Over 60 women entrepreneurs, business leaders, public figures and partners gathered at INNOLAND Incubation & Acceleration Center for SHE RISES Baku 2026, the Azerbaijan-Pakistan Leadership Conference. The conference was co-organised by SheMatters Pakistan, Femmes Digitales and Azerbaijan Business Women, with Carnelian as learning partner. It was the central day of a five-day leadership journey that brought 30 women entrepreneurs and leaders from Pakistan to Azerbaijan.
Prior to the opening, the Pakistani delegation took part in the ASAN Experience, a guided tour of public service innovation and digital solutions. The conference was then opened by Vusal Rustamov, Executive Director of ASAN Innovations Center, followed by welcomes from the three co-organisers: Jana Krimpe, Founder & Chairwoman of Femmes Digitales; Syma Arshad, Founder & CEO of SheMatters Pakistan; and Tatyana Mikayilova, Chairwoman of Azerbaijan Business Women and Founder of the SHE (Smart, Happy, Equal) platform.
A key moment of the day was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between SheMatters Pakistan, Femmes Digitales and Azerbaijan Business Women. The partners will build a first-of-its-kind platform for women in both countries, where they share not only their successes but also the honest challenges along the way.
The programme was built as an exchange between two ecosystems, not a presentation by one to the other. The Pakistani delegation, led by SheMatters Pakistan, brought together 30 women entrepreneurs, business owners and professional leaders from across Pakistan, with experience spanning fintech, telecom, retail and commerce, digital inclusion, climate-responsive business and AI transformation. Azerbaijani women from telecom, digital policy, banking, green enterprise and public leadership shared their experience in return. During their five-day visit, the delegation met Azerbaijani institutions, explored the country’s innovation ecosystem and built direct connections with Azerbaijan’s women’s business community.
Pakistani speakers joined Azerbaijani leaders on stage throughout the day. Kamran Rizvi, Leadership & Business Strategist and Executive Coach at Carnelian, opened the programme with Syma Arshad and moderated the fireside on the human side of leadership. There, Ayesha Nawab, Executive Coach and Personal Growth & Transformation Specialist, and Shireen Naqvi, Leadership & Mindset Expert and Communication & Purpose Coach, shared their experience. Sarwat Salahuddin and Rabia Khattak of Jazz spoke on the main panel about ethics, diversity, inclusion and women’s access to opportunity. Sara Ijaz, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Pakistan in Azerbaijan, shared a diplomatic reflection on the value of such exchanges for relations between the two countries.
Highlights included:
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Women at the Table: Leadership, Influence & Shaping Change – a keynote by Nigar Arpadarai, Member of Parliament and Honorary Board Member of Femmes Digitales.
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Leading in the Age of AI & Digital Transformation – a Leadership Spotlight by Khayala Fatullayeva, Head of Digital Economy at the Center for Analysis and Coordination of the Fourth Industrial Revolution under the Ministry of Economy and Council Member of Femmes Digitales.
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The Human Side of Leadership: What Change Asks of Us – a fireside conversation with Sayyara Huseynova, Head of Marketing & Communications at B.EST Solutions and Secretary General of Femmes Digitales, and Ulduza Khalilova, Founder & CEO of Digital Umbrella and Council Member of Femmes Digitales, alongside Pakistani leaders.
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Inclusive Growth, Opportunity & Leadership Across Borders — a conversational keynote by Sunniya Durrani-Jamal of the Asian Development Bank.
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Women Building What’s Next: Commerce, Technology, People & Sustainable Growth — the main panel, moderated by Tatyana Mikayilova with Shahla Mammadova, Head of Private & Retail Digital Products at PASHA Bank and Board Member of Femmes Digitales; Maryam Abbaszade, Operations Director at Peerstack Academy and Board Member of Femmes Digitales; and speakers from Pakistan.
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The Room Speaks – a facilitated session where participants turned insights into concrete collaborations and next steps.
“I have spent more than twenty years building digital bridges between countries, and I have learned that the bridges that last are never made of technology alone. They are made of trust, and of people who choose to build together. In this room, women from Azerbaijan and Pakistan did exactly that. This Memorandum is not a piece of paper, it is a promise that when one of us rises, she lifts others with her,” said Jana Krimpe, Founder & Chairwoman of Femmes Digitales.
“When a woman grows her business, a country grows with her. Azerbaijan and Pakistan already share a strong partnership, and women entrepreneurs can give it a practical, everyday dimension: one introduction from one woman to another can become a client, a supplier or a partner. The women we build with may be thousands of kilometres away, yet they are our closest partners. Wherever we are, we choose to grow together,” said Tatyana Mikayilova, Entrepreneur, Chairwoman of Azerbaijan Business Women and Founder of the SHE (Smart, Happy, Equal) platform.
“SheRises began as a leadership journey for women in Pakistan. Today it became a bridge. Thirty women travelled to Baku not to visit another country, but to see differently, connect differently and return differently. The friendship between Pakistan and Azerbaijan is well known; what this Memorandum adds is a community of women who will carry that friendship forward in business, technology and leadership,” said Syma Arshad, Founder & CEO of SheMatters Pakistan.
The partners plan to continue the exchange through joint programmes, business introductions and knowledge sharing between women leaders in Azerbaijan and Pakistan.
The organisers thank ASAN service for hosting the conference, INNOLAND Incubation & Acceleration Center for its role as venue partner, and B.EST Solutions, the national operator of Asan Imza (Mobile ID), for supporting the conference as sponsor. They also thank the Embassy of Pakistan in Azerbaijan for its participation.
About the organisers
Femmes Digitales (“Supporting Women in Tech” Public Union) is an independent, non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 2013. Its mission is to close the gender gap in the tech industry, inspire more women to pursue technology and IT, and build an inclusive workforce for the era of digital transformation. Femmes Digitales builds a strong network for its members and partnerships with government, academia and industry.
SheMatters Pakistan is a women-focused leadership and enablement platform based in Lahore, Pakistan. It advances women’s leadership, economic participation and enterprise through advocacy, leadership development, skills development, financial inclusion, digital literacy and strategic partnerships, connecting women with knowledge, networks, markets and opportunities.
Azerbaijan Business Women is a non-profit platform based in Baku that advances women’s entrepreneurship, leadership and economic participation. It brings together women entrepreneurs, business owners and senior executives, and creates opportunities for professional development, mentorship, networking, innovation and business growth.
