EBRD appoints Azerbaijani woman new Regional Director

Ayten Rustamova has been appointed Regional Head of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). She will be based in Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic, and will assume her duties on 1 September 2021.

Ms. Rustamova said: “I am delighted to stay in Central Asia, where I have been working for the last four years. The need for the EBRD’s knowledge and resources in the countries I am going to cover has significantly increased in the post-Covid-19 environment. I’ll be closely working with counterparts in all countries to promote green, inclusive, digital, and life-changing projects, which will help make of all these economies more sustainable. It is the challenge I am looking forward to.”

An Azerbaijani national, Ayten Rustamova, joined the EBRD in 2001 and held various banking positions in the Baku office of the Bank before becoming EBRD Head of Tajikistan in 2017. She has a Master’s Degree in languages from Azerbaijan State University of Foreign Languages and an MBA in International Business from Khazar University (Azerbaijan) in association with Georgia State University (Atlanta, USA).

As EBRD Regional Head of the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, Ms. Rustamova is succeeding Neil McKain, returning to the Bank’s Headquarters in London.