Igor Ashurbeyli

Igor Raufovich Ashurbeyli (Azerbaijani: İqor Rauf oğlu Aşurbəyli;, Russian: Игорь Рауфович Ашурбейли; born 9 September 1963, Baku, Azerbaijan) is a Russian businessman and scientist. He was the CEO of SPA Almaz from 2000 to 2011. He was also the Chairman of the Board of Socium Holding. He has a Doctor of Science in Engineering. He has a PhD in Engineering, with a specialization in Computer Science. He is also the creator the space nation Asgardia.

He was born 9 September 1963, in Baku, Azerbaijan, a descendant of an Azerbaijani noble family Ashurbeyov. He graduated from the Azerbaijan State Oil Academy in 1985. He then founded the Socium, which later became Socium Holding, in 1988. In 1990 Ashurbeyli moved to Moscow. He held positions of Deputy General Manager, First Deputy General Manager, and Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at SPA Almaz (later rebranded as GSKB Almaz-Antey) starting from 1994. From 2000 to 2011, Ashurbeyli was the CEO of SPA Almaz (Because SPA Almaz was rebranded as the OJSC State Special Design Bureau Almaz-Antey, the Russian abbreviation of this company GSKB Almaz –Antey is frequently confused with JSC Concern Almaz-Antey). From 2004, he was the Chairman of the Board of the Nonprofit Non-Government Expert Society on Space Threat Defense (ESSTD). In 2014, ESSTD was granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). He was awarded Russia’s State Science and Technology Prize in 2010. Ashurbeyli resigned from SPA Almaz in 2011. From 2011, he was part of the Chairman of the Board and Scientific Supervisor of KB-1 (Design Bureau -1), a privately held company, and Chairman of the Board and Owner of Socium Holding. He founded the Aerospace International Research Center (AIRC) in Vienna, Austria, in 2013. In 2014, AIRC began publication of a space journal, ROOM, of which Ashurbeyli is the editor-in-chief.On February 5, 2016, Ashurbeyli was awarded the UNESCO Medal for contributions to the development of nanoscience and nanotechnologies during a ceremony held at UNESCO headquarters, Paris.

On the 12th of October, 2016, Ashubreyli announced in a press conference in Paris "The birth of the new space nation Asgardia" in an opening speech. He is the self-proclaimed "Founding Father of Asgardia".

He is married, and has one son.