Rza Aliyev

Rza Aliyev is a nonresident senior fellow with the N7 Initiative within the Atlantic Council’s Middle East Programs. With expertise in finance, energy, and international affairs, Aliyev is also the chief strategy and sustainability officer at the Nizami Ganjavi International Center.

Previously, Aliyev held a range of roles at BP, most recently leading shareholder management of the solar energy company Lightsource BP. He also built and led several of BP’s sustainability-related partnerships and initiatives, developed various group-level policy positions, and worked with governments and partners in West Africa to build energy projects.

Before working in energy, Aliyev worked as a private banker at two of the largest banks in Andorra. Aliyev also served as a member of the Junior Board of the World Monument Fund and as a youth delegate from Azerbaijan to the United Nations (UN).

Aliyev was part of the inaugural cohort of the Schwarzman Scholars Programme. He holds a master of management in global affairs with a focus on economics and business from Tsinghua University. He also holds an MA in diplomacy and international affairs from the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy and a BA in public administration from the Academy of Public Administration in Baku.

Aliyev is fluent in Azerbaijani, English, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish. He serves in the Leadership Council of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (Black Sea Chapter) and is an associate fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. He has been recognized as a sustainable development goals integrator by the UN Development Programme.