SPEAKERS
Dr. Nureddin Nebati
Minister of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Turkey
Dr. Nureddin Nebati
Minister of Treasury and Finance of the Republic of Turkey
PhD Nureddin NEBATİ
Nureddin Nebati was born in 1964 in Viranşehir, Şanlıurfa.
Mr. Nebati received his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from the Faculty of Political Sciences at Istanbul University. He received his Master’s Degree in International Relations from Istanbul University. He completed his Ph.D. Degree in Political Science and Public Administration at Kocaeli University.
He served as a Board Member of the Istanbul Provincial Directorate and the Chairman of the Organization at the Justice and Development Party (AK Party). He was elected as a member of the Central Decision Making and Administrative Committee (MKYK) at the 4th Ordinary Congress of the AK Party. As a Central Executive Board (MYK) Member, he served as the Vice-Chairman of the AK Party in charge of Financial and Administrative Affairs. He was elected as a Member of the Parliament from Istanbul for the 24th, from Şanlıurfa for the 25th, and from Istanbul for the 26th Parliamentary Terms.
He served as the Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Treasury and Finance. During his tenure as Deputy Minister, he met with representatives of the real sector and finance sector in many cities, especially in Istanbul, and held consultation meetings.
He was a member of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) Board of Directors and still a member of MÜSİAD’s High Advisory Board. He is a member of the Alumni Foundation and Association of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Istanbul University, the Society for Dissemination of Science, Ensar Foundation, Turkish Youth Foundation (TÜGVA), Önder Foundation, International Technological Economic and Social Studies Foundation (UTESAV), Turkish Language and Literature Association (TDED), BEK, İDD, İDV, and the Culture, Society, and Family (KÜLT) Foundation.
He is the Chairman of ÜTEV and the Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Jerusalem Platform, a member of the Scientific Board of the City Think Tank at Esenler Municipality.
He has studies titled From National Vision to Conservative Democracy, and the Dominant Party System and AK Party as Turkey’s First Dominant Party.
He performed studies on economic management, urbanism, identity, and Islamic Philosophy. He is married and has four children.
Christian Wulff
Former President of Germany
Christian Wulff
Former President of Germany
As the 10th President of the Federal Republic of Germany (2010-2012), Christian Wulff is particularly committed to the integration of people with a migrant background and to interreligious dialogue. He maintains close international relations and represents Germany in individual cases at the international level. From 2003-2010 he was Minister President of the state of Lower Saxony. 1998-2010 he was deputy federal chairman of the CDU of Germany. His honorary positions include Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Deutschlandstiftung Integration, President of the German Choral Association and Patron of the German Multiple Sclerosis Society. He lives with his family in Burgwedel near Hanover and works in his law firm in Hamburg and his office as former Federal President in Berlin.
Enrico Letta
Former Prime Minister of Italy
Enrico Letta
Former Prime Minister of Italy
Italian politician and leader of the Democratic Party (PD) from March 2021 to March 2023, Enrico Letta was dean of the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) at Sciences Po in Paris from 2015 to 2021 and he is the founder of the Scuola di Politiche in Italy.
He served as Prime Minister of Italy from April 2013 to February 2014, leading a grand coalition of centre-left and centre-right parties. His whole career and thought have been shaped by a strong commitment to Europe.
He served as Minister for EU Affairs (1998-1999), as Minister for Industry, Commerce and Crafts (January-April 2000, during the second D’Alema Government), as Minister for Industry, Commerce and Crafts and Foreign Trade (2000-2001, during the second Amato Government) and as Undersecretary of State to the Prime Minister of the centre-left government led by Romano Prodi from 2006 to 2008.
Between 2001 and 2015 he was Member of the Italian Parliament, excluding between 2004 and 2006 when he was Member of the European Parliament. He also served as deputy Secretary of the Democratic Party (PD) from 2009 to 2013.
From 1993 to May 2013 he managed the independent think tank Arel, founded by Beniamino Andreatta. He was also Vice Chairman of Aspen Institute Italia, President of the Italy-Spain Dialogue Forum, and a member of the Trilateral Commission. He is the President of the Jacques Delors Institute since 2016.
