Businesswomen Gather Again at the SHE Congress

The latest “SHE Congress” took place with the support of the country’s leading mobile operator, Azercell Telecom, which served as the digital transformation partner of the event. Notable moments of the congress, attended by more than 500 women, included various speeches, panel discussions, and interactive sessions.

At the congress, held under the slogan “Beyond Now—Creating What Lives On,” Azercell was represented by Shirin Aliyeva, Executive Director for Legal and Data Strategy, and Sona Abbasova, Director of the Corporate and Marketing Communications Department.

During her speech, Shirin Aliyeva spoke about the company’s leading role: “As Azercell, in addition to providing telecommunication services, we contribute to strengthening social welfare and developing human potential. In an era when technology, especially artificial intelligence, is rapidly penetrating our lives, we believe that no technological innovation can replace human emotions, empathy, and creativity. For this reason, every initiative must be human-centered and serve to improve well-being.”

The panel discussion, “The First Open Door—Taghiyev’s Legacy,” organized within the congress, was dedicated to the history of women’s education in Azerbaijan. Sona Abbasova, who moderated the discussion, noted that Zeynalabdin Taghiyev is a living embodiment of “soft power.” Despite existing stereotypes and societal resistance, he understood the importance of women’s education over 100 years ago and took courageous steps in this direction.

Orman Aliyev, Executive Director of Baku Media Center, spoke about a feature film dedicated to the life and work of philanthropist Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. He emphasized that the work reflects not only the life journey of this historical figure but also his struggle for women’s education and the challenges he faced. His idea, “If you educate one woman, you educate a whole family and future society,” remains relevant today. The film visually demonstrates this concept and highlights the values that women educated at the school founded by Taghiyev later contributed to society.

The screenwriter of the film “Taghiyev,” Ismayil Imanov, stated in his speech that, even after 100 years, some stereotypes about girls’ education still persist in society.

This idea was supported by actress Gunesh Tekin. She played the lead role in the series “Citizen A” based on Jafar Jabbarly’s novel “Almaz”. She emphasized that some of the issues raised in that work, particularly the exclusion of girls from education, remain relevant today, with parental stereotypes being a key reason.

Vafa Kazdal, Vice-Rector for Strategy and Development at ADA University, addressed the topic of women's education in today’s context and emphasized the importance of creating opportunities for choice and building self-confidence among young women. She stated that expanding opportunities for girls are crucial not only for their personal development but also for the advancement of society as a whole.

Saida Abdullayeva, a board member of the “Huma Quşu” Education Support Fund and a panel participant, shared information about the fund’s history, its activities, and its partnership with Azercell. She noted that with the fund’s support, many young girls have already gained the opportunity to study abroad. Such initiatives, she said, make a significant contribution to the advancement of women in the fields of innovation and technology.