AFchamber ESG Committee held an event on “ESG Is Not a Trend – Or Is It?”
On 29 May 2025, AFchamber ESG Committee held a dynamic event on “ESG Is Not a Trend – Or Is It?”, bringing together key stakeholders from across Azerbaijan’s financial and corporate sectors to discuss the evolving role of sustainability in business and finance.
The event welcomed representatives from the Central Bank of Azerbaijan, members of the Azerbaijan Banks Association, board members, and representatives of member and non-member companies.
The event aimed to facilitate an open dialogue around sustainability practices in the face of recent global developments, such as political reversals in the U.S. and a financial sector pullback. These trends have sparked questions about the scalability of sustainable practices and the future of ESG as a strategic priority.
The event started with opening remarks by Emin Bagirov, AFchamber Board Member, and Regional Manager at Steelcase and Zakir Soltanov, Managing Director of AFchamber.
Madina Mammadova, Chair of the ESG Committee and Manager, Sustainability Advisory at Deloitte Azerbaijan, delivered a presentation on the recent pushback against sustainability, the rising skepticism surrounding ESG initiatives, and why sustainability remains a strategic priority.
Following her presentation, she invited guest speaker Maral Guliyeva, Head of Risk Management Division at PASHA Bank and member of the ESG Expert Group of the Azerbaijan Banks Association, to share her insights.
Our guest speaker, Ilkin Haji, Executive Director at Sustainera Solutions, delivered a presentation on the “Support to SMEs for ESG Integration – Group Advisory Program”, outlining how the initiative helps small and medium-sized enterprises incorporate environmental, social, and governance practices into their operations.
The event continued with an interactive discussion and a live survey session led by Madina Mammadova and Murad Huseynov, Deputy Chair of the ESG Committee and Sustainability & Climate Change Consultant at Sustainera Solutions.
AFchamber extends its sincere gratitude to Kanan Mammadov, Senior Economist at the Financial Sector Sustainable Development Department of the Central Bank of the Republic of Azerbaijan, our guest speakers Maral Guliyeva, Ilkin Haji, and committee members Madina Mammadova, Orkhan Vahabov, Murad Huseynov, for their active participation and valuable contributions.