He was born in Pisa (Tuscany) and he spent the first years of his life in Strasbourg. He graduated in International Law at the University of Pisa and obtained a PhD in European Union Law at the School for Advanced Studies “Sant’Anna” of Pisa.
He is the author of many books on international and economic affairs, with particular reference to EU enlargement, including: Euro sì - Morire per Maastricht (Laterza, 1997), Dialogo intorno all’Europa (with L. Caracciolo, Laterza, 2002), L’allargamento dell’Unione Europea (Il Mulino, 2003), L’Europa a Venticinque (Il Mulino, 2005), In questo momento sta nascendo un bambino (Rizzoli, 2007), Costruire una Cattedrale (Mondadori, 2009), L’Europa è finita? (with L. Caracciolo, ADD Editore 2010). And the Andare insieme, andare lontano (Mondadori, 2015), Contro Venti e Maree (Il Mulino 2017), Ho imparato (Il Mulino, 2019) and Anima e cacciavite. Per ricostruire l'Italia (Solferino, 2021).
Jo Johnson
Former Minister of State for the Cameron, May and Johnson Governments
Jo Johnson
Former Minister of State for the Cameron, May and Johnson Governments
Jo Johnson is a prominent voice in UK public life and a well-respected political figure.
Johnson was a long-standing Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Orpington from May 2010 to November 2019 and served as a Minister of State in the Governments under Boris Johnson, David Cameron and Theresa May. On 5th September 2019 he quit as MP and Minister under his brother Boris’ Government citing “unresolvable tension” between his family loyalty and the national interest. Johnson had also previously resigned on a point of principle in November 2018, performing what the Times in an editorial described as an “important public service” in exposing fundamental flaws in the Government’s plans for Brexit. The Times described Jo as “one of the few politicians to tell the truth about the dreadful predicament in which the country finds itself and the choices that lie ahead”. His last Ministerial role was as Minister of State at the Department for Transport, which he combined with the role of Minster for London.
Prior to this, he led major reforms of the UK’s higher education, research and innovation systems. As Minister of State for Universities, Science and Innovation (2015-18), Jo introduced the Higher Education and Research Act 2017, which the Times Higher Education described as the most significant legislation in 25 years. This overhauled the regulatory framework for English universities, creating a new regulator, the Office for Students, to hold universities more accountable for the quality of teaching and student outcomes. The Act also created a new single national strategic research body, UK Research and Innovation.
Before this Jo Johnson was Head of the Number 10 Policy Unit (2013-15) and Minister of State in the Cabinet Office. In this role, he led the team that produced the 2015 Manifesto, helping to secure the first Conservative majority in almost a quarter of a century. Prior to his election to Parliament in 2010, Jo spent thirteen years at the Financial Times, ending his career there as Associate Editor. He held a variety of roles, including Editor of The Lex Column, South Asia Bureau Chief (2005-8) and Paris Correspondent. He won awards from a number of organisations, including the Foreign Press Association.
Ahmet Atış
Atış Group Companies CEO
Ahmet Atış
Atış Group Companies CEO
Ahmet ATIŞ, was born in Bursa in 1985. ATIŞ started his education life in Bursa where he was born
and completed department of Business Administration at Uludağ University.
He started trading while he was still at high school, and after operating in the retail sector for a short
period, he made the first attempt of his commercial life with the textile company that he founded.
In 2005 Ahmet ATIŞ took a step in contruction bussiness. He had a great success in short time.
Within 17 years ATIŞ YAPI produced 84 qualified projects.
By 2021, ATIŞ YAPI completed corporate structures of ATIŞ GOUP Companies and till now operates in
the sectors as Retail, Tourism, Design, Media and Technology with many brands.
Ahmet ATIŞ, who’s married and father of three children; He continues his duty as the CEO of ATIŞ
GROUP COMPANIES.
Ahmet Musul
Ekol Lojistik Chairman of the Board
Ahmet Musul
Ekol Lojistik Chairman of the Board
Ahmet Musul was born in 1964. He received his bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Economics at
Istanbul University in 1987. Musul commenced his business career in Unok Uluslararası Nakliyat A.Ş.
