Imran Baghirov
Director, Retail & Commerce Business Development — Mastercard
Executive leader with 23+ years of experience since 2003 (18+ in leadership since 2008), including 13+ years of C-level telecom experience (Azercell, TeliaSonera Group), and a current mandate at Mastercard engineering revenue ecosystems across a US$1.8 Trillion 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$1.8 Trillion 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
Where I Can Add Value
- 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
- Globally mobile — recognized under U.S. EB-1A extraordinary ability criteria
Results across two 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$1.8 Trillion 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 — always open to a conversation about senior commercial leadership (VP / Regional / Country Director), Chief Commercial or Innovation Officer roles, and board or advisory work spanning fintech, payments, retail and telecom across EMEA and CIS. He is globally mobile, including relocation to the United States.
Let's build the next order-of-magnitude growth story
Senior commercial leadership, innovation & AI initiatives, and board or advisory conversations — EMEA / CIS and beyond.