2022 was a year of turbulence for business, especially for companies in Eastern European countries. But even in such a difficult situation, some companies manage not only to maintain, but also to develop business – to enter new markets and develop new areas. CEOWORLD Magazine talked with NEQSOL Holding CEO Yusif Jabbarov about how to stand fast, maintain stability, and develop business in unprecedented conditions for modern Europe. Yusif Jabbarov is a top manager with more than 20 years of experience in a number of sectors (financial; oil, gas, and energy; telecommunications; construction materials production; and hi-tech) in different regions across the globe. Thanks to Yusif Jabbarov’s experience, NEQSOL Holding managed to build its work in nine countries – the UK, the USA, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and the UAE. Such diversification, even during global economic instability, allowed achieving positive financial indicators.
In a given extensive interview, Jabbarov also talked about his company’s plans to participate in reconstruction of post-war Ukraine.
“We have always considered and still consider Ukraine as a market with very great potential. This is due to many factors – the availability of qualified personnel, incredible natural resources, and the constant improvement of the legislative framework. These were the key factors when we made the decision to start working in the country. The war did not affect our faith in Ukraine. Yes, we had to temporarily suspend a number of planned projects. But as soon as there is a practical opportunity to implement them and we will be able to attract additional financing, we are going to close the deals that have been started.
Any war begins and ends. Of course, there are risks of physical destruction of the infrastructure owned by Vodafone Ukraine, one of the largest telecom operators in Ukraine; there are devaluation risks; and there are difficulties associated with acquiring currency and paying obligations in foreign currency. But we have learned to accept and work with these risks. And I consider our experience of working in unprecedented conditions for a modern European country to be invaluable,” CEO says.
In Jabbarov’s words, “one of the deals that was frozen in Ukraine was entering the construction materials market. Most of the preparatory work has already been done, so I plan that we will complete this deal, which will allow us to become one of the leading players in the construction materials market and join the construction boom in Ukraine: we plan to participate in construction both as an investor and as a contractor.”
Moreover, the companies belonging to NEQSOL Holding, even before the war started, signed memoranda with Naftogaz Ukraine on joint drilling work and developing and supporting gas fields.
Another area that NEQSOL Holding considers to develop in Ukraine is agriculture.