He became the Chairman of the Board in 1990 as the founder of Ekol Lojistik A.Ş. Musul established
Yalova Ro-Ro Terminali A.Ş. 2015. Additionally, he is, also, the Chairman of the Board of both
companies.
Ali Emre Sever
Chief Executive Officer of Multinet Up
Ali Emre Sever
Chief Executive Officer of Multinet Up
Ali Emre Sever graduated from the Economics Department of Boğaziçi University. In 2005, he
joined the international consulting and audit firm Ernst & Young, and continued until 2013 as
Senior Audit Manager. Then, he held the position of Director of Financial Control for the Middle
East and Turkey zone at Türk Philips. In 2015, he became Group Director of Financial Affairs at
Mobiliz, a technology company working in the traceability systems. As of March 2020, he
becomes Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Board of Directors of Mobiliz. Since April
2022, Ali Emre Sever has held the position of Chief Executive Officer of Multinet Up.
Ali Sabancı
Esas Holding Chairperson
Ali Sabancı
Esas Holding Chairperson
Ali Sabancı is the chairperson of Pegasus Airlines and vice chairperson of Mars Sportif which are part of the Esas Private Equity portfolio. He also serves on the board of Esas Properties.
Ali is one of the co-founders of Esas Social, which was established to facilitate sustainable social investment. He focuses on increasing awareness of entrepreneurship in Turkey. As the president of the Young Entrepreneurs Board in the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), he has led successful projects including Angel Investing Legislation, Global Entrepreneurship Congress, G3 Forum, Global Entrepreneurship Week and TIM Innovation Week - Born Global. He is also an angel investor in more than 25 start-up companies.
Ali is a member of the Turkish American Business Association and the Turkish Family Business Association. In 2018 he was awarded the Légion d'Honneur by the French government for his contributions to economic relations between Turkey and France.
Ali Sabancı earned his M.B.A. degree with a major in International Finance from Columbia Business School and B.A. degree in Politics and Economics from Tufts University.
Ali Ülker
Yıldız Holding Chair of the Board
Ali Ülker
Yıldız Holding Chair of the Board
Ali Ülker was born in 1969 and educated in the Business Administration Department of the
Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul. He has
also attended various programs at IMD and Harvard. He worked in the Internal Kaizen
Projects at De Boccard & Yorke Consultancy (1992) and on IESC Sales System Development
and Internal Organization Projects (1997).
Mr Ülker joined the group in 1985 as an intern in the Quality Control Department of Ülker
Gıda. From 1986 to 1998 he worked at chocolate production facilities and at Atlas Gıda
Pazarlama in positions including Sales Manager, Sales Coordinator, Product Group
Coordinator, and Product Group Director.
In 1998 Mr Ülker became General Director of Atlas Gıda Pazarlama, and in 2001 became the
General Director of Merkez Gıda Pazarlama. In 2002, he rose to Vice Chairman of the Food
Group and in 2005 Chairman of the Group. After worked as Vice Chairman of the Yıldız
Holding Board of Directors for nine years, as of January 29, 2020 Ali Ülker became the Chair
of Yıldız Holding.
Ali Ülker is married with three children. He enjoys fishing, cinema and literature, as well as
playing basketball and billiards.
Dr. Bahadır Kaleağası
President of the Paris Bosphorus Institute
Dr. Bahadır Kaleağası
President of the Paris Bosphorus Institute
Dr Bahadir Kaleagasi is President of the Paris Bosphorus Institute and lecturer at the
Galatasaray University in Istanbul on the international economic relations, sustainable
development, and the European integration. He is also Brussels Energy Club’s Honorary
President, scientific member of the Brussels University’s Institute of European Studies and
board or advisory member in several institutions, including the ECFR-European Council on
Foreign Relations, The Atlantic Council, Global Relations Forum, Argüden Governance
Academy, Yanindayiz/HeForShe, Women on Board Association, Forum Istanbul, Berlin
Bosphorus Initiative…
Graduate of Brussels and Istanbul Universities, he was a researcher and lecturer in the Center
for International & Strategic Studies and the Institute for European Studies of the University of
Brussels, rapporteur for projects of the European Commission’s Forward Studies Unit and the
intergovernmental conferences which prepared the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 and was visiting
researcher to Harvard, Georgetown, and Jerusalem Universities. His academic work covered
the areas of the EU’s decision-making system, transatlantic relationship, and the international
economic relations.
