programmes.

Manuela Traldi – President, Italy–Azerbaijan Trade Institute (ITAZERCOM)Manuela is President of ITAZERCOM, established in 2012 to promote economic and trade relations between Italy and Azerbaijan across all sectors. She has 25 years’ experience in international business law and governmental relations, with a special emphasis on energy and infrastructure. As a qualified lawyer, Manuela has been a senior partner at Studio Legal Traldi since 2003, a well-known Italian law firm, based in Rome, with an associated office in Baku.

Prior to that, Manuela was Legal Country Co-ordinator for Italy at the General Electric Co., Power Systems Division and Senior Counsel at GE Oil & Gas, advising on a wide range of large-scale international investment projects, including upstream, midstream and downstream activities.

Manuela is a frequent speaker at conferences in Italy and abroad in the energy, international trade and relations, contracts, mergers and transnational acquisitions sectors. She has also been a lecturer in contracts and negotiation techniques at various institutions and training centres for many years. Manuela is Director and Secretary of the Board for Susan G. Komen at The Cure Italy Foundation and Head of International Relations at the Sui Generis Network.

Roman Trofimov – Head, Gilan Agricultural GroupRoman is heading the Gilan Agricultural Group, a division of Gilan Holding in Azerbaijan. He is a graduate of the Moscow University of Consumer Co-operatives, specialising in international economic relations. He has worked in agribusiness since 2001, initially as a grain trader, moving into grain production in 2003.

Roman has considerable experience of launching, developing and leading dairy farms, grain-propagation facilities and poultry businesses. He has great experience of restructuring agricultural assets, transforming them into businesses that are both profitable and highly capitalised. Roman joined Gilan in 2014 with the objective of building on existing successes and leading the Gilan Agricultural Group to new heights.

Luc Vanoirbeek – Senior Advisor: Horticulture, BoerenbondLuc is Senior Advisor: Horticulture at the Boerenbond Farmers’ Union, for which he has worked for nearly 30 years, starting in 1986 as head of the National Young Farmers’ Association in Limburg. He also currently head consultant for the Belgian fruit and vegetable growers’ association, dealing with the legal, financial and organisational aspects of fruit and vegetable growing.

Luc is a renowned as a regular contributor to professional magazines on horticultural and agricultural policy, regarding aspects of fruit-growing and social legislation. He also regularly gives presentations for fruit growers’ associations on current topics, in addition to speaking at seminars on labour and social protection.

Luc has considerable experience regarding the organisation and representation of farmers and fruit growers. He is acknowledged for his expertise in fruit-growing, horticulture, plant protection, plant propagation advice, and variety selection. Luc is a member of numerous bodies related to fruit propagation and marketing, including the Belgian Fruit and Vegetable Auction Co-operative (VBT); the European Working Group on Fruit and Vegetables (COPA) and the Expert Group on Plant Protection and Sustainability at the Flemish Ministry of Agriculture and Horticulture.

Speakers

Hugo Mazel – Export Manager, Grandes VinosHugo is Export Manager in the Spanish vineyard of Grandes Vinos, located in the North East of Spain. He is a native of Périgueux in France, a land famous for its gastronomy, wine and rugby-playing traditions.

Having graduated in sound engineering, there was apparently little indication that Hugo would join the viticultural world. However, after residing in England to learn English, he decided to move to Spain to add a new language to his knowledge and perfect his education with a Master’s degree in International Business.

As a wine aficionado – particularly for Bordeaux – his grandfather, who worked in a small domain in St. Emilion, France, exerted a particular influence on him. Eager to combine his passion for both wine and travel to his academic background, Hugo Mazel found the ideal combination by successfully joining Grandes Vinos.

Rick Gill – Managing Director, Natural Gas EuropeRick is the Managing Director of Natural Gas Europe, and a media investment banker, focusing on the publications and conference sectors. At a time when the energy debate has become evermore central to our daily lives, Rick recognised that the European natural gas sector has unique characteristics that require a facilitator to ensure the necessary meaningful engagement between the key stakeholder segments: industry, policy-makers, academia, NGOs, and the public.

Natural Gas Europe (www.naturalgaseurope.com) provides comprehensive and timely information about key natural gas issues in Europe, garnering 1.2m views annually and attracting over 14,500 Twitter followers. Its outreach activities bring together a wide array of stakeholders who discuss and debate natural gas matters in a pan-European context.

