Geysar Gurbanov is an American businessman, investor and entrepreneur. He is President and Chief Executive Officer of Argus Business Group™ (The Group). Gurbanov oversees the Group’s global operations and its investments in nearly 100 publicly traded companies listed in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Taiwan, Mexico, Colombia and Brazil. The Group’s investments are concentrated in the industrials, materials, energy, technology, telecommunications, consumer products and real estate sectors.
Early Life
Geysar Gurbanov was born in Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. By the time the country became independent in 1991, it was a war-torn unstable state drowning in political chaos, economic crisis and military conflict with neighboring Armenia. The conflict gradually grew into a violent war between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, which resulted in war crimes, ethnic violence and other atrocities.
Education
After graduating from high school, Geysar Gurbanov earned a law degree from Baku State University. In 2005-2006, while in law school, he spent a year in Tacoma, Washington, studying Administration of Law and Justice at Tacoma Community College through the fellowship program of the U.S. Department of State. In Tacoma, Gurbanov was introduced to Rotary International. He has been an honorary member of Tacoma Sunrise Rotary Club since 2006.
Work and Activism
In 2006-2011, Geysar Gurbanov lived and worked primarily in Azerbaijan. During those years, he developed powerful contacts with various government agencies, political parties, non-profit groups, media organizations and foreign diplomatic missions. Gurbanov’s resume includes work with NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, British Council, and International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX). As a legal expert, he also advised the U.S. Embassy in Baku and the Council of the European Union on human rights issues in Azerbaijan from 2008 until 2011. At the time, Gurbanov’s professional portfolio had a strong exposure to conflict resolution, human rights, elections and democratization.
Outside of work, Gurbanov became a community activist and volunteer. He was the president of the Rotaract Club of Baku International and the vice-chairman of the U.S.-Educated Azerbaijan Alumni Association. During summer 2009, Gurbanov took up a month-long mission in Poland via the European Volunteers Service to volunteer in the Chechen refugee camp located in Warsaw. It helped to enhance his knowledge about ethnic conflicts, refugee issues and peace building.
In 2011, Geysar Gurbanov immigrated to the United States where he continued to advise on human rights and political matters.
Rotary Peace Fellowship
In 2013, Gurbanov became a Rotary International Peace Fellow. The program was created as part of Rotary’s ongoing effort to promote greater tolerance and cooperation among nations. Via this fellowship, Gurbanov gained admission to Duke-UNC Center for Slavic, Eurasian, and East European Studies. He also received his professional certificate from Duke-UNC Center for International Studies in peace and conflict resolution.
In summer 2014, as part of his Applied Field Experience (AFE), he continued his studies at Harvard University, where he researched the conflict in Ukraine at the Center for Government and International Studies. The same year, Gurbanov received the Paul Harris Fellowship for his contributions in peacebuilding efforts.
After completing his research and earning a master’s degree in 2015 from UNC Chapel Hill, Geysar Gurbanov authored numerous articles on political and social issues. He was published in the News Tribune, the Bellingham Herald, the U.S. News & World Report, the San Antonio Express News, the Baltimore Sun, the Duke Chronicle and the Harvard Crimson. Comments from Gurbanov appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Business Insider and Al Jazeera.
Business and Investment Activities
In 2017, after more than a decade in the field of human rights and conflict resolution, Gurbanov decided to change his career path. With a growing interest in economics, finance and business management, Gurbanov started several companies in the United States under the Argus brand.
In 2022, the surviving entity—Argus Freight LLC—was reorganized into Argus Business Group™. By then, under Gurbanov’s leadership, the company’s global investment activities significantly outpaced its legacy operations in the trucking and logistics industries.
Gurbanov speaks English, Russian, Turkish, Polish and Azerbaijani.
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