He also served as counselor for various public and private institutions before joining TÜSİAD
(Turkish Industry & Business Association) in 1995 as EU Representative in Brussels and by
2007 as International Coordinator establishing and supervising representative offices and
networks in Washington DC, Paris, Berlin, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Silicon Valley/San
Francisco, and Dubai/Gulf. Between 2016 and 2020 he served as Board Member and CEO of
TÜSİAD as well as member of BusinessEurope’s Executive Committee (The Confederation of
European Business) in Brussels and delegate for Business at OECD, Global Business Coalition
and B20/G20.
He regularly contributes as speaker to international conferences, executive and academic
seminars and media programs on the global strategies, international relations, business and
investment strategy, the SDGs (sustainable development goals) and ESG (environmental,
social and corporate governance).
Bahadir Kaleagasi is author of several articles and books on the international relations and
European affairs. His latest books are “Youth’s Questions on Europe”, “The Planet G20” and
“Changing World and Turkey”.
Banu Başar
Bank of America Turkey Country Executive
Banu Başar
Bank of America Turkey Country Executive
Banu Basar is the Country Executive for Turkey since January 2016 and was previously the Co-Head
of EEMEA Equity Sales & Head of Turkey Equities. She has the oversight of serving the top corporate
and institutional clients in investment banking, corporate banking/lending, global transaction
services as well as fixed income and equity markets businesses.
Banu joined Bank of America in July 2010 as a Managing Director, Head of Turkey Equities, based in
our Istanbul office. Prior to that, she worked at EFG Istanbul Securities, as a Partner, overseeing the
Equity business between 2001 and 2010. Prior to these appointments, she worked as a consultant at
Bain Cuneo e Associati (Bain & Co Strategic Consulting), Managing Director of Equities at Iktisat
Securities, both in Istanbul and as an Investment Banker at Salomon Smith Barney in New York.
Banu graduated from Babson College in Boston with a BS with honors in Finance/Investments and
International Business.
Banu is an active member of Bank of America EMEA Diversity & Inclusion Council for Emerging
Markets and mentoring women. She is also member of the Women Leadership Committee. She is a
member and contributor to Ashoka Support Network in Turkey, helping build a community of change
leaders for the good of society. She serves as Board Member at The Turkish American Society and a
member of TUSIAD, Turkish Industry and Business Association.
Başak Karaca
Coca-Cola Turkey General Manager
Başak Karaca
Coca-Cola Turkey General Manager
Başak graduated from Galatasaray High School before double majoring at Boğaziçi University where she received her B.A. with High Honors in Business Administration and Political Science/International Relations.
After graduation, Başak started her career at the Marketing Department of Procter&Gamble (P&G) where she managed adaptation of the global brand strategies to the region at the company’s regional headquarters in Switzerland, brand building and market uptake activities, capitalizing on her experience on market practices in Turkey. She worked on branding, innovation, patenting, strategy and sustainable business development at the global P&G headquarters in Cincinnati, OH, in the United States.
After a decade abroad, Başak returned back to Turkey where she continued her career at Yıldız Holding in various senior positions and Board memberships.
She established her own consulting company and provided several companies with support on branding, strategy, business development, access to market, and sustainable business development. Başak is a Board Member in various industries and organizations, and continues her academic life both as a student and as an instructor.
Başak currently serves as General Manager at Coca-Cola Turkey.
Begüm Doğan Faralyalı
Chairwoman of Doğan Holding
Begüm Doğan Faralyalı
Chairwoman of Doğan Holding
Begüm Doğan Faralyalı received her bachelor’s degree in economics and philosophy from London School of Economics (UK) and earned her MBA degree from Stanford University (USA).
She started her professional career as a consultant at Arthur Andersen NY office and moved to London Office of Monitor Group, where she worked as a consultant for restructuring European media and technology companies.
