Imran Baghirov
Director, Retail & Commerce Business Development — Mastercard
Executive leader with 13+ years of C-level telecom experience (Azercell, TeliaSonera Group) and a current mandate at Mastercard engineering revenue ecosystems across a US$2.2B GDP territory in 12 markets — scaling commercial value by an order of magnitude in one of the world's toughest geographies. 2 AI patents, including a first-of-its-kind AI Clone Agent (2023), serial founder of Azerbaijan's first startup incubator and largest tech hub, board & advisory roles, 3x TEDx speaker.
Global platform value, local market execution
Imran Baghirov is a commercially minded executive who connects global platform value to local market execution. At Mastercard (Jan 2023 – present) he owns go-to-market across a US$2.2B GDP territory — Türkiye and 11 CIS markets — driving C-level partnerships across retail, telco and fintech, and deploying Mastercard's data-driven platforms (Dynamic Yield, SessionM, Test & Learn, Digital Labs, Cyber & Intelligence). There he grew regional services revenue by an order of magnitude in three years — in a geography defined by war, sanctions and hyperinflation — turning a targeted innovation budget into a multi-million-dollar services engine. Before Mastercard he spent 13+ years as a telco executive at Azercell Telecom (TeliaSonera Group), founded Azerbaijan's first startup incubator and its largest technology hub, and holds 2 patents at the intersection of AI, identity and telecom-financial services.
Candidate Profile
- Mastercard platform value — deploys world-class personalization, loyalty & data assets into new markets
- 13+ years C-level telco executive trajectory (Azercell / TeliaSonera)
- 2 AI patents + hands-on AI / data science practitioner
- Board & advisory roles — Seedstars, Innovation Labs, venture partner
- Bilingual board presence; TEDx & media spokesperson
Ideal Mandate
- Senior commercial leadership — VP / Regional / Country Director
- Fintech, payments, retail & telecom growth across EMEA / CIS
- Innovation & AI — Chief Commercial / Innovation Officer
- Building new markets from zero — platforms, partnerships, ecosystems
- Board seats and strategic advisory across AI, fintech and telecom
Results across three decades of execution
Client savings delivered
Projects run, 8 countries
AI patents filed & published
TEDx stages
Where the experience compounds
Telecom — Executive
13+ years at Azercell Telecom (TeliaSonera Group), from strategy & innovation to new-business incubation.
Retail, Payments & Fintech
Mastercard go-to-market across retail, telco and fintech partnerships in 12 markets.
Digital & Startups
9+ years building incubators, tech hubs and venture partnerships from zero.
AI & Data Platforms
2 AI patents; hands-on deployment of personalization, loyalty and risk platforms.
Board & Advisory
Seedstars Global Ambassador, Innovation Labs advisor, venture investment partner.
Thought Leadership
3x TEDx speaker, weekly tech radio host, 26K+ LinkedIn community.
Quick answers
Who is Imran Baghirov?
Director, Retail & Commerce Business Development at Mastercard, leading go-to-market across Türkiye and 11 CIS markets. He spent 13+ years as a C-level telecom executive at Azercell Telecom (TeliaSonera Group), founded Azerbaijan's first startup incubator and largest tech hub, and holds 2 AI patents.
What does Imran Baghirov do at Mastercard?
He owns go-to-market across a US$2.2B GDP territory spanning 12 markets, drives C-level partnerships across retail, telco and fintech, deploys Mastercard's data platforms (Dynamic Yield, SessionM, Test & Learn, Digital Labs, Cyber & Intelligence), and defines and sells multi-million-dollar services engagements.
What AI patents does Imran Baghirov hold?
Two AI patents: the AI Clone Agent (2023) for autonomous management of a user's financial assets — filed before AI agents became an industry theme — and an AI-driven eKYC patent for secure digital identity validation through financial institutions in telecom.
Is Imran Baghirov open to new executive roles?
Yes — senior commercial leadership (VP / Regional / Country Director), Chief Commercial or Innovation Officer mandates, and board or advisory roles spanning fintech, payments, retail and telecom across EMEA and CIS, including relocation.
Let's build the next order-of-magnitude growth story
Senior commercial leadership, innovation & AI mandates, and board or advisory conversations — EMEA / CIS.