Jewish CEO of Azerbaijani giant deepens business ties with Israel

Kirill Rubinski, the Jewish CEO of the Azerbaijani conglomerate NEQSOL Holding, is strategically bridging seemingly disparate worlds to build business connections between Azerbaijan and Israel. His career has spanned Soviet Moscow and Paris, Jewish identity within Muslim-majority Azerbaijan, and the complex fields of private equity and strategic infrastructure.

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Azerbaijan has only 10 million people, that’s why so much of the business is outside the country.

NEQSOL Holding, headquartered in Amsterdam, operates across 11 countries in telecommunications, energy, mining, and construction, serving over 25 million customers. The group recently replaced one of its telecom billing systems with technology from Amdocs, an Israeli-founded company. Rubinski views this partnership not as an isolated event but as part of a broader strategy to integrate Israeli innovation into NEQSOL's operations.

"Israel is one of the world centers for technology and all types of pioneering digital innovation," Rubinski stated. He believes that Azerbaijan, and indeed all countries, stand to benefit significantly from collaboration with Israel. This perspective aligns with the existing pragmatic and security-driven relationship between Azerbaijan and Israel, where Azerbaijan serves as Israel's largest oil supplier.

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Israel is one of the world centers for technology and all types of pioneering digital innovation. Not only Azerbaijan, but all the countries in the world have a lot to win working with Israel.

Rubinski noted that his experience as a Jewish CEO in Azerbaijan has been less complicated than anticipated, describing the country as feeling more Western-oriented. He highlighted the ease with which he and the local Chabad rabbi have integrated, emphasizing a clear separation between religious practice and the professional workplace.

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It's something that I expected to be more sensitive, at least palpable. But the Muslim side, like Muslim religion or traditions in Azerbaijan, are much less visible. Azerbaijan feels much more on the western side of the world than Turkey.