ELNARA HUSEYNOVA, MBA

As a Strategic Communications Specialist at the State Oil Fund of the Republic of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ), I have managed and developed media relations by ensuring timely responses to inquiries, developed press releases, regularly prepared comprehensive media monitoring reports with public opinion analysis, offering strategic insights to senior leadership.

Additionally, I have led numerous media trainings and media dialogue sessions to strengthen journalistic engagement, particularly on finance and investment topics.

I was also part of the core team that developed SOFAZ's crisis communication plan, preparing tailored messages for specific scenarios.

On the international front, I played an active role in the Annual Meeting of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds (IFSWF) , not only in its operational delivery but also in managing external communications and media relations, including organizing a dedicated media conference. At COP29, I led external communications for SOFAZ's participation in two high-level events co-hosted with IFSWF, including the panel discussion on “The Role of Sovereign Wealth Funds in Financing the Energy Transition” and the session on ESG integration in investments .

As International Media Coordinator at COP29, I was responsible for planning and executing media tours to highlight Azerbaijan's green energy initiatives and COP29-related projects. Over a 9-month period leading up to and during the conference, I successfully managed and coordinated nine media tours for international journalists. This role required close collaboration with local and international stakeholders and contributed to impactful, accurate coverage of Azerbaijan's climate agenda.

As a Public Relations and Communications Specialist, my main responsibilities included but not limited to contribute to the promotion of the company and conferences that were organized in European countries in the fields such as maritime, shipping, renewable energy and oil & gas by fulfilling the followings:

Involving the Speakers and Honorable Guests from the key player companies of the industry from – Europe, North Africa, East Asia and North America.

Establishing Partnership with the Supporting Organizations (NGOs and some governmental bodies) from all over the Europe

Establishing partnership with the Media Organizations from all over the Europe This role gave me a chance to increase my skills in corporate communication and having relations with the C-level people on an international scale.

Besides all these roles, I also attended in the preparation and developing a marketing communications plan including strategy, goals, budget and tactics.

After joining BS Group of Companies as a Public Relations and Communications Specialist, I am glad to mention that 2 international in-person and 11 Virtual Conferences have been successfully held in Italy, Turkey and one of the Virtual Conferences – “Maritime Cyber Security “was moderated by me.

As a Public Relations Specialist, I used to manage and coordinate all public relation activities including developing relations with Non-Governmental Bodies and Media Organizations and establishing Partnership with them. During my professional activity period, we organized 3 International Conferences in the fields of Shipping, Solar and Wind Energy in Greece and Portugal.

The Sales department played a highly significant role for me to understand the business of the company and to build strong relations with the other departments such as Public Relations, Marketing and Social Media Management. My typical job tasks included promoting the organization and the conference, sales of the participation packages among the companies mainly from Europe. During that period, I could learn coordinating with marketing on lead generation.