Mr. Sahil Babayev was born in Baku in 1980. He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees in International Law and International Relations from Baku State University, as well as a PhD in Law. He is fluent in English, Russian and Turkish.

Mr. Babayev began his career at SOCAR, where he worked on major international energy agreements and pipeline projects. 
He subsequently held senior positions in the Parliament of Azerbaijan and the Ministry of Economy, leading international cooperation, foreign investment and trade initiatives.

In 2014, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry, overseeing foreign economic policy, investment promotion and strategic projects. From 2018 to 2025, he served as Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Since February 2025, he has been serving as the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Mr. Babayev has also chaired and participated in numerous intergovernmental commissions and is widely recognized for his expertise in international law, economic development and public policy.

Dr. Serhat Köksal has served as President of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) since July 2022.

With extensive experience in public finance, auditing, and international economic relations, he previously held senior positions at the Turkish Court of Accounts, the Constitutional Court of Türkiye, and the Ministry of Treasury and Finance, where he oversaw Türkiye’s relations with international financial institutions and regional economic cooperation. 

From 2020 to 2022, he represented Türkiye on the Boards of Directors of BSTDB and the Council of Europe Development Bank. He has also played a key role in the implementation and oversight of major infrastructure projects in Türkiye.

Dr. Köksal holds an MBA from Middle East Technical University, an MSc in Accounting and Finance from the University of Warwick, and a PhD in Accounting and Finance from Ankara University.

Yusif Ikram oglu Abdullayev was born in 1983 in Aghdam, Azerbaijan. In 1999, he entered Baku State University and studied for a bachelor's degree in international law. He started his professional career between 2004 and 2007, working in sales, insurance, and logistics. From 2007 to 2015, he directed the export department of Azersun Holding. 

From December 2015 to 1 June 2018, he served as Vice President of AZPROMO; on 1 June 2018, he was assigned to the position of AZPROMO President, and on 8 October 2021, as part of AZPROMO's reorganization, he was appointed to the position of the Agency's Executive Director.

Orkhan Vidadi oglu Mammadov was born in Baku in 1984. In 2005, graduated from International Relations Faculty of Baku State University. In 2005, completed Business and Finance program at Regent’s University London. In 2009, earned an MBA degree at Odlar Yurdu University. In 2012, earned a second bachelor’s degree in Finance and Credit at Azerbaijan State University of Economics. In 2006, started to work at the Ministry of Industry and Energy.

From March 2007 to February 2018, held various positions at the Ministry of Economy, including serving as senior advisor and deputy head of business development policy sector, deputy head of foreign economic relations sector and head of interstate economic cooperation sector.  During his employment in the Ministry of Economy, participated in nearly 100 international meetings of various working groups and joint intergovernmental commissions, and was directly involved in the organization of a number of international events.

On February 27, 2018, was appointed Chairman of the Management Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Fluently speaks Azerbaijani, English, Russian and Turkish.

Since 2013, Mr. Togrul Kocharli has coordinated SOCAR Trading’s investment and development projects. He leads the team on expansion of trading and investment activities around the globe by focusing on asset acquisitions, development of long-term relationships and intergovernmental ties. Among other projects, Mr. Kocharli manages the company’s expansion into Pakistan, Bangladesh, several African markets as well as financing framework and participation in an LNG terminal facility in the Mediterranean. 

Prior to joining SOCAR Trading, Mr. Kocharli served as an Associate of Unicredit Group’s Central and Eastern European Investment Banking team based in Vienna advising on large-scale transaction and privatizations and then as an Associate Director for VCP Capital Partners, where he led investment teams and identified transaction opportunities.

After graduating with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Western University in Baku, he earned his Masters degree in Business Administration at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Mr. Tahir Garibov is Senior Director of Business Banking at Unibank CB OJSC,  one of Azerbaijan’s leading financial institutions, where he oversees the Bank’s corporate and MSME businesses. He is also Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Unicapital, the investment company of Unibank. 

With more than 16 years of experience across corporate banking, SME finance, investment banking, and capital markets, Mr. Garibov has held a number of leadership positions within Unibank Group, including Chief Executive Officer of Unicapital and Director of Investment Banking. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in developing financing solutions for businesses, expanding access to capital, and supporting private sector growth. At Unibank, he leads the development and execution of the Bank’s business banking strategy, covering lending, partnerships, product innovation, and customer growth. Under his leadership, Unibank has achieved record growth in its business portfolio and strengthened its position as one of Azerbaijan’s fastest- growing business banking franchises.

Mr. Garibov is a strong advocate for Azerbaijan’s economic diversification, capital market development, sustainable growth, and broader access of businesses to modern financial services. 

Mr. Ziya Aliyev has served as Vice President Banking of the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (BSTDB) since May 2025. Before joining BSTDB, he spent 25 years at the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, culminating in his role as Advisor to the Governor and previously as Executive Director, overseeing key areas including insurance supervision, financial consumer protection, strategic management, and risk management.

Mr. Aliyev has contributed to major national development strategies, including Azerbaijan’s education reform agenda and the Azerbaijan 2030 socio-economic development framework. In recognition of his service, he was awarded the “Progress” Medal by the President of Azerbaijan. 

His academic background includes a Master of Arts in Policy Economics from the Center for Development Economics at Williams College (USA), and a Master and Bachelor of Science in Finance & Credit from the Azerbaijan State Economic University. 

He is fluent in English, Azerbaijani, Russian, and Turkish.

Panayotis Gavras is Director, Policy and Strategy at the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank, where he has directed a variety of strategic and operational activities, and led the Bank’s economic research on the Black Sea Region. Prior to BSTDB, he worked at the World Bank as a project specialist, on health, education, and other social sector projects in South Asia. He has also worked at the National Foundation for the Reception and Resettlement of Repatriated Greeks, based in Athens.

He has published a number of reports and articles on the Region, as well as on financial regulatory issues related to credit rating agencies and their impact on country risk determination and their role in banking supervision. 

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Near Eastern Studies from Princeton University, and a Master's in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government.