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The winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards has been announced 11.03.22

On March 10, EY Azerbaijan announced the winner of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year awards held in partnership with the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMBDA) and sponsored by the IBA.

For the third year in a row, the winner of the competition among Azerbaijani businessmen has been selected by an independent jury consisting of representatives of the business community, international financial institutions and heads of well-known companies from among nine candidates.

After a thorough evaluation of the participants' applications, the jury selected the winners in different nominations. Thus, Rashad Mirzayev, the founder of ATL Tech, in the “Innovations” nomination, Afat Ahmadova, the owner of the “ZIRA Natural & Gourmet” brand in the “Social Impact” nomination, and Vugar Jafarov, the founder and director of the “Yığım Payment System” in the “Best Customer Solution” nomination were awarded.

The winner of this year's competition was Afat Ahmadova, the founder of the ZIRA Natural & Gourmet brand, who was awarded the "Social Impact" nomination. She will represent Azerbaijan at the international stage of the World's Entrepreneur of the Year competition. Afat Ahmadova: “I am very proud of the high appreciation of my efforts by the jury. The work I am doing reflects my beliefs and philosophy, and I am very happy to see them appreciated."

EY Azerbaijan's country managing partner Ilgar Valiyev said: “The last two years have been very difficult for entrepreneurs operating in Azerbaijan and other countries.

The purpose of the competition organized by EY in our country is to appreciate those who have overcome the existing obstacles and decided to continue on their way despite the difficulties. I believe that people who show determination and perseverance will continue to inspire others and grow their businesses.

"EY is proud to award the participants of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 competition, having a very interesting success story, and creating value for the communities in which they live and operate."

"Support for small and medium-sized businesses is one of the priorities for Azerbaijan's economic development, and a number of important steps have been taken to achieve this goal. We are very pleased that the "Entrepreneur of the Year" competition, held for the third time in a row with our partnership, focuses on small and medium enterprises.

We are also pleased with the activity of entrepreneurs and their interest in participating in this competition. I thank EY Azerbaijan and all partners for supporting and implementing the competition, ”said Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Board of SMBDA, who joined the event in a virtual format.

Abbas Ibrahimov, Chairman of the Board of the IBA: “For the third year in a row, we are pleased with our financial partner's support for the Entrepreneur of the Year awards. As the leading bank of our country, we are always with businessmen. We meet the financial needs of the businesses with our affordable products and services. At the same time, we try to add value to the businesses of entrepreneurs with our interesting projects. The Entrepreneur of the Year is one of such projects. This competition is becoming a good tradition in Azerbaijan and contributes to the development of business culture in our country.

Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) and EKVITA consulting company are among the partners of the competition.

It should be noted that the EY Entrepreneur of the Year competition, established by EY, has been held since 1986. One of the most prestigious business awards in the world, the Entrepreneur of the Year program aims to promote the entrepreneurial activity of high-potential entrepreneurs, to encourage them to inspire others by demonstrating their leadership and success. Businessman of the Year identifies successful, growing and dynamic entrepreneurs in a regional, national and global program covering more than 145 cities in more than 60 countries.