From 2004, she hold different positions at Doğan Media Group. Starting from 2007, she led the start- up process of Kanal D Romania, a national entertainment channel in Romanian which later became one of the top three channels in Romania. She became the CEO of Star TV in 2009 and became the president of Doğan TV Holding that contained two national entertainment channels, a news channel, radios, and a production company.
Begüm Doğan Faralyalı became the chairwoman of Doğan Holding in January 2012, which is a publicly traded company with a group of companies in electricity generation, petroleum products retail, industry & trade, automotive trade & marketing, finance & investment, internet & entertainment and real estate investment. Faralyalı also the president of Doğan Yayınları, Sesa Production, Sesa Packaging and Karel.
She is on the advisory board of Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. She is the founder and active spokesperson of the “Common Values Movement” in Turkey and a voluntary ambassador for a “Values Driven Society”. She is also a board member of the trustees of World Wild Fund (WWF); the dream partner of Young Guru Academy (YGA), a non-profit organization working with young social entrepreneurs, and a member of the advisory board of UNDP İstanbul International Centre for Private Sector in Development.
Bekir Ağırdır
Konda Member of the Board of Directors
Burak Kuyan
Galata Wind Executive Board Member, Chief Executive Officer
Burak Kuyan
Galata Wind Executive Board Member, Chief Executive Officer
Executive Board Member, Chief Executive Officer
He has graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Business Administration in
1998 and later completed his MBA program at Virginia Tech University in 2002.
He then obtained a PhD in Business Administration and Finance at Işık
University. Following his graduation, Mr. Kuyan worked as Private Portfolio
Manager at Finans Yatırım Menkul Değerler A.Ş. He joined Doğan Group in 2005
as Assistant Specialist in Strategical Planning and Business Development. Along
with the Group's investments in the energy field, he was appointed as the Energy
Director of Doğan Holding in 2012. Kuyan, who was Chairman of the Board of
Directors and Executive Director of Galata Wind since 2014, has also served as
the General Manager of the Company since 2017. Still serving as the Executive
Board Member and the CEO of Galata Wind as well as Head of all energy
investments and operations of the Doğan Group, Kuyan is also a Board Member
to Energy Trading Association (ETD), Solar Energy Investors Association
(GUYAD) and Electricity Generators Association (EÜD).
Burak Kuyan is married and has one child.
Değerhan Usluel
TTGV Chairman of the Executive Board, Board Member, Usluel Group of Companies
Değerhan Usluel
TTGV Chairman of the Executive Board, Board Member, Usluel Group of Companies
Member at İstanbul Venture Capital Initiative (İVCİ), Technology Development Foundation of Turkey
and Usluel Group of Companies, which carries out energy, rail system and communication
infrastructure projects. He was the CMO of US-based software company KXEN and he co-founded
ILinc, the company that invented live web collaboration technology in 1994. He got his BSc degree in
Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bilkent University and his MBA from the Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute.
Emre Eczacıbaşı
Member of the Board of Eczacıbaşı Holding and Coordinator of Innovation
Emre Eczacıbaşı
Member of the Board of Eczacıbaşı Holding and Coordinator of Innovation
Born in 1984, Nejat Emre Eczacıbaşı received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University’s Department of Economics in 2006 and MBA from Columbia Business School in 2011.
Before joining the Eczacıbaşı Group’s Strategic Planning and Finance Division in 2008, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers Turkey as a financial consultant. Between 2011 and 2013, he undertook several microfinance and social entrepreneurship projects through a company he established to help reduce unemployment in Turkey and other developing countries by reviving traditional crafts.
In 2013, he returned to Turkey and the Eczacıbaşı Group as a member of the Building Products Division’s Strategic Marketing team. In 2015, he was appointed General Manager responsible for all operations related to the Division’s kitchen business. During this period, he established İntema Yaşam to transform the kitchen into a living center responding to a new generation of needs.
Emre Eczacıbaşı was appointed to his current position as Member of the Board of Eczacıbaşı Holding and Coordinator of Innovation and Entrepreneurship for the Eczacıbaşı Group in 2019. He also serves on the boards of several Eczacıbaşı Group companies, the Business4Goals Platform and the Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation.
