Forum Speakers
& Topics
Hear from Leaders Shaping the Region
The CAMCA Regional Forum features a diverse collection of voices – convening innnovators, changemakers and experts at the highest levels from all sectors – Presidents, Prime Ministers, CEOs, Ambassadors, Chairpersons, Executive Directors, founders, entrepreneurs, investors, C-suite executives, university administrators, and more.
This year’s speaker lineup will continue to be finalized over the coming months and this page will be updated to reflect our confirmed speakers.
Speakers
H.E. Hikmet Hajiyev
Assistant to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Dr. S. Frederick Starr
Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, American Foreign Policy Council
Amb. Hafiz Pashayev
Rector, ADA University
H.E. Mikayil Jabbarov
Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Senator Sodyq Safoev
First Deputy Chairman, Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Chargé d’affaires Amy Carlon
U.S. Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan
Amb. Kubanychbek Omuraliev
Secretary-General of the Organization of Turkic States
Jalal Gasimov
CEO, PASHA Holding
Rolande Pryce
World Bank Regional Director for the South Caucasus
Amb. Eduards Stiprais
EU Special Representative (EUSR) for Central Asia
Amb. Philip Reeker
Partner and Practice Lead for Europe & Eurasia, DGA-Albright Stoneridge Group; Former Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia and the Secretary of State’s Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations
Emin Agalarov
President of Agalarov Development
Amb. Irakli Alasania
Founder and CEO, Sodi Investment; Former First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of Georgia
Ali Aslan
International TV Presenter & Journalist
Natig Bakhishov
Executive Director, United States-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce
Amb. Matthew Bryza
Jamestown Foundation Board Member; Managing Director at Straife LLC; Partner at Abbert Capital; former U.S. Amb. to Azerbaijan
Lucy Chow
Investor (LP, Pact VC), International Author & Ecosystem Builder
Aizhan Zhantayeva
Co-founder and CEO of CAMCA Talking Magazine
Dr. Svante Cornell
Director, Research and Publications, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Amb. Javlon Vakhabov
Deputy Advisor to the President, Managing Director at The International Institute for Central Asia
Tamar Ioseliani
Deputy Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia, CAMCA Network Member – (TBC)
Dr. Fariz Ismailzade
Member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan; Vice Rector, ADA University
Toly Strutinsky
Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Partnerships–East, Xsolla
Anthony Kim
Editor of the Index of Economic Freedom, and Manager of Global Engagement, Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, Heritage Foundation
Laura Linderman
Director of Programs, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Pavle Mgeladze
CEO, re:invent Venture Studio
Dr. Farid Shafiyev
Chairman of the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center)
Dr. Mamuka Tsereteli
President, America-Georgia Business Council
Giorgi Tsikolia
Executive Vice President, Europe and the Middle East, Lineate
Ilan Beman
Senior Vice-President, American Foreign Policy Council
Amb. Gela Bezhuashvili
Board Member, Strategy International (SI) Ltd
Dr. Brenda Shaffer
Research Faculty Member, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School
Dr. Ilya Roubanis
Senior Research Fellow, Institute of International Relations, Athens, Greece
Tughra Musayeva
Head of Innovations, PASHA Financial Holding
Marius Dan
CEO – Central Asia, Templeton Global Investments
Urkhan Seyidov
Regional Government Relations Director, Yango
Dr. Dania Arayssi
Senior Analyst , New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy
Brittney Stirling
Regional Director of the Levant, Turkey & the Caucasus, the Stirling Foundation
Dr. William Maley AM
Emeritus Professor of Diplomacy at the Australian National University
Tamar Kekenadze
Managing Director, CAMCA Regional Forum
Dr. Fuad Karimov
Chairperson of the Board of Directors, CAMCA Network
Sarah Tonucci
Executive Director, Rumsfeld Foundation
Sarkhan Hashimov
Deputy Chairman, Cybernet Azerbaijan
Adeniyi Adebayo
Chief Business Officer, Yango Group
Senura Abeywardena
Head of Public Policy for Central Asia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives, META
Anar Jahangirli
Strategy, Digital Transformation and Advancement Lead, Qarabağ
Fidan Huseynli
Co-founder of CAMCA Talking Magazine
Laura Demessinova
Co-founder of CAMCA Talking Magazinehief Business Officer, Yango Group
Undral Amarsaikhan
Founder of CAMCA TV
Jenny Jenish kyzy
Venture Partner, Big Sky Capital VC
Prof. Damjan Krnjević Mišković
Director for Policy Research, Analysis and Publications, Institute for Development and Diplomacy (IDD), ADA University
Nargis Dustmatova
Chairwomen, FinTech Association Uzbekistan and Finextra Group
Muna Shukurova
Managing Director; Alif in Uzbekistan
Jonathan Low
CEO, Ampyre Group, Singapore
Zhandos Shaimardanov
Director, Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Eldar Salahov
General Director of the Baku International Sea Port
Farrukh Irnazarov
Head of Representative Office/Chief of Party, Chemonics International
Eldaniz Gusseinov
Co-Founder and Chief of Research, Nightingale Int.