Dr Urban Rusnák – Secretary-General, Energy Charter SecretariatDr Rusnák became Secretary-General of the Energy Charter Secretariat in January 2012. He is Slovak, and graduated from the Moscow Institute of Oil and Gas in 1990 with a MSc. and received his PhD from the Ankara University Institute of Social Sciences in 1998. Dr Rusnák has held a Honoris Causa doctorate from the Kiev Slavonic University since 2009.

Prior to his current appointment, Dr Rusnák worked at the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry and was the Project Leader for Slovak External Energy Security. Prior to this, he was Slovak Ambassador to Ukraine (2005–09), Head of the MFA Political Analysis Division (2003–05), and Deputy Head of Mission at the Slovak Embassy in Turkey (1994–98). He also held the position of Executive Director of the International Visegrád Fund in Bratislava (2000–03) and Director of the Slovak Institute for International Studies (1999–2000).

Furthermore, Dr Rusnák has been a Lecturer at Kiev Slavonic University (2005–09) and the International Relations Faculty of the Economic University in Bratislava (2000–03). He was also Chairman of the Editorial Board for the Journal of the Slovak Institute for International Studies (2000–03), Editor-in-Chief for the MFA International Issues Journal (1998–99) and is the author of several articles on international relations, energy security, development assistance and Caspian oil and gas issues.

Denis Parein – Segment Manager, Oil and Gas, Arcelormittal Europe: Flat ProductsDenis is Segment Manager, Oil and Gas for Arcelormittal Europe. He originally studied engineering in metals and applied materials at the University of Louvain in Belgium and started his career as Project Manager when he joined ArcelorMittal in 1998.

In 2009 he was appointed as Country Head for the Benelux region, where he developed the activities of ArcelorMittal. After leading several major transformation and improvement projects throughout the supply chain, commercial and research and development sectors, he has led the strategic development for the Arcelormittal Europe – Flat Products division, focusing on the oil and gas industry, since 2013.

Vusal Mammadov – Director, SOCAR BelgiumVusal has been Director of the Representative Office for the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic (SOCAR) in Belgium since 2012. He received his BA (Hons) in International Relations at Baku State University in June 2003 and, following this, undertook independent research on the topic of European Federation: history, current situation and perspectives at the University of Fribourg. In 2007, he earned his Master’s degree in International Relations at Baku State University.

From 2005–08, he completed the Master’s programme on Peace and Conflict Research at the Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg. This led him to intern with the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights from February–May 2010. From March–August 2011, he was also an International Parliamentary Scholar at the German Bundestag.

Vusal worked as the President of Young European Federalists (JEF) Azerbaijan from 2003–05. From January–May 2005, he was the Advisor to the Mayor of Sumgayit (Azerbaijan) on International Affairs. Vusal also served as the Secretary-General for the Forum of Azerbaijani Students in Europe from 2006–09. He worked in the Azerbaijan Young Entrepreneurs’ Association as Deputy Director until March 2011 and then worked at the South Caucasus Political Dialogue Programme of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung as Project Coordinator from January–September 2012.

Speakers

Bart Lavent – Managing Director, LNG Infrastructure, EXMARBart is Managing Director for LNG Infrastructure at EXMAR. He is an electromechanical engineer by training and holds a Master’s degree in Financial Management from the University of Leuven and a MBA from the Vlerick Business School, founded under the auspices of the University of Ghent.

During his career, Bart has undertaken many diverse roles within the energy sector. He started off as a consultant for a specialised international energy consultancy group prior to and at the beginning of the opening of the European energy market, and subsequently became manager of that firm.

Bart also briefly worked for the Belgian federal energy regulator in charge of investment projects in the power sector, and was a pioneer in the liberalisation of the natural gas market in Western Europe during his time at Wingas, the German–Russian gas company co-owned by BASF and Gazprom. He went on to lead the Antwerp gas pipeline project to great success.

Bart has worked with Exmar for the five years, where he has been responsible for several regasification and liquefaction projects in different parts of the world.

Ilham Mehraliyev – Senior Assistant to the General Director, Baku International Sea PortIlham is Senior Assistant to the General Director of the Baku International Sea Port, which has been under construction since November 2010. This is being built in three phases, the first of which will see the transhipment volume of the port expand to accommodate 10m tonnes of freight per annum, equating to 50,000 containers. By the time the final phase is completed, annual volume should stand at 25m tonnes or 1m containers. Furthermore, Baku International Sea Port recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two subsidiaries of the Belgian Port of Antwerp to provide consultancy and training.