Emre Karter
CEO & Board Member of Citi Türkiye
Emre Karter
CEO & Board Member of Citi Türkiye
Emre Karter is the CEO and Board Member of Citi Türkiye since 2020.
Prior to his current role, he was the Treasury and Trade Solutions Cluster Head for Middle East, North Africa, based in Dubai, UAE.
Emre Karter’s other previous experience include; managing the Transaction Services business for Russia, CIS, Central and Eastern Europe, Türkiye; and several Sales & Coverage roles, where he led origination and execution activities Citi's Multinational, Financial Institutions client segments, based in Türkiye.
Emre joined Citi in Türkiye in 1996 and held various positions in Corporate Bank as a Banker, followed by an assignment in Brussels coordinating the multinational franchise across Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Before joining Citi, Emre Karter worked at Coca-Cola in Türkiye and Prudential Securities in the United States.
Mr Karter holds a B.Sc. in Management from Bilkent University and a M.Sc. in International Business and Finance from New Hampshire College. He is a Board Member for Citi Islamic Investment Bank E.C in Bahrain - (CIIB) and Citibank NV Netherlands. Emre Karter is a Board Member of Banks Association of Turkiye and Amcham Turkiye. Mr Karter is a Member of the Executive Board of the Türkiye- US Business Council (TAIK).
Emre Kenci
CEO at Papara
Emre Kenci
CEO at Papara
Emre Kenci, a tech leader with a BA degree in Computer Engineering from Bilkent University, has embarked on a journey through pivotal roles in prominent tech companies. He worked as a Senior Engineer at Microsoft. Became partner and CTO of Turkey's foremost cryptocurrency exchanges, BtcTurk and BTCTrader. Subsequently, he took on the responsibilities of a board member and CTO at Papara, Turkey's largest fintech. In April 2022, Emre Kenci ascended to the position of CEO at Papara, further underscoring his commitment to driving technological advancement and innovation. Through a product and technology-oriented growth approach, Emre Kenci leads Papara towards new horizons.
Engin Aksoy
CEO of Vodafone Turkey
Engin Aksoy
CEO of Vodafone Turkey
Engin Aksoy joined Vodafone Turkey in 2008. Having held multiple senior executive positions, he became an Executive Committee member in 2012 and worked as Vodafone Business Unit Director and Consumer Business Unit Director, respectively. He was appointed CEO of Vodafone Turkey on February, 2021.
Prior to joining Vodafone Turkey, Mr. Aksoy was an Executive Committee member for Nike Turkey from 2000 to 2006. He held the role of Sales Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa in Nike B.V. EMEA from 2006 to 2008. He began his career in Coca-Cola in 1994 and then worked for Michelin as Regional Sales Manager from 1997 to 2000.
In addition to his role in Vodafone Turkey, Mr. Aksoy is currently the Chairman of YASED (International Investors Association) and M-TOD (Mobile Telecom Operators Association), and a member of TUSIAD (Turkish Industry and Business Association).
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in economics from Istanbul University as well as a marketing degree from Oxford Business College and an Exponential Growth degree from Singularity University.
Ferhat Keten
Chairman of Keten Grup, Master Architect
Ferhat Keten
Chairman of Keten Grup, Master Architect
of Keten Grup. Ferhat Keten graduated from Istanbul High
School in 1993 and ITU Faculty of Architecture with an
undergraduate degree in architecture in 1997. He obtained
his master's degree in construction and project
management from Nottingham Trent University,
Waterford Technology Institute, and Karlsruhe FHTH in
1998. Following his graduation, he worked at Dywidag in
Germany. He took over management of the family
company Keten Grup which occupies in real estate
development in 1999. Ferhat Keten has added companies
operating in facility management, tourism, and real estate
fund management to Keten Grup since 1999. He continues
to work on his doctoral thesis about “Securitization Based
Finance and Management Model for Real Estate
Development Projects” at ITU Faculty of Architecture,
Department of City and Regional Planning. Also, Ferhat
Keten takes active roles in various organizations such as
UCTEA(TMMOB), TUGIAD, Galata Grup, IELEV, and Urban
Land Institute. He is married and has three children.
