Bir names Lukasz Szczepanski as Birmarket Chief Executive

Bir has appointed Lukasz Szczepanski as Chief Executive Officer of Birmarket. He joins the Azerbaijan eCommerce platform from Polish marketplace Allegro.

Szczepanski will lead Birmarket as Bir expands its eCommerce business in a market where online retail still accounts for a small share of sales. E-commerce penetration in Azerbaijan is about 3% of retail turnover, highlighting the growth potential as digital payments and online shopping become more widely used.

At Allegro, Szczepanski most recently focused on international expansion. He worked on performance improvements after the launch of allegro.cz and helped prepare the business for entry into other overseas markets.

At Birmarket, he will focus on expanding the customer and merchant base, widening product choice, improving the customer experience and strengthening logistics. He is also expected to introduce new technology to help local businesses participate more effectively in online trade.

Bir is positioning Birmarket as a central part of a broader consumer services network in Azerbaijan. The ecosystem spans banking, digital payments, eCommerce, loyalty and payment terminals, and already reaches more than 5 million customers, or almost half the country's population.

Market shift

The appointment comes as Azerbaijan's consumer economy continues a gradual shift away from cash. For digital commerce groups, growing internet use, wider adoption of digital payments and still-low online retail penetration make it a relatively early-stage market compared with more developed eCommerce economies in Europe.

Birmarket is one of several brands within Bir. The wider group also includes Birbank, the m10 digital wallet and the Milliön payment terminal network. It has also established partnerships in Azerbaijan with Trendyol and BakıKart, extending its presence beyond online shopping into transport payments and marketplace access.

According to Bir, Szczepanski brings 25 years of experience across technology, media, energy and eCommerce. That mix suggests the company is looking not only for marketplace expertise but also for an operator experienced in building new businesses within larger organisations.

For Bir, the hire also signals an effort to bring experience from more mature online retail markets into Azerbaijan. Allegro is one of the best-known eCommerce groups in Central and Eastern Europe, and recruiting an executive from the business gives Birmarket a leader with direct experience of scaling marketplace operations across borders.

Farid Huseynov, Chief Executive Officer of Bir, outlined the company's reasoning for the appointment.

"Bringing a senior executive from one of Europe's most successful eCommerce companies demonstrates our commitment to building world-class digital products in Azerbaijan. Lukasz's expertise in scaling marketplace businesses and developing merchant ecosystems will help us accelerate Birmarket's growth and create new opportunities for consumers, entrepreneurs and businesses across the country," Huseynov said.

Expansion plans

Bir launched in 2025 as an integrated platform bringing together several established consumer brands in Azerbaijan. Its stated aim is to become the default network for everyday services by linking shopping, payments, banking and other consumer functions within a single digital environment.

That strategy reflects a model seen in other markets, where companies try to increase customer usage by offering multiple services through connected apps and payment tools. In Azerbaijan, Bir is betting that combining those services can help it capture a larger share of consumer spending as digital adoption rises.

Birmarket has been described by the group as a homegrown eCommerce business, and its new Chief Executive Officer takes over as the company appears to be moving from establishment to expansion. Priorities such as merchant recruitment, product range and logistics suggest Birmarket is seeking to deepen both supply and fulfilment as competition for online shoppers grows.

Szczepanski said the business was entering the market at a significant moment.

"I'm joining Bir at a crucial time for the development of eCommerce in Azerbaijan. The country, strategically positioned at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, combines high internet penetration, growing consumer demand for modern shopping formats and increasing adoption of digital payments. As part of the Bir ecosystem, Birmarket will help shape the future of digital commerce in Azerbaijan and I'm excited to be at the forefront of this process," Szczepanski said.