Parviz Shahbazov was born in Baku on November 24, 1969. He studied at Azerbaijan State Oil Academy, 1986-1992, and did military service in 1988-1989.

He worked as an attaché in the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Federal Republic of Germany during the period of 1992-1996 and served as the Second Secretary, First Secretary, Head of Division for Europe, and Deputy Head of the Department for Europe, United States of America and Canada of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan during the period 1996-2001. He then served as Advisor and Chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Republic of Austria during the period 2001-2005. He was the Chairman of the Security Cooperation Forum of the OSCE in 2005. After that, he was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Federal Republic of Germany in 2005 and served in this position till 2016. He served as the Ambassador-at-large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan during the period 2016-2017. He was appointed as the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 12, 2017.

He is fluent in Azerbaijani (native), Russian, English and German.

He is married and has two children.

Rovshan Najaf Rovshan Chingiz oglu Najaf was born on April 9, 1982 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In 1997, he went to the Faculty of International Economic Relations of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics. He graduated with honours from the bachelor’s program in 2001 and Master’s program in 2003. In 2007-2008 he successfully completed the Master’s program in Economic Policy Management / International Energy Management and Policy at Columbia University, USA within the framework of the SOCAR scholarship program.

He started his career in 2001 as a laboratory assistant at the Department of International Economic Relations and Marketing of the Azerbaijan State University of Economics. In 2003-2007, he worked as a consultant and senior adviser in the Investment Policy Unit of the Investment and International Economic Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In 2008-2009, he worked as the Head of the Investment Contracts Unit of the Investment Department of SOCAR. In 2009-2010, he was the Head of the Foreign Economic Relations Department and Assistant Minister of Economic Development at the Ministry of Economic Development. In 2010-2018, he worked as the Deputy Executive Director and Executive Director of “Azerbaijan Investment Company” OJSC.

He was appointed as the Head of the Innovative Development and e-Government Affairs Department of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order issued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on May 11, 2018, as the Chairman of the Financial Monitoring Service of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order issued on August 28, 2019, as the Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order issued on February 11, 2020, as the First Deputy Minister of Economy by the Order issued on December 24, 2021. He was appointed as the First Vice President and Acting President of the State Oil Company of the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order issued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on February 10, 2022. President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed an order on 21.07.22 on appointment of Rovshan Chingiz oglu Najaf as president of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR).

He holds a PhD in Economics, is the 3rd degree State Counsellor. Married, has two children.