Nargiz Birk-Petersen

Nargiz Ilgar qizi Birk-Petersen (née Abbaszadeh; Azerbaijani: Nərgiz İlqar qızı Abbaszadə, [nærɟis ilɡɑr ɡəzə ɑbɑszɑdæ]; born 7 August 1976)[1][2] is an Azerbaijani-American lawyer, presenter and model.[3] She is known for presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan together with Eldar Gasimov and Leyla Aliyeva.[4][5]

Nargiz Birk-Petersen
Birk-Petersen presenting the Eurovision Song Contest 2012
Born
Nərgiz İlqar qızı Abbaszadə

(1976-08-07) 7 August 1976
Baku, Azerbaijan SSR, Soviet Union
Alma mater
OccupationLawyer, presenter, model
Parent(s)

Career
Eldar Gasimov and Birk-Petersen on the Eurovision Song Contest stage

Birk-Petersen was born and raised in Baku and attended secondary school in the Sabail district.[2][6] At the age of 16, she began studying law at Khazar University.[2][6] During her studies, she joined the university's student television station as a reporter for the English-language news program.[2][4][7]

In 1994, she decided to leave Khazar University and moved to the United States, where her father lived.[6] There, she worked a side job as a model while pursuing a bachelor's degree in psychology at the University of Michigan.[2][4][6][8] Later on, she also obtained a J.D. degree from Wayne State University Law School and an LL.M. degree in international and comparative law from Georgetown University Law Center.[6][8]

Birk-Petersen first practiced law in Washington, D.C., but later moved to Moscow, Russia, where she worked until 2011.[2][4][8] In early 2012, she was appointed Head of Communications for the Baku bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics.[2][9] In this capacity, she was part of the city's delegation to the general assembly of the Association of National Olympic Committees, alongside First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and Ministers Yaqub Eyyubov and Azad Rahimov.[10][11]

In the same year, Birk-Petersen was chosen to co-host the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 after participating in a casting organized by the Azerbaijani broadcaster İctimai Television.[6][12][13][14] She presented three televised shows on 22, 24 and 26 May 2012 together with singer Eldar Gasimov and television presenter Leyla Aliyeva.[4] The broadcasts attracted over 100 million viewers worldwide.[15]

After the Eurovision Song Contest, Birk-Petersen has worked as a counsel for the pharmaceutical companies Novo Nordisk and Shire.[8][16] Since 2019, she works as a senior director at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company.[8][16] She is also the Head Counsel of the Dubai International Financial Centre.[17]

Personal life

Birk-Petersen's mother is Maleyka Abbaszadeh, who is the chairperson of the State Student Admission Commission of Azerbaijan.[2][13] She is married to Ulrik Birk-Petersen, a Danish diplomat whom she met in Washington, D.C., and currently resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates with her husband and their three children.[7][12] She has previously lived in Østerbro, Copenhagen.[12][18]

See also

References
  1. "Seçicilər". Infocenter.gov.az (in Azerbaijani). Archived from the original on 2 August 2012. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  2. ""Məşhurların övladları" - Məleykə Abbaszadənin hüquqşünas qızı". Modern.az (in Azerbaijani). 2 March 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  3. "Narguiz Birk-Petersen (@NarguizBirk)". Twitter. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  4. Siim, Jarmo (16 April 2012). "Eldar, Nargiz, Leyla to host Eurovision 2012". Eurovision Song Contest. Archived from the original on 13 July 2013. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  5. Barclay, Simon (2012). The Complete & Independent Guide to the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. Silverthorn Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-4717-5669-6. Retrieved 11 December 2020 – via Google Books.
  6. "Ведущая "Евровидения 2012": "Решила в миг все изменить…"". Day.az (in Russian). 16 June 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  7. Brown, Alistair (17 April 2020). "Eurojury 2020: Meet The Azerbaijani Jury". Eurovoix. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  8. "Narguiz Birk-Petersen". LinkedIn. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  9. "Olympic hopes of Baku and Istanbul". Vestnik Kavkaza. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  10. "`It is great honor for us that Azerbaijan`s first lady Mehriban Aliyeva will deliver presentation on Baku bid for 2020 Olympic Games". Azerbaijan State News Agency. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  11. "2020 bid cities make pitches to national chiefs". ESPN. 14 April 2012. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  12. Bresemann, Peter (26 May 2012). "Værten bor på Østerbro". Ekstra Bladet (in Danish). Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  13. "Məleykə Abbaszadənin qızı suallara aydınlıq gətirdi". Mərkəz (in Azerbaijani). 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  14. "Гламурная фотосессия ведущей «Евровидения - 2012» Наргиз Бирк-Петерсен". 1news.az (in Russian). 20 July 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  15. "Over 100 million viewers watch Eurovision Song Contest 2012 Final and Semi-Finals". European Broadcasting Union. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  16. "Narguiz Birk-Petersen". The Legal 500. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  17. "International Women's Day 2018 - Narguiz Birk". Taylor Root. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  18. Møller, Jens Erik (17 May 2012). "Verdens værste Grand Prix-værter - og de bedste". DR (in Danish). Retrieved 13 December 2020.


Preceded by
Anke Engelke, Judith Rakers and Stefan Raab		 Eurovision Song Contest presenter
(with Leyla Aliyeva and Eldar Gasimov)
2012		 Succeeded by
Petra Mede
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