Before this, Ilham was Executive Assistant to the President of SOCAR, where he masterminded the production of executive reports and briefs on the international hydrocarbons industry. Educated at Selcuk University in Turkey and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, USA, from which he graduated with an MBA in 2010, Ilham is an expert on the formulation of corporate strategy and business development, and holds extensive experience of successfully concluding projects for Fortune 500 clients.

Prior to working at SOCAR, Ilham worked for the Azerbaijan-based Modern Group, where he managed strategy and investments for a holding group with $150m of assets, concentrating on the application of turnaround strategies and the development of partnerships with leading global brands. He has also worked for US companies based in Indiana, California and Michigan.

Dirkjan Douma – Water Management and Business Development Expert, Royal HaskoningDHVDirkjan holds an M.Sc. in Physical Geography from Utrecht University and is Water Management Expert and Business Developer at Royal HaskoningDHV. He started his career in the Caspian with Royal HaskoningDHV as Resident Associate Expert on the European Commission project Caspian Water Quality Monitoring and Pollution Action Plan for Areas of Pollution Concern, focusing on Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Russian Federation, and Turkmenistan. Following this, he worked as an integrated water resources management expert in more complex multidisciplinary projects, such as the Vietnam Mekong Delta Plan and the Myanmar Integrated Water Resources Management Strategy Study (2014). He is currently involved in the Azerbaijani Nationwide Water Resources Assessment Scheme (2015) for the Azerbaijani Ministry of Emergency Situations.

In his position as Business Developer at Royal HaskoningDHV, Dirkjan has overseen the international water business and marketing acquisitions for the divisions focusing on rivers, deltas and coasts, managing approximately 550 staff. He is account manager for Azerbaijan and NL Aid, and is also responsible for international collaboration with the UK office (approx. 100 staff) and Polish office (DHV Hydroprojekt). He also focuses on environmental engineering, ecological rehabilitation, water edge development, land reclamation, flood risk reduction and hydropower.

Frank Coenen – Chairman and Owner, InControl; Managing Director and Owner at Northwester 2 Offshore Energy; and Executive Director and Owner of Dimnick Strategic Management AdviceFrank holds a Master’s degree in Law and Bachelor’s degree in Management. He was corporate banker for Kredietbank (KB) from 1987–2003. He then acquired IPP, a chemical company that is involved in developing and producing specialised paints, for which he was CEO for five years. Thereafter, he created Dimnick, which went on to fulfil l special assignments at Seghers Better Technology (legal entrepreneurs).

Frank also became Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Sibeco Group and Strategic Director for Biffa Waste Services, when it was a division of Severn Trent. During these assignments, he was introduced to the renewable energy industry and invested in biorganotec materials. He went on to create the Belwind offshore energy and project development company Evelop Belgium for investors in the Dutch Econcern group.

Together with offshore specialist marine engineers Preben Poulsen – who have built nine offshore wind power plants – he managed the engineering, financing and construction of the Belwind Phase 1 windfarm (165MW – 50km offshore) for a new set of equity providers. Together, they created InControl, and successfully engineered, financed and constructed the Northwind offshore wind power plant for the same team of investors.

InControl manages the operational offshore wind power plant Belwind (Phase 1 – 165MW, 55 turbines), and is now developing its second phase (165MW). InControl also managed the development, financing and construction of Northwind (216MW, 72 turbines). The company reflects the interests of such investors as the Colruyt Group, Sumitomo Corporation, Parkwind, Meewind, Aspiravi, Rabo Bank, Korys and SHV. Recently, InControl created and invested in Northwester 2 NV, owning a 224MW concession off the Belgian coast.

InControl SA has recently finalised an important contract with Parkwind, and manages part of its offshore investments. It recently closed the acquisition of five onshore wind projects in France, with a potential generating capacity of 155MW. The company is now developing, engineering, financing, constructing, operating and investing worldwide in off- and on-shore windfarms and power assets.

Speakers

Dr Sándor Erdei – CEO, DBH GroupDr Erdei is CEO of the DBH Group, which provides companies across the world with physical infrastructure and business services. Following his graduation as an Agricultural Engineer in 1991, he earned his MBA in 1993, and obtained his PhD in corporate economics at the University of Debrecen in 1996. He then received a scholarship to study at Rutgers University in the US and the Maastricht School of Management (MSM) in the Netherlands.