Rufat Abbasov
Founder, Synergy Partnership LLC
Victor Orlovski
Founder and Managing Partner, R136 Ventures
Farida Asgarzade
Founder and Managing Director, HUMAN Lab
Rasmina Gurbatova
Owner and Designer, Resm Jewelry
Dr. Ravan Hasanov
Independent Expert
Chyngyz Batyrbekov
Co-Founder and CEO, KOLFEST
Dr. Murod Ismailov
Associate Professor at University of Tsukuba, Japan; President, CAMCA Academic Consortium/CAMCA Academy
Nino Egadze
Creative Lead and Founder, Design Institute
Dinara Gaplan
Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of “Bolashak Charity” Public Foundation
Rufat Hasanov
Award-winning film director, producer and lecturer, Bazelevs Company
Hadeia Amiry
National Security Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)
Alex Aleksishvili
Chairman and CEO at Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG), former Minister of Finance of Georgia
Rakhim Oshakbayev
Director of the Center of Applied Research TALAP
Orkhan Mustafayev
Founder & Chairman of the Board, Sabah Investment Group
Mikheil Nibladze
Senior Strategic Advisor, Cerberus Capital Management; Senior Advisor, LPX Partners
PREVIOUS FORUM SPEAKERS
Giorgi Margvelashvili, President of Georgia; Novruz Mammadov, Prime Minister of Azerbaijan; Giorgi Kvirikashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia; Djoomart Otorbaev, former Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic; Enkhbold Zandaakhuu, Speaker of the Parliament of Mongolia; Davlatali Said, First Deputy Prime Minister of Tajikistan; Edil Baisalov, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic; Dorjkhand Togmid, Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia; Tinatin Khidasheli, Minister of Defense of Georgia; Ruslanbek Davletov, Minister of Justice of Uzbekistan; Jeyhun Bayramov, Minister of Education of Azerbaijan; Jamshid Khodjaev, Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan; Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Education and Science of Kazakhstan; Nuria Kutnaeva, Minister of Digital Development of the Kyrgyz Republic; Amrullah Saleh, former State Minister for Security Sector Reform of Afghanistan; Donald Rumsfeld, former U.S. Secretary of Defense; Carlos Gutierrez, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce; John Bolton, former U.S. National Security Advisor; Sodyq Safoev, First Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Uzbekistan; Bob Zoellick, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and President of the World Bank; Paul Wolfowitz, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense and President of the World Bank; Hernando de Soto, President of the Institute for Liberty and Democracy and world-renowned Peruvian economist; Arthur Laffer, renowned U.S. economist and author; Yerzhan Ashikbayev, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan; Laziz Kudratov, Deputy Minister of Investment and Trade of Uzbekistan; Kairat Kelimbetov, Governor of the Astana International Financial Centre; Hafiz Pashayev, Rector of ADA University; Sergei Guriev, Scientific Director of the Master and PhD programmes in Economics at Sciences Po; Terhi Hakala, EU Special Representative to Central Asia
Tim Gould, Chief Energy Economist at the International Energy Agency; and many more…
(*Positions listed at the time of their participation*
2026 Forum Topics
Investment, Innovation & Strategic Industries
Regional Geopolitics, Security & Cooperation
Energy, Climate & Sustainability
Human Capital & Harnessing Regional Talent
Connectivity, Trade and Economic Cooperation
Digital Transformation, AI & FinTech
Meet CAMCA Network Leaders
Among our talented lineup of speakers are many CAMCA Network members from across the region. As a co-founder and co-organizer of the Forum, the CAMCA Network is a unique platform connecting leaders across Central Asia, Mongolia, the Caucasus, and Afghanistan to drive sustainable development and regional cooperation. Inspired by the historic Silk Road’s legacy of exchange, it brings together experts from business, government, and civil society to address shared challenges and unlock new opportunities.