Speakers’ Biographies
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Rafiga Huseynzada is author of about 60 reports and researches. She also participated in number
International conferences and worked in joint scientific centers in Texaco Company in Houston;
Geolab in Trondheim and Statoil Research Center in Norway; Bone & Robertson management course
in London UK, etc.
In March 2011 Rafiga Huseynzade was appointed by order of President of Azerbaijan Republic to
position of Vice President on Ecology of SOCAR.
She is married and has one daughter.
She speaks Russian, English and Turkish languages.
MATTHEW BRYZA
CEo, LAMoR TURKEY
MEMBER of THE BoARD, LAMoR AB
Ambassador Matthew Bryza is a member of the Board of Lamor Ab, the world’s leading oil spill
response company, and CEO of Lamor Turkey in Istanbul. He is also a non-executive director of Turcas,
a diversified energy company and one of Turkey’s largest corporations. Bryza additionally serves on
the Board of an upstream energy companies in the UK, is a founding partner of a cyber security firm
in Turkey, and a member of a high-level investment team developing exports of U.S. liquid natural
gas to the Baltic Sea region.
Ambassador Bryza is a member of the International Advisory Board of the International Center for
Defence and Security in Tallinn, and served as the Center’s Director from 2012-2015. He is also a Non-
Resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a Board member of the Jamestown Foundation,
both of which are think-tanks in Washington, DC.
Ambassador Bryza served for 23 years as a U.S. diplomat. His most recent assignment was as
Ambassador to Azerbaijan from February 2011 to January 2012. During 2005 to 2009, he served as
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia, with responsibility for Eurasian energy
security, the South Caucasus, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus. He simultaneously served as the U.S. Co-
Chair of the OSCE’s Minsk Group mediating the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict (between Armenia and
Azerbaijan), and as U.S. mediator of the Cyprus Question and the South Ossetia and Abkhazia conflicts
(in Georgia).
During 2001 to 2005, Ambassador Bryza served in the White House as Director for European and
Eurasian Affairs on the National Security Council Staff, covering the same areas as mentioned above,
along with Islamist extremism.
Earlier assignments at the State Department included Deputy Special Advisor to the President and
Secretary of State on Caspian Energy; Advisor on Economic Reform in the South Caucasus and Central
Asia; Russia Desk Officer; and Political Officer at the U.S. Missions to Russia (1995-97) and Poland
(1989-91).
Matthew Bryza holds a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a master’s degree from the
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, both in international relations.
His articles on foreign affairs have been published in the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, Chicago
Tribune, and Bloomberg. His numerous TV and radio interviews have been broadcast by CNN
International, the BBC, and a range of networks in Russia, Poland, the Baltic States, and the South
Caucasus.
Ambassador Bryza personally received Estonia’s Order of Terra Mariana (Fourth Class) from President
Toomas Hendik Ilves and Georgia’s Order of St. George from President Mikheil Saakashvili.
DAVID MAMMADoV
VICE-PRESIDENT foR REfININg, SoCAR
David Mammadov was born in 1955 in Kurdamir district. In 1980, he graduated from Azerbaijan Oil
and Chemistry Institute named after Azizbayov (now Azerbaijan State Oil and İndustry University)
specialized in Chemical Technology of Oil and Gas. He started his working career in 1976, at the New
Baku Oil Refinery named after Vladimir Lenin (now Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery). Mr. Mammadov had
been working at the New Baku Oil Refinery as operator, unit chief, deputy chief of workshop, chief
of workshop, and chief of division until 1994.In 1994-2005, he worked as the first deputy chief and
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Speakers’ Biographies
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senior principal engineer at Azerneftyanacaq PU, and senior principal engineer at Heydar Aliyev Baku
Oil Refinery. Since 2005, Mr. Mammadov works as the vice-president of SOCAR on refining. In 2005
he was awarded with honorary title of Honored Engineer of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and in 2010
was awarded with the “Progress” Medal
KHAYAL JAfARoV
DIRECToR of CARBAMIDE (NITRogEN fERTILISERS) PLANT
Mr. Khayal Jafarov was born in Baku in 1974. He started his professional career in 1995 within the oil
and gas industry by joining SOCAR’s Foreign Investments Division as a Leading Specialist in Economics.
In 1998 he got appointed as a Project Finance Department Manager in Foreign Investments Division
of SOCAR.
In 2000 he moved to BP Exploration Caspian Sea Ltd. to a position of Commercial Analyst. In 2002 Mr.
Khayal Jafarov left for Moscow, Russian Federation, and worked there until the end of 2006 first in the
position of a Senior Commercial and Business Development Advisor for Eni Energy Russia and later on
as a General Director of the Eni Management International Services Branch for the Russian Federation.
In late 2006 Mr. Jafarov returned back to Azerbaijan and continued his career within BP Exploration
Caspian Sea Ltd. holding positions of SOCAR Liaison Advisor, Export Operations Finance Manager and
Sangachal Terminal Finance Manager until August 2011.
In August 2011 Khayal Jafarov was appointed as Director of Carbamide Plant of the State Oil Company
of Azerbaijan Republic.
Khayal Jafarov hold a BA degree in Economics from the Baku State University and MA degree in
International Economics from Johns Hopkins University.
MUKHTAR BABAYEV
MINISTER of ECoLogY AND NATURAL RESoURCES of THE REPUBLIC of AZERBAIJAN
Babayev Mukhtar Bahadur oglu was born on October 16, 1967 in Baku. Graduated Moscow State
University.
In 1991 started to work at the State Economy and Planning Committe of the Republic of Azerbaijan,
then at the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
In 1993 joined SOCAR. In 2007-2010 worked on position of Vice-president of SOCAR.
Started from october 2010 - Chairman of Supervisory Board of “Azerikimya” SOCAR
Started from November 2010- Member of Parliament of the Azerbaijan Republic.
Since 23 April, 2018 appointed as the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of
Azerbaijan
Member of the Party “New Azerbaijan”
Married, has two children.
MELIH HAN BILgIN
CEo & PRESIDENT of TURKISH PETRoLEUM
After graduating from ITU Aeronautical Engineering Department, he worked as a manager in private
sector for many years. Finally, he worked as General Manager at CNK Aviation.
He was appointed as CEO and President at Turkish Petroleum on 21.09.2017.
He speaks English, married and he has two children.