From 1991–93, Dr Erdei worked for the local government of Debrecen as an official in charge of economic affairs. He lived in the Netherlands for 12 years, subsequently built up an extensive network of partners from Western and Eastern Europe, and remains an active business operator in the Central European region. Between 1994 and 2005 he was the Director and latterly the Managing Director of DBH Holland in the Netherlands. He became CEO of the DBH Group in 2006.

Over the past 25 years, Dr Erdei has managed several successful capital investment transactions as both a consultant and an investor. In the non-profit-making sector, he acts as a Chairperson for the AmCham SME Committee, is a board member of the Hungarian Association for Innovation, Chairs the Committee of the Hungarian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, and sits on the board of the Commerce and Services Section of the Hungarian National Association of Entrepreneurs and Employers (VOSZ).

Kamran Agasi – Director, Innovations Centre, State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of AzerbaijanKamran has over 15 years’ international experience of working in the public and private sectors. He currently leads the Azerbaijani Innovations Centre, a government start-up that is aimed at introducing new innovative solutions and advanced technologies in the public sector and beyond.

Kamran has gained significant strategic consulting experience and, in addition to numerous consulting projects, spent five years at the Strategy and Business Development Directorate at Royal Dutch Shell. During his time there, he provided advisory services to the Executive Committee and Shell Global Businesses using scenario-planning tools. Whilst in the Shell Scenarios team, Kamran was involved in several strategy review projects and was part of the core team in developing Shell Global Scenarios up to 2025 and Shell Energy Scenarios to 2050. Kamran has experience of facilitating scenario workshops in both the private and public sectors. He has also worked as a Research Fellow at Columbia University in the US, within the Centre for Energy, Marine Transportation and Public Policy.

Kamran holds a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics in the Theory and History of International Relations, and a Bachelor’s degree on Russian Language from Baku Slavic University. Currently, Kamran is pursuing a part-time PhD programme in Energy and International Relations. Kamran speaks Russian, Azerbaijani, Turkish and English.

Ronny Depoortere – Senior Vice-President, Zetes PASSAs Senior Vice-President at Zetes PASS, Ronny is responsible for the financial management of all global Zetes People–ID government projects, such as the Belgian and Portuguese electronic identity card project and the voters’ registration project in the Democratic Republics of Congo, Togo and Cape Verde.

Ronny has many years’ experience as sales, marketing and business development manager across a range of technology companies, including Utimaco and Anixter. He is a qualified Civil Engineer in Electronics from the University of Leuven, from which he also achieved a Master’s and Postgraduate degree in Business Administration.

Speakers

Anar Talibov – Chairman, AzsiğortaAnar is Chairman of Azsiğorta, having graduated from the historical faculty of Baku State University in 1999, and from the faculty of International Economic Relations of Azerbaijan State Economic University in 2010. From 2003–06, he worked in the sales department of the MBASK insurance company.

In 2006, he was appointed as Executive Director for Successful Strategies, and the following year as Deputy Director of the Sales and Marketing Department for the International Insurance Company. In 2010, he became Head of the Sales and Customer Service Department for the Azsiğorta insurance comany, and the following year became Deputy Chairman, before finally becoming Chairman in 2012.

Javier López Otero – COO, analysIQJavier is COO of analysIQ, which implements and operates intelligent architectures for knowledge management. He holds a degree in Computer Science Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and graduated from the Executive Education Programme at the London Business School.

Javier has over 20 years’ experience in senior management positions in international technology companies, focusing on online marketing and social media applications. An entrepreneur and internet pioneer, he founded Medusa, one of the first internet service providers in Spain, in addition to establishing Survela Digital Surveillance and promoting several business initiatives in this sector, including Servicom. Javier has also worked at Fujitsu, ICL, Sun Microsystems, and StorageTek y Lambdanet.

Zaur Hasanov – Director, Trans-Eurasian Information Super Highway (TASIM)Zaur is Director of the TASIM project, a UN-mandated communications link that will provide enhanced-bandwidth services between Frankfurt and Hong Kong. He has been involved in the telecommunications sector for several years, mostly within the International Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Communications and High Technologies (MCIT). He has been a staunch proponent of the e-government and National Broadband Network initiatives of the MCIT at the policy and regulatory level.

