🚀 StrategEast #StateAndIT Eurasian Forum / Baku

Thank you Anatoly Motkin for the kind invitation to this forum. It was a pleasure to sit as a jury at the “#Startups meet #Investors” session hosting:

💡 Speakers:
Clíona Jordan ☁ — Early Stage Startup Lead, Google
Samir Hamidov — National Program Manager, EBRD

⚖️ Judges:
Amy Peck — Founder & CEO, EndeavorXR
Ryan Wang. — Co-founder & GP, Outpost Capital LLC
Fabio La Franca — Managing Partner, BlueverseQ
Masud Alisoy — Investment Associate, SABAH.fund
Abdulla Al-Naimi — Managing Director, Doha Business Consulting

🌟 Participating startups:
* Buyonida – All-in-one e-commerce SaaS for small sellers
* Ebiletstore – Smart platform for event management and ticketing
* dmp – Intelligent procurement automation solution
* Lilitopia– AI-powered digital preschool ecosystem
* Invnex– Platform for real estate and alternative investments
* Luhive– All-in-one community management platform

Special thanks to Tughra Musayeva Farid Sh. Huseynov Huseyn Abizadeh Akif Gurbanov for the session hold at “PASHA Holding” to discuss innovation strategies, startup ecosystem and investment opportunities in Azerbaijan. And it is always a pleasure to see Kate Bunina Gunay Hajili. …

💫GOTION HIGH-TECH & InoBat Slovakia Gigafactory opening

A milestone moment at the heart of Europe.

It was inspiring to join the GOTION HIGH-TECH & InoBat Slovakia Gigafactory opening — the first battery gigafactory in Slovakia and a landmark project in China–Slovakia new energy collaboration.

Gotion High-Tech, a frontrunner in globalization strategy and majority-owned by Volkswagen Group, has chosen Slovakia as a key hub in its European and EMEA expansion. The investment reflects Europe’s accelerating demand for energy transition and Slovakia’s unique position as the heart of Europe’s automotive industry — supported by strong industrial clusters and a strategic location.

Once completed, Slovakia will become the world’s largest battery-producing nation per capita, ahead of South Korea, marking a transformative step in Europe’s energy transition journey.

Congratulations to the visionary leadership of Li Zhen is the Chairman and General Manager of Gotion High-Tech, Steven Cai, Marian Bocek, Vazil Hudak, Dr Tara Lindstedt and Pavol Krokoš for bringing this collaboration to life.

#Gotion #InoBat #Volkswagen #EnergyTransition #Gigafactory #Slovakia #CleanEnergy #Sustainability #Innovation #batteries …

💫 @bmwfoundation Leaders Collaboration Forum

Happy to be part of the 300 global leaders in Berlin to discuss how Europe can strengthen its global competitiveness while staying true to its collaborative spirit.

Three Key Takeaways:

1. Collaboration as a Driver of Competitiveness

Europe’s strength has always come from its ability to collaborate across borders, sectors, and generations. In today’s uncertain world, that cooperative spirit is more essential than ever. Europe cannot afford 27 markets competing against each other. True leadership depends on our capacity to bridge divides: East and West, North and South, public and private, innovation and regulation. By aligning national ambitions with a shared vision, Europe can turn diversity into synergy and collaboration into a competitive advantage.

2. Energy as a Unifying Force

Europe’s energy transition will succeed only as a shared project. Despite decades of integration, we still lack a truly unified energy market. Fragmented regulations, national priorities, and limited interconnections slow down progress. Making clean, affordable and secure energy a unifying force means investing in cross-border grid-infrastructure, aligning policies, and building resilience together. Shared energy means shared strength.

3. Innovation as Europe’s Defining Edge

Europe’s future depends on its ability to innovate and implement – in technology, governance, and collaboration. Innovation requires courage, speed, and trust in Europe’s own talent. By creating an environment where ideas move freely across borders and sectors, Europe can make applied innovation its defining edge for growth, global relevance, and competitiveness.

