Aytac Mukhtarzadeh, PASHA Holding's communication manager, gave an interview to trend.az.
In his interview, he reported on the activities of PASHA Holding in 2023.
Hello, Mrs. Aytac. We thank you for being with us today. First of all, we would like to know what kind of social activities PASHA Group performed in 2023?
Hello. I, in turn, thank you for inviting me to this interview. As one of the largest companies in the country, "PASHA Holding" understands its responsibility towards the country, our employees and the society and tries to behave accordingly. Our company really pays a lot of attention to its social activity and sees this activity as one of the main values it creates for society. I should note that our activities in this field are multifaceted and mainly include education, culture, sports, healthcare and other social projects. I would like to emphasize that the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda of our company changes according to the events happening in the country and the world and is adapted to the requirements of the times. In 2023, "PASHA Holding" spent tens of millions of AZN on social projects. Let me also emphasize that "PASHA Holding" contributes to the prosperity and economic stability of the country with its business activities.
Thank you for the information. But what was the amount you mentioned spent on? Can you elaborate?
Of course. Last year, we spent 5 million AZN on education. These expenses include the Alaçı scholarship program implemented by "PASHA Holding", the "Firsts" project, which provides school supplies to first-graders from low-income families, financing international scientific conferences, investments presented to universities, as well as government institutions and non-governmental organizations. includes providing support to the educational projects it implements.
As for social projects, one of the projects that "PASHA Holding" attaches importance to is the Easy Support to Family Businesses (ABAD) program. In addition, PASHA Bank and PASHA Hayat, our subsidiaries, have been providing social assistance to low-income families in cooperation with the Red Crescent Society and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population for several years, and these programs especially cover holidays. Let me also mention that one of the main donors of the Red Hearts charity fund established under Kapital Bank is Kapital Bank and PASHA Holding. Another important activity carried out by "PASHA Holding" in the direction of social assistance is the activity of meeting individual support requests received by the company.
One of the other directions that our company pays attention to is the sports field. Thus, "PASHA Holding" and its subsidiaries have been regularly investing in Azerbaijan Volleyball Federation, Azerbaijan Boxing Federation, Azerbaijan Equestrian Federation, Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation, as well as Intellectual Games Clubs for several years. In addition, group companies contribute to the development of football in our country by sponsoring Sumgayit and Zira football clubs. In 2023, PASHA Group donated more than AZN 3.6 million to the sports field.
The last area I want to mention in this question is the art area. As you probably know, the PASHA Life company, which is part of our group, supports the publication of books presented by the IRS publishing house. These books aim to introduce our cultural heritage. In 2023, with the support of PASHA Hayat company, from this series "Hidden seeds of death", "Rebirth. The books "Beginning", "Millennium of Shirvanshahs" and "Word and brush" were presented. I would like to mention that last year book presentation meetings were held in Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Italy, which contributed to the recognition of our country in the world. In addition, "PASHA Holding" has been supporting the organization of the International Jazz Festival for several years, which took place in Baku in 2023.
What place does the future of women and children occupy in your agenda?
This is a very good question. Indeed, if you look at our diary, you will see special projects dedicated to women and children. Our company has been supporting the AFAQ project for several years. The main goal of this project is to support women entrepreneurs operating in the agricultural sector in their activities. Within the framework of the project, women are trained in their fields, and they are provided with the appropriate equipment that they will use during work. "PASHA Holding" and our subsidiaries cooperate with different non-governmental organizations in the field of women's entrepreneurship. As a result of cooperation with "Gender Hub" organization, our companies support the entrepreneurial activities of women who have been subjected to violence. This topic is really important for us, because the development of entrepreneurship among women affects the development of society as a whole. The future of women
it means the future of our children, and the future of our children is the future of our society.
When talking about women's entrepreneurship, it is necessary to keep in mind the martyred women. PASHA Insurance Company, with the support of PASHA Holding and the organization of GID CSR Consulting, implemented the project "Mother Entrepreneur" for the wives of martyrs and veterans of the Patriotic War. The main goal of organizing the project was to support entrepreneurial activity for the wives of the martyrs and veterans of the Second Karabakh war, and at the same time, to increase knowledge and skills in this field. The "Mother Entrepreneur" project continued for 4 months with 30 participants, and at the end most of the participants were supported to get a job.