Zaur previously worked as representative of the MCIT in Silicon Valley, USA. Liaising between US and Azerbaijani high-tech companies, he helped develop and implement an e-government and online payment systems project for the Azerbaijani government, and another to develop credit rating institutions. He has achieved a Master’s of Science in the business application of mass communications from San Jose State University, USA.

analysIQ (www.analysiq.com)Combining information technologies and processing methodologies, analysIQ designs, implements and operates intelligent architectures for knowledge management. Its aim is to provide a comprehensive business intelligence response – supplying technologies and services – within the limits of knowledge management when applied to the corporate world and public sector. It has launched services to design and provide functional methods of knowledge management, and supports architectures aimed at the analyst, employing the best professionals in these specific technological disciplines.

Partners

Media Partners

Partners

Carbon Energy Club (www.carbonenergyclub.be)To anticipate future shifts in the oil and gas industry and across the energy sector, more than 150 leading technology companies formed the Carbon Energy Club. This is the premium not-for-profit networking platform in Benelux countries for all matters concerning the energy industry, and offers a unique triple-pronged focus on research, development and technology. Its mission, on behalf of member companies, is to closely monitor the oil and gas industry, to keep track of the major industry players, and provide insight into the technological needs of these companies. Its representation at the Belgian National Committee within the World Petroleum Council has played an essential role in achieving this goal.

DBH Group (www.dbh-group.com)The DBH Group service offering is called the DBH Business Model, which provides companies with physical infrastructure (serviced offices, serviced industrial facilities) and business services (finance, business administration, project management and IT support). It also manages a venture capital fund and can make investments, in some cases.

DBH operates an extensive business network in Europe, Asia and USA. Its offices are located throughout the world, where its professionals have developed extensive business relationships and local expertise. It aims to serve its customers, all of which are focusing on international expansion with regard to financing, project management, IT services, serviced offices and/or industrial facilities and venture capital.

With its extensive regional and international business network, together with its local experts, DBH provides those partners expanding to new countries with the services required for a successful market entrance. Its priority areas are Western and Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia.

Partners

Media Partners

Deloitte (www2.deloitte.com/az)Deloitte has been active in the Azerbaijani market since 2002 and has built up a reputation as trustworthy and reliable provider of audit, tax and legal services. Deloitte Azerbaijan is located in Baku, where over 100 specialists are employed.

Deloitte Azerbaijan is part of Deloitte CIS Holdings (Deloitte CIS), a member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited (DTTL). It provides auditing, taxation, consulting, and financial advisory services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries, and employs over 3000 people working across 11 CIS countries, in addition to Georgia and Ukraine.

Deloitte CIS is represented in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ufa, Ekaterinburg and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Ukraine (Kiev), Belarus (Minsk), Georgia (Tbilisi), Azerbaijan (Baku), Kazakhstan (Aktau, Almaty, Astana and Atyrau), Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek), Uzbekistan (Tashkent), Tajikistan (Dushanbe) and Turkmenistan (Ashgabat).

With a globally-connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries, Deloitte brings world-class capabilities and high-quality services to clients, delivering the insights they need to address their most complex business challenges. Deloitte currently employees more than 210,000 professionals worldwide, all of which are committed to achieving excellence.

Deloitte refers to one or more entities of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity.

Partners

Media Partners

The Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce (Belgian Chambers) (www.belgianchambers.be)The Federation of Belgian Chambers of Commerce (Belgian Chambers) is the umbrella organisation for all such chambers in Belgium. It represents the interests of 33 Belgian–Luxembourgish Chambers of Commerce overseas. Through its accreditation programme, it ensures that the Chamber of Commerce member companies receive a quality service.

Belgian Chambers of Commerce are regarded as private legal entities. Unlike several other countries, membership of a Chamber is non-compulsory. This freedom of membership stimulates them to deliver services in a competitive spirit, offering clear added-value to their members. Furthermore, international entrepreneurship is one of the key activities of Belgian Chambers.

The members of Belgian Chambers were among the first to digitalise the issuance of certificates of origin. Companies currently have the choice between the traditional issuance procedures, whereby all forms physically pass through the chamber, or they can benefit from DigiChambers, the online application offered to customers by all Belgian Chambers. With DigiChambers, companies can now simply request their certificates of origin online and print them.

As part of the renewed co-operation agreement between the Belgian Federal Ministry of the Economy and Belgian Chambers, promotion of the international competitiveness of Belgian companies has been specified as a crucial objective. Through its membership of Eurochambres, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Chambers Federation, Belgian Chambers promotes the interests of Belgian business in Europe and internationally. Members also gain access to a network of partners across the world, thereby benefiting their members, in turn.

