Recipients of the Order of Abdulaziz al Saud | Revolvy He is the son of ophthalmologist and academician Zarifa Aliyeva and Heydar Aliyev, who was his predecessor as President of Azerbaijan, serving from 1993 to 2003. He is the founder, chief executive officer and 95-percent owner[3] of the Kingdom Holding Company, a Forbes Global 2000 company with investments in companies in the financial services, tourism and hospitality, mass media, entertainment, retail, agriculture, petrochemicals, aviation, technology and real-estate sectors.