Gamze Cizreli
BigChefs Chairman of the Board
Gamze Cizreli
BigChefs Chairman of the Board
• Born in 1968. Gamze Cizreli graduated from Middle East Technical University,
Department of Business Administration.
• Post-graduation, she started her business career in gastronomy with her ex-
husband by creating many brands in Ankara such as Cafemiz, Kuki and Quick China.
• 10 months after her divorce she created a new brand “BIG CHEFS Cafe Brasserie”
with a 100% bank loan.
• Today, Big Chefs has reached 85 locations in 8 countries with more than 4.500
employees.
• In 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2017 she was awarded as “Woman Entrepreneur of
Turkey” by Economist magazine.
• In addition to the growth targets of BigChefs,
Gamze Cizreli; focused on Community Services and SDG’s.
She had the chance to speak at the United Nations General Assembly with her
Gender Equality Project “From the Women farmers to the Tables”.
• Besides her core business, she was a part time lecturer on “Entrepreneurship” in
Middle East Technical University.
• She wrote weekly to Hürriyet Daily News and has written her own cookbook named
“Lezzeti Giydiren Eller”.
• She was also one of the jury members of “Dragon’s Den” broadcasted on
Bloomberg TV and “Winning Restaurant” on FOX TV.
• For a while, she made a radio program on music, art and literature on Kiss FM on
Sunday mornings.
• In 2021, Fast Company selected her as one of “Turkey’s Sustainability Leaders”.
Most recently, she was selected to the list by Forbes “50 Over 50 Women” in
Europe, Africa and the Middle East (EMEA) .
• She is an Executive Board Member in KAGIDER (Women Entrepreneurs Association
of Turkey) and in TURYID (Tourism Restaurant and Entertainment Association).
• She has two sons named Oğul and Ali.
Gökhan Sığın
Chairman of BSH Ev Aletleri
Gökhan Sığın
Chairman of BSH Ev Aletleri
Gökhan Sığın, a graduate of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Boğaziçi University, obtained his Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Bristol in 1998. With over 25 years of experience at BSH, primarily in planning, marketing, and sales operations, Sığın has held significant roles within the organization. He served as the CEO of BSH Türkiye from 2018 to 2023. Recently, as of May 1, 2023, Sığın has been appointed as the CEO of the Region Emerging Markets (REM). BSH operates in this geography, covering a population of 4.6 billion through 14 subsidiaries and 9 factories in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, the Asia Pacific clusters. Serving as the Chairman of BSH Ev Aletleri and CEO of BSH Region Emerging Markets, Sığın also continues to hold the position of the Board President of the White Goods Manufacturers Association of Türkiye (TÜRKBESD).
Prof. Dr. Göksel Aşan
President of Finance Office of Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye
Prof. Dr. Göksel Aşan
President of Finance Office of Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye
President of Finance Office of Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye
He was born on July 24, 1966, in İstanbul. He completed his undergraduate degree in Finance
Department of İstanbul University in 1987. In 1991, he received his master's degree from the Finance
Department of İstanbul University. In 1998, he completed his Ph.D. in Public Finance at İstanbul
University.
Göksel Aşan worked as a Research Assistant at İstanbul University between 1988 and 1998. After
working as an Assistant Professor at Istanbul Bilgi University since 1998, he became Assoc. Prof. Dr. in
2008 and received his tenure in 2017.
After working many years at İstanbul Bilgi University in several different positions, Göksel Aşan
served as a Vice-Rector at İstanbul Aydın University between July 2018 and October 2018.
On October 16, 2018, he was appointed by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as President of Finance
Office of Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye.
Gürhan Çam
General Manager of Neohub, Deniz Ventures and Deniz Portföy Member of the Board of Directors
Gürhan Çam
General Manager of Neohub, Deniz Ventures and Deniz Portföy Member of the Board of Directors
Hakan Aran
Chairperson of İşbank AG
Hakan Aran
Chairperson of İşbank AG
Born in Antakya in 1968, Hakan Aran graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Computer Engineering Department of the Middle East Technical University. He completed his master's degree in Business Administration at Başkent University and he is currently continuing his PhD in Banking at İstanbul Commerce University.