Belgian Chambers are also very active in the field of sustainable entrepreneurship. We strongly believe that corporate social responsibility makes companies more resilient in the current context of globalisation and urge for innovation. Therefore we want to encourage and support companies in adopting sustainable operating concepts, taking into account their impact on the environment and the community.

Partners

Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT) (www.flandersinvestmentandtrade.com)The FIT agency promotes sustainable international business, operating in the interests of both Flanders-based companies and overseas enterprises. Regardless of the sector, FIT helps clients establish contact with their appropriate Flemish counterparts.

This service encompasses both products and services, and numerous types of business relationships, ranging from joint ventures to technology transfers. FIT also serves to enhance Flanders’ position as the gateway to Europe for inward investors.

The agency identifies, informs, advises and supports overseas enterprises in establishing production and research facilities, contact centres, headquarters and logistics operations in Flanders.

Partners

Media Partners

ITAZERCOM (www.itazercom.it)ITAZERCOM is a non-profit-making organisation, established in 2012, the purpose of which is to promote Italian–Azerbaijani economic and trade relations. Its objective is to foster the most favourable conditions for bilateral trade, maintaining constant co-operation with the Azerbaijani and Italian Embassies, governmental bodies, public and financial institutions and business organisations.

As a Chamber of Commerce, ITAZERCOM constitutes a network of companies from both countries and various economic sectors, sharing a level of excellence, an internationalist vocation and a commitment towards establishing solid mutual commercial relationships. ITAZERCOM provides support and assistance to members throughout the entire business process, from preliminary market studies through to the establishment of local branches via the identification of appropriate local partners and by realising financing opportunities.

Partners

Media Partners

The Luxembourg–Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (CCLA) (www.ccla.lu)The Luxembourg–Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (CCLA) is a private, non-profit-making association established in 2007. Its objective is to support and promote the interests of business communities in both countries through a vast network of business information and contacts in Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.

The activities of CCLA include establishment of an online office of economic and tourist information and documentation; publication of an information and research bulletin; and organisation of meetings and business trips in order to promote Luxembourgish–Azerbaijani business relations.

Partners

Media Partners

Wallonia Export–Investment Agency (AWEX) (www.awex.be)AWEX is the government agency from the Belgian region of Wallonia in charge of promoting foreign trade and attracting foreign investment inflows. The agency has a worldwide network of 105 Economic and Trade Commissioners. AWEX achieved ISO 9001 certification in April 2002.

As a foreign trade agency, AWEX undertakes a mission of promotion and information for the benefit of both Wallonia and the overseas business community through the provision of bespoke services to buyers, decision-makers, importers and foreign prospects.

As an export partner for Wallonia-based companies, AWEX encompasses a wide range of export-oriented services and activities, including the provision of general and commercial information on foreign markets, market studies, marketing and promotional activities, financial support and training.

As a foreign investment agency, AWEX has overall responsibility for the attraction of foreign investment to Wallonia. This includes seeking out and providing information to potential foreign investors, offering services to investors already established in Wallonia, and identifying new foreign investors for industrial site acquisitions.

Partners

Media Partners

Partners

Media Partners

The Business Year (www.thebusinessyear.com/azerbaijan)The Business Year: Azerbaijan 2015 comprises over 120 interviews with top executives and government officials, including a special contribution from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, in which he discusses the strong performance of the Azerbaijani economy, the Baku2015 European Games, and the 2015 Year of Agriculture. In his keynote address, Ali Hasanov, Head of Socio-Political Affairs, Azerbaijani Presidential Administration, remarked: “2015 is a landmark year for Azerbaijan. The first European Games is a monumental event for our country. It not only highlights the strength that Azerbaijan has in terms of hosting international events, but serves to emphasise the sophistication of our national development. We are delighted to partner with The Business Year, and its research provides the international community of investors with the most up-to-date and insightful information on the Azerbaijani economy.”

Partners

Media Partners

Natural Gas Europe (www.naturalgaseurope.com)Natural Gas Europe is an initiative of an advisory service focused on the media sector. The directors felt the natural gas sector was not well-served by the traditional business models provided to clients that they advise – namely in print and on-line publishing and conferences. It believes the European natural gas sector has unique dynamics that necessitate the inclusion and participation of all key stakeholder groups, and has sought to create an engagement platform to bring together those stakeholders, including leading academics, to craft a unique arena for discussion and dialogue.

www.teas.eu