Draft:Elvin Mammadov (entrepreneur)

Elvin Mammadov is a Canadian and Azerbaijani entrepreneur, engineer, and inventor. He is well known for founding the company Opla Energy. Opla Energy, established in 2019, disrupted the energy service market by being the first to integrate IoT technology, AI, and ML with next-generation drilling equipment design. Under Elvin's vision and leadership, the company expanded across North America and became well known in a very short time period.

Early Life
Elvin Mammadov was born in Gence, Azerbaijan. He spent his early life in Gence until grade 6 and then moved to Mingachevir, where he attended a private school. During his high school years, he achieved several national awards in physics olympiads. Elvin later moved to Ankara, Turkey, where he attended Middle East Technical University.

In 2010, Elvin relocated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to study Mechatronics Engineering at Ryerson University. His career began in 2012 with directional drilling technology in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He later transitioned to the Managed Pressure Drilling industry with Weatherford. Elvin completed his master's degree from Heriot-Watt University while working full-time.After holding numerous engineering, managerial and business roles at Weatherford, Elvin founded Opla Energy in Calgary in 2019. As the founder, a member of the Board of Directors, and the president of Opla Energy, Elvin has left an indelible mark on both the company and the drilling industry as a whole. With extraordinary acumen and determination, he nurtured Opla Energy from its inception, fostering a culture of excellence and pioneering the development of cutting-edge technology within a mere two years.

Awards & Publications
Elvin Mammadov has authored a total of 14 peer-reviewed publications and holds 5 patents. He was interviewed by Hart Energy on February 7, 2023, where he discussed how he transformed Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) to Pressure Management Device (PMD) using technology he invented. Additionally, on January 25, 2023, he was interviewed by Drilling Contractor Magazine about machine learning-based drilling technology. Elvin has also been featured on podcasts, including "Street Smart" and "Energy Heroes" with Michelle Fraser, where he discussed his journey from Trainee Drilling Engineer to CEO.

In 2023, Elvin received two awards at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, USA. He was recognized with the Spotlight on New Technology award for next-generation drilling equipment and cutting-edge innovative energy software. In the same year, he won the CIO Award in Canada for the best innovative energy software. His company, Opla Energy, was also selected by Darcy Partners as one of the Top 10 Innovative Companies in 2023 . In 2024, Elvin won the Top CEOs in the Middle Market Award by GCI PE and was nominated for the 40 Under 40 by the Hart Energy in the energy sector.