Asif Zeynalov was appointed as the Chairman of the Advisory Board in April 2024.

Mr. Zeynalov has served as the Chief Executive Officer of GL Group since April 2019. With over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry in various technical and leadership roles, he is responsible for the overall success of GL and for creating, planning, implementing, and integrating the strategic direction of the Company.  Asif started his career at SOCAR Oil Refinery as a Mechanic in 1984, followed by his service in the army as a Border Guard from 1985 to 1987. After graduating from university, Asif continued his professional career as a Fire Prevention Officer at SOCAR Oil Refinery from 1992 to 1995. Asif started his career with bp in 1995 and held a number of roles through 2019 including: 

• General Manager, Shallow Water Absheron Peninsula PSA (SWAP), Baku, Azerbaijan - responsible for the creation and management of a new low-cost Operating Organization for SWAP, leveraging international experiences and best practices to effectively deliver all phases from exploration through to production;
• Regional Director of Logistics & Infrastructure Baku, Azerbaijan - responsible for defining and deploying the regional logistics strategy and capabilities in support of all Upstream logistics and infrastructure operations to support Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey Region. Accepted full responsibility for a $700 million budget, a team of 100 bp employees, and over 6000 contractors;
• Head of Operations in Rumaila oilfield in Basra, Iraq – responsible for all upstream operations in the Rumaila oilfield to support bp’s new award Technical Services Agreement.  Accepted full P&L and management leadership for the second-largest oil and gas production field in the world generating in excess of 10.5 billion barrels of oil. Recruited 100 expats and mobilized them in the country to direct 3,100 employees and more than 2,000 contractors. Managed a $420 million operating budget. Served as Incident Commander;
• Operations Manager in East Texas, USA, - responsible for oil and gas operation in East Texas comprised of 1,100 production wells, 40+ field compression stations, wellhead compression units, and 1,200 miles of pipelines and gas gathering systems across five counties;
• Sangachal Oil & Gas Processing Terminal Manager,  Azerbaijan – responsible for one of the largest industrial complexes in the world comprised of a team of over 750, a $57 million operating budget, seven oil processing trains, a high-pressure gas facility with throughput of 500 million standard cubic feet. Led the integration and commissioning of a new oil and gas processing Terminal that boosted production from 145,000 MMBOD to 850,000 MMBOD.

In 2004 Asif was awarded the "Tərəqqi" Medal (“Progress Medal”) by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan for his special contributions to the oil and gas sector of the country

Asif:

• Holds B.Sc. Degree in Transportation Engineering from the Technical University of Azerbaijan;
• Holds B.Sc. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the State Oil Academy of Azerbaijan;
• Graduated from the Operations Academy of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Sloan School of Management, USA;
• Graduated from Leadership Development Program in UK in 2002;
• Is qualified in oil&gas management of major emergencies, managed a number of big-scale emergencies off-shore and on-shore.

Gilbert Beuhler was appointed as the Member of the Advisory Board in April 2024.

Mr. Beuhler was appointed as the GL Group’s Senior Vice-President for Technical Functions and International Operations in October, 2024.

He has over 35 years of experience in all aspects of field development and reservoir management.

Gilbert has extensive international experience in brownfield redevelopment and production optimization, combining a track record of delivering rapid engagement and results with world class reservoir and production management practices.

Prior to joining GL, Gilbert held numerous management positions with bp and Exxon. He led key roles, including Production VP for BP Russia and bp / Rosneft redevelopment project in Siberia.

Additionally, he served as General Manager for the Iraq Kurdistan Project and held positions as Reservoir Development VP for Middle East Oil and Project Manager for the Rumaila field in Basra, Iraq.

Furthermore, he served as Brownfield Director for TNK-BP in Russia and as Reservoir Development Manager for the Prudhoe Bay field in Alaska, USA.

Gilbert holds a B.Sc. Degree in Petroleum Engineering from the University of Kansas, USA.

Emil Jabrayilzade was appointed as the Member of the Advisory Board in April 2024.

Mr. Jabrayilzade has served as the Chief Financial Officer of GL Group since May 2020. Emil has over 10 years of audit and financial background in various fields (telecommunications, oil & gas, construction, retail, real estate, hospitality, travel, and agriculture). He has had extensive experience in setting up internal operational, and financial controls, and processes in newly established and expanding businesses. Key roles included:

• Project Manager and Financial Controller, FoodCity Agropark, Baku, Azerbaijan
• Financial Controller, Pasha Construction Group of Companies, Baku, Azerbaijan
• Finance Manager, Pasha Construction Group of Companies, Baku, Azerbaijan
• Head of Internal Audit Department, Pasha Construction Group of Companies, Baku, Azerbaijan
• Finance Manager, Saffron Hospitality Group, Baku, Azerbaijan
• Revenue Assurance Manager, Azerfon, Baku, Azerbaijan
• Senior Auditor, E&Y (Telecom & Oil & Gas Team), Baku, Azerbaijan

Emil is FCCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) qualified.

Ismayil Dadashov was appointed as the Secretary of the Advisory Board in April 2024.

Mr. Dadashov has served as Chief of Staff of GL Group since February, 2024.

Ismayil joins us from the Taghiyev Operating Company, where he served as the External Affairs and Communications Manager, playing an important role in enhancing the company's external presence and communications.

Before his assignment at Taghiyev Operating Company, Ismayil held various positions at the Italian Embassy in Baku, where he gained in-depth experience in the organization of executive meetings and visits, communication between senior leadership, communication with government authorities and etc.

As Chief of Staff, Ismayil will work closely with the Chief Executive Officer to aid in his business’s day-to-day running. One of his main priorities will be determining the effectiveness of existing administrative systems that guide day to day operations of the Executive office thus making time, information, and decision processes more effective.

Ismayil will be responsible for facilitating and overseeing executive meetings for the CEO, providing support to executives in their tasks, including decision-making, project management, and business strategies. He will actively collaborate with and advise the Leadership team on priorities, contribute to the implementation of strategies and serve as a liaison between Executives and other relevant parties.

Moreover, Ismayil will develop and build communication and business relationships with internal and external stakeholders of our company.