Aygun ZEYNALOVA

Multilingual legal and energy professional with over 12 years of experience across oil & gas, renewable energy, public sector leadership, and academia. Known for managing and leading complex, high-value energy projects, I bring a unique blend of legal expertise, commercial understanding, and strategic leadership. My career spans legal advisory and executive management roles, with a proven track record of delivering results in demanding, multi-stakeholder energy environments.

I have led strategic projects from inception to execution across both conventional and renewable energy sectors - overseeing negotiations, regulatory alignment, and stakeholder engagement. My leadership experience includes working with international investors, development finance institutions, and regulatory authorities, particularly in structuring and implementing utility-scale energy projects.

Currently pursuing a PhD at Université de Picardie Jules Verne (France) in cooperation with Harvard University, my research focuses on energy supply agreements from a private law perspective, covering both natural gas and renewable energy supply structures. I also hold multiple master’s degrees in law from institutions in France, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, reflecting a strong academic foundation in international, European, commercial and financial law.

Fluent in several languages and comfortable navigating cross-border legal and commercial frameworks, I bring strategic thinking, legal depth, and practical execution to energy projects. I thrive in roles where legal precision meets commercial ambition-helping shape the future of energy through well-structured, forward-looking agreements and partnerships.

• Certificate of Institut National du Service Public (INSP), Climate, Energy and Environment: Regulatory Approach of the European Union, Paris, France - June 2023
• Certificate Regional Academy - Transformation Lawyers, Hertie School of Governance, Berlin, Germany - March 2017
• Certificate of Hague Academy of International Law - Private International Law Session, Hague, Netherlands - August 2016

• 2018: Full Scholarship from the European Union for studies at the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium
• 2016: Scholarship from STIP (Stichting ter bevordering van het Internationaal Privaatrecht), Rotterdam, Netherlands
• 2012: Alsace Region Boussole Scholarship (Bourse Boussole d'Alsace), Strasbourg, France
• 2009: State Program on Education of Azerbaijani Youth Abroad (2007–2015), Baku, Azerbaijan

• Speaker, “Challenges and Prospects of the Regional Market in the South Caucasus” panel, Regional Conference “Creating a Regional Energy Market in the EU’s Eastern Neighborhood”, Vienna, June 2023
• Chairman & Keynote Speaker,“Green Energy Potential of the Caspian Region” session, 28th Baku Energy Forum; presented “Caspian - EU Green Energy Corridor: Concept of Development and Transmission of Green Energy”, Baku, June 2023
• Speaker, “Caspian - EU Green Energy Corridor: Concept of Development and Transmission of Green Energy”, Baku Connect Event organized by the British Embassy and Energy Industries Council (EIC), Baku, May 2023
• Speaker, “Caspian - EU Green Energy Corridor: Green Energy Development and Transmission Concept”, High-Level Energy Dialogue Meeting between Azerbaijan and the European Union, Brussels, May 2023
• Speaker, “Long-Term Plans and Current Situation for the Implementation of Renewable and Clean Energy Projects”, Azerbaijan – US Green Energy Forum, Baku, April 2023
• Speaker, “Caspian - EU Green Energy Development and Transmission Concept”, Meeting of the Working Group on Energy between Azerbaijan and Hungary, Budapest, February 2023
• Speaker, “Caspian - EU Green Energy Corridor: Green Energy Development and Transmission Concept”, 1st Ministerial Meeting pursuant to the Agreement on Strategic Partnership in the field of Green Energy development and transmission between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, and Hungary, Baku, February 2023
• Speaker, panel on “Green Energy: Delivery of Caspian Sea Wind Energy to the European Energy Markets”, 9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting; presented “Caspian - EU Green Energy Corridor: Development and Transmission Concept”, Baku, February 2023
• Speaker, “Renewable Energy Investment Climate in Azerbaijan”, Renewable Energy Investment Conference, organized by the Council of European Energy Regulators and the European Union, Tbilisi, October 2022