#global #leaders #energy #europe #partnership …

🌍 Energy Shift Capital at Sustainable Brands Turkey Conference

We explored how capital flows are shaping the energy transition both in Türkiye and globally — from boardroom strategy to real-world infrastructure at the “Investment Trends in the Energy Sector – Türkiye & Global Perspective” panel hosting:

👤 Canan Özsoy– Independent Board Member & Board Advisor
👤 Özge Özen Aksoy – CFO, Akenerji
👤 Nihal Kanay – CFO, Sanko Enerji
👤 Ilkay Demirdag – Co-CEO Energy Shift Capital (Moderator)

🔹 "Corporate boards are increasingly recognizing sustainability and energy transition as fundamental responsibilities, integral to risk management, competitiveness, and stakeholder trust." Canan

🔹"Shift towards renewable energy is no longer an option, but a necessity for a sustainable future. Broader adoption of green financing instruments worldwide and in Turkey will offer economic and reputational benefits to issuers and low-risk, long term investment option for investors sensitive to ESG criteria." Ozge

🔹"Enhancing the resilience of Türkiye’s energy infrastructure to climate change is both a strategic and necessary step for a sustainable future. To scale the energy transition, it is important to foster clear and stable policies, improve access to diverse financing options, and strengthen local technological and human capacity." Nihal

#EnergyShiftCapital #SustainableBrands #EnergyTransition #ImpactInvesting #WomenInEnergy #ClimateFinance #SB2025 #EnergyLeadership #Türkiye #CleanEnergy #BoardLeadership …

It was a pleasure to moderate the panel “Building Societal Resilience Through Social Impact in Brand Leadership” at this year’s Sustainable Brands Turkey Conference — a conversation that truly reflected the power of authenticity and consistency in shaping purpose-driven brands.

💬 Beril Alakoc, Chief Brand and Communications Officer of Akbank, highlighted that brands today are evaluated not only by their products or services, but by the values they create for society, their genuine stance, consistent actions, and their response in times of crisis. As she beautifully stated, “Trust is the most valuable capital a brand can have.”

💬 Prof. Dr. Itir Erhart emphasized that sincerity and consistency must be the foundation of all brand actions — from communication to culture — as true impact can only emerge when purpose aligns with behavior.

In an era of constant transformation, brand leadership with social impact is no longer optional — it is the pathway to long-term resilience and relevance.

#SustainableBrands #SocialImpact #BrandLeadership #Resilience #Authenticity #PurposeDrivenBrands …

🌍 Returns with Purpose: Can Impact and Profit Coexist?

It was a pleasure to join the Techne Summit Alexandria Egypt and take part in the inspiring panel “Returns with Purpose: Can Impact and Profit Coexist?” — a timely and necessary conversation on how investors and founders across our region can redefine growth by aligning capital with purpose.

We explored how the next decade will be shaped by those who build a regenerative economy — from clean tech and nature tech to regenerative agriculture and innovative financial models that bridge impact and returns.

I was delighted to share the stage with brilliant minds — Karim J-P Haggar, PhD, Can Atacik, and Ahmed Larouz — and extend a heartfelt thanks to Ahmed Bastawy for his thoughtful moderation and the Techne Summit team for creating such an engaging platform.

As we shift from extractive models to regenerative ones, collaboration between investors, innovators, and policymakers will be key to driving systemic transformation. The momentum is here — and so is the responsibility to invest in solutions that restore, regenerate, and sustain.

#ImpactInvesting #RegenerativeEconomy #TechneSummit #Sustainability #CleanTech #NatureTech #ImpactCapital #ReturnsWithPurpose #EnergyShiftCapital Tarek A. El Kady …

✨ Cyprus Forum Participation

It was an honour to join the “Cyprus and the EuroMed region: Diplomacy, trade and security in a region of shifting balances” panet at the Cyprus Forum together with:
👉Michael Tatham, British High Commissioner, British High Commission
👉Dorothée Schmid, Head of the Turkey-Middle East program at Ifri – Institut français des relations internationales
👉Nvard Chalikyan, Research Fellow, APRI Armenia

Thank you Petros Petrikkos, Adjunct Faculty, University of Nicosia for the great moderation.

We had great discussions around geopolitics in the region.

#energytransition #euromed #geopolitics #energy …