Baku, October 2, AZERTAC

The newly promoted Partners of PwC Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) have met with students of the prestigious ADA University within the framework of the Annual PwC CEE Partner Conference that is taking place this year in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The Partner Conference brings together 285 Partners from across CEE with leaders from the region and the wider PwC Global Network for goal-setting, networking, and planning for the future of business in the region.

The event gathered 25 new Partners from PwC CEE with 75 students from the MBA and Public Policy programmes of ADA University for in-depth discussions on their ambitions as future business leaders, on the emerging megatrends and challenges facing economies and societies across the region. The discussion was moderated by Blair Sheppard, PwC’s Global Leader for Strategy and Leadership, and featured the participation of Fariz Ismailzade, Executive Vice Rector of ADA University; Nick Kós, the CEO of PwC CEE; and Movlan Pashayev, Country Managing Partner of PwC Azerbaijan.

“After decades of accelerating globalization, what we witness today is a tendency for the world economy to become more multipolar, while at the same time we are faced with a number of potentially cataclysmic challenges: from climate change and rising inequality to the impacts of a far-reaching technological revolution. The next generation of business and world leaders will need to find creative ways to address these challenges, by embracing what I call the six paradoxes of leadership. Today’s excellent discussion with the bright students of the ADA Business School generated many interesting ideas about how business leaders need to engage with the wider community to try to find solutions for the many challenges that the world is faced with today,” said Blair Sheppard, PwC Global Leader for Strategy and Leadership.

“We are proud that PwC CEE has chosen Baku as the location for their annual Partner Conference and chosen to engage with ADA University for their “New Partner Immersion Programme” this year. We are committed to delivering top-quality education for our students and to building partnerships with various stakeholders, including from the business sector, to give our students access to the expertise and insights from top-level professionals. At the same time, we believe that our university plays an important role in shaping the next generation of leaders in Azerbaijan, who will have to master a wide-range of topics and skills in order to successfully navigate the challenges of the future - in particular in continuing to develop and diversify our economy. I welcome this strategic partnership we have built with PwC for the future of Azerbaijan,” said Fariz Ismailzade, Executive Vice Rector of ADA University.

“Our regional business is expanding at a fast pace and, at the same time, we have embarked on an ambitious Transformation agenda that will ensure our Firm remains competitive in the medium and long term. We are expanding our capabilities and embarking on an ambitious digital upskilling programme to align our products, services and processes with the realities of the 21st century digital economy. We are excited to have organized our Partner Conference in Baku for the very first time. Azerbaijan is one of our most dynamic markets. I am truly impressed by the progress that the country has made in the past three decades and the spectacular ways it has managed to harness its natural advantages,” said Nick Kós, CEO of PwC CEE.

“It was inspiring to see such great discussion today between our new Partners and the students of ADA. We are natural partners. The vision of the leadership of the university is to create a world class educational institution with the main goal of helping young people to realize their potential, become true international professionals and help our communities prosper. And this is exactly in line with our PwC values and purpose of building trust and solving important problems,” added Movlan Pashayev, Country Managing Partner of PwC Azerbaijan.