Another project dedicated to women by PASHA Insurance is the "GüclüSen" project. GüçülSen is a CSR project created for the purpose of educating women about breast cancer. The main goal of the project is to raise awareness among women about breast cancer and to convey to them the importance of timely screening. It is even to explain how to do personal examinations at home without going to the doctor, and what risks should be immediately consulted with the doctor. Within the framework of the project, events are held in cooperation with local hospitals, women are given additional privileges so that they can undergo examinations on time. Because every step taken in time can save a life.
Unfortunately, we had to devote a certain part of our daily life to the health of our little ones. I would love for no little one to get sick, and for each one to be healthy and happy, but unfortunately, that's not possible. At the same time, it is a pity that it is not possible to help all the puppies at the same time. As a company, we are trying to organize charity drives for thalassemia children, autistic children at Joint and Healthy Community Center, orphans in general, as well as blood donation drives. In addition, "PASHA Holding" has been helping children with serious illnesses for several years, and this activity continued in 2023. So, our company joined last year's "Cold Hands, Warm Hearts" fair and encouraged the collection of funds for charity.
You highlighted the martyred ladies. We also see from the news that the Karabakh issue is of particular importance to you. You could talk a little about that.
Our company accepts the revival of Karabakh, the restoration of liberated territories, the well-being of war participants and their families, and keeping the memory of our martyrs as a direct responsibility and carries out numerous activities in this direction.
"PASHA Holding" and our financial companies - PASHA Bank, Kapital Bank, PASHA Insurance and PASHA Hayat - closely participated in the restoration processes carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation in Karabakh. As a company, we support the restoration of mosques in the cities of Zangilan, Aghdam and Shusha. In addition, "PASHA Holding" also supports the construction of the Victory Park in Baku, which aims to preserve the eternal memory of the martyrs. In addition, our company considers it its duty to stand by the deposits of those who say "The country is a trust for us". For the second year, "PASHA Holding" and its subsidiary companies have been implementing the project "Guarding the Motherland's Savings". Within the framework of the project, a special social program is organized for children under 18 years of age who were martyred during the 44-day Karabakh War and subsequent provocations. The children in question are given holiday gifts on the occasion of the New Year, Novruz, Ramadan and Qurban holidays, as well as Victory Day, and school supplies are given as a gift on the eve of the beginning of the academic year. In addition, the said children are insured by PASHA Insurance with a high-value insurance package. This package includes examination and treatment of chronic and dental diseases, which are not included in many classic insurance packages.
One of the important activities carried out in this direction is the provision of houses to the families of martyrs and the repair of these houses by our company together with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population. Thus, in 2023, with the support of PASHA Holding, 28 houses were built from scratch and presented to the families of martyrs. Let me also mention that from 2020 to the end of 2023, with the support of PASHA Holding, 101 families of martyrs were provided with fully renovated houses. I would like to mention that "PASHA Insurance" company joined the project "Increasing psychological rehabilitation opportunities in Azerbaijan" (APRIA) implemented by "For Azerbaijan" International Charity Organization in order to contribute to emotional and psychological rehabilitation of family members of martyrs and veterans.
At the beginning of the meeting, you stated that one of the directions in which you create value is your employees. What did you mean here?
By the end of 2023, the total number of employees in "PASHA Holding" was more than 20,000 employees, which means responsibility for 20,000 employees. Realizing this responsibility, we measure and further improve the health of our organization in accordance with international standards every year. At the same time, our human resources team regularly conducts employee satisfaction surveys and collects their opinions directly from employees. Thus, at "PASHA Holding" we create a work environment where the well-being of talents is the main thing, which is reflected in the culture of continuous development, open communication, mutual respect and support. It is very important that employees feel that they are heard, that they develop, that they contribute to the company's activities and that they are members of a group of companies in general.
I would also like to mention that we invest significantly in training programs to improve continuous learning and career opportunities, and we are talking about millions of AZN. As you probably know, PASHA Hub has been operating in "PASHA Holding" for several years. The main goal of creating this center is to systematically implement learning and development programs for our group employees. I would also like to emphasize that the Synergy Program has been implemented in our group since 2018. The purpose of this program is to organize meetings, events, competitions on various topics for our employees and thus strengthen cooperation through communication. In addition, we also run an internal incubation program to promote an entrepreneurial spirit and a culture of innovation within the company, which is one of our corporate values. Through this program, employees also get the opportunity to put forward their new ideas and turn them into real projects.
We also observe from your activities that your company attaches importance to innovation and at the same time carries out innovation-oriented social activities. PASHA Holding also implements projects supporting business and the economy in general. What can you say in this regard?
Yes, innovation for us is a part of our business as well as a social activity in a sense. Thus, until today, our company has announced development and career counseling programs for local start-ups in cooperation with state institutions and non-governmental organizations, provided scholarships to students studying in technical fields, and even ensured their participation in the world's most important innovation events. In addition to these, "PASHA Holding" also supports the training of mentors in the mentioned fields and supports local incubation, acceleration and venture centers.
The InMerge innovation summit is also a clear example of our company's contribution to the innovation ecosystem. The purpose of this summit organized by "PASHA Holding" is to contribute to the development of the innovation ecosystem in the country, to bring startups and investors together and create an opportunity for cooperation, as well as to build a platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences among all participants of the innovation ecosystem. You probably know that famous and creative people like Steve Wozniak, one of the founders of "Apple", Chris Barton, the founder of "Shazam", and JB Straubel, one of the founding partners of "Tesla" participated in the summit in 2023. In total, more than 3000 people benefited from the opportunities created by the summit. Serving the same purpose, "PASHA Holding" is organizing a hackathon for the 4th time. I would like to take this opportunity to announce that registration for this year's hackathon is still open and interested parties can apply for the competition.
I would like to emphasize that the first venture capital fund and cyber security school in the country started operating with the support of "PASHA Holding". In addition, the Holberton school, which is currently operating in our country, was also brought to the country with the support of our company. Young students interested in information technologies can get high-quality theoretical and practical knowledge from experts in the field at this school. Thus, this training center trains ICT personnel of the future through innovative and practical methodology with high-quality technological programs from Silicon Valley.
Regarding the impact on the economy, it should not be forgotten that PASHA Group, operating in different - financial and non-financial sectors, already contributes to the general business activity, competitiveness and thus the formation of a progressive environment in these sectors. As one of the largest groups of companies in the country, "PASHA Holding" ensures the creation of a large number of jobs in the country. As I mentioned, by the end of 2023, the total number of employees at "PASHA Holding" was more than 20,000 employees. This means that we provide more than 20,000 jobs. Thus, the total amount of compensation provided to employees in 2023 was 524 million AZN. I think that in general we give to the development of our talents
hfe - whether through the organization of training and development programs, culture, or providing experience according to international standards - is one of the values we create in itself. As a result, with this activity, our company contributes to the development of the personnel base and the labor market in general. I should also mention that PASHA Hub, whose name I mentioned in the previous question, also organizes development programs for students and people who have just entered the labor market. The most important of these programs is the Future Shapers program, which aims to identify talented university students and recent graduates, contribute to the development of their technical and soft skills, as well as inform young people about emerging roles in the market.
As a continuation of the topic of contribution to the economy, I would like to emphasize that "PASHA Holding" acts as one of the largest taxpayers in the country. In 2023, our company paid a total of 258 million AZN in taxes. But we try not to limit ourselves to that. In 2023, our company supported the development of small and medium entrepreneurship as well as the insurance sector in the country by providing financial support to the Small and Medium Business Development Agency (SMB), Azerbaijan Insurers Association and other institutions. Starting from April 2023, under the sponsorship of "PASHA Holding" and the initiative of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the "Karabakh SMEs" program is being implemented. Within the framework of the program, about 50 SMEs were created and provided with the necessary equipment in order to support the improvement of social security and employment of the families of martyrs, veterans, and war participants.
Ms. Aytac, thank you for the detailed information. Many citizens of our country, including me, were not even aware of these activities. I know that your company is entering a new strategic period this year - 2024-2026. As a final question, we would like to hear your comments on this topic.
You are right - this year marks the beginning of a new three-year strategic period for us. Going into this period, we sat down with our team and discussed what to expect this year. Our discussions also covered the general goal of PASHA Holding. We asked ourselves: why does PASHA Holding operate? What does it aim for? What is the purpose of the company? After a long discussion, we decided that we can shape all our activities around one message: To be useful - to create value. That is, the purpose of the company is actually to create value in different directions. Contributing to the topics on the agenda of our country, contributing to the country's economic development, society's well-being, Azerbaijan's image in the global environment - as a result, we try to create value. Therefore, we will try to serve this purpose in the current strategic period.
At this point, I would also like to mention the topic of climate. You know that climate change is one of the important topics for both our country and the world. Realizing the importance of the topic, in this strategic period we will also consider our responsibility towards our future as a group of companies. Our company is currently reviewing both environmental impact and overall sustainability reviews and is formulating an operational plan on the subject. I think that in the current strategic period, our contribution to the environment, solving climate problems, and sustainability processes will be among the values created by PASHA Holding.
Thank you for coming.
I thank you.