Beginning his career at İşbank as a Software Specialist in 1990, Aran was appointed as the Head of Software Development Department in 2005. He was promoted to the position of Deputy Chief Executive responsible for operations, digital banking and technology in 2008 and took part in important transformation programs of the Bank. Appointed as İşbank's 17th Chief Executive Officer on 1 April 2021, Mr. Aran also serves as the Chairperson of Trakya Yatırım Holding A.Ş. and İşbank AG.
Hakan Ateş
CEO of DenizBank Financial Services Group
Hakan Ateş
CEO of DenizBank Financial Services Group
Born in 1959, Mr. ATEŞ graduated from Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Business Administration after completing his studies at TED Ankara College. He started his banking career in 1981 as an Internal Auditor at İşbank. After serving at various Interbank units from 1986 to 1993, he worked as a Branch Manager at Elmadağ, Şişli, Bakırköy, İzmir and Central Branches. He established Interbank’s Cash Management System and was promoted in 1993 to Executive Vice President in charge of Central Operations. Mr. ATEŞ worked as Executive Vice President in charge of Financial Affairs and Operations at Bank Ekspres between the years of 1994 and 1996 and led the bank’s restructuring project under the consultation of Bank of America. He established Garanti Bank Moscow in Russia and worked as CEO for one year starting from June 1996. He has continued his duties as the President & CEO at DenizBank, where he started in June 1997 as the Founder President.
During his management tenure, DenizBank shares were offered to public in October 2004 where 5.5 times oversubscription was recorded. His management also ran the process of selling Zorlu Holding-owned DenizBank shares to Dexia S.A. in May 2006 for 3.250 Billion Dollars with 4,7 times its book value which is a record in Turkey, the sales process of 99.85% of DenizBank shares owned by Dexia Group to Sberbank 6 years later in June 2012 for 3.6 Billion Dollars with 1.33 times its book value as well as the sales process of 99,85% of DenizBank shares owned by Sberbank to Emirates NBD for 15,48 Billion TL and 1.0 multiplier despite challenging market conditions. In addition, the transfer of Deniz Emeklilik for 256 Million Euros with 10 times its book value with a 15-year sales agreement in 2011 and taking over the retail Banking of Citi Turkey with about 1500 employees in 2013 also took place under the management of Mr. ATEŞ.
Serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at DenizBank subsidiaries Deniz Yatırım Menkul Kıymetler A.Ş., Intertech A.Ş. and DenizBank AG Vienna, Hakan ATEŞ also assumes the duty of Member of Board of Directors at Emirates NBD Egypt as of September, 2020. Granted the “Those who Add Value to Turkey” Award presented by Bahçeşehir University in 2015, ATEŞ is with two children and speaks fluent English.
Hande Çilingir
Insider Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Hande Çilingir
Insider Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer
Hakkı Yıldız
Yıldızlar Yatırım Holding Board Member
Hakkı Yıldız
Yıldızlar Yatırım Holding Board Member
Kökleri 1890 yılına dayanan Yıldızlar Yatırım Holding’in dördüncü kuşak temsilcilerinden olan Hakkı
Yıldız, 1975 yılında Samsun’da dünyaya geldi. Lisans eğitimini İstanbul’da, Yeditepe
Üniversitesi’nde tamamlayan Yıldız, gençlik yıllarından itibaren aile şirketi olan Yıldızlar Yatırım
Holding’in farklı kademelerinde görev aldı. Yıllar içinde edindiği deneyim ve yürüttüğü kapsamlı
çalışmalar sayesinde, Yıldızlar Yatırım Holding’in Türkiye’nin en büyük sanayi gruplarından birine
dönüşmesine öncülük etti. Holding’in yurt dışı yapılanma sürecinde de kritik görevler üstlendi.
İGSAŞ’ın şirket bünyesine katılmasında ve Yıldızlar Yatırım Holding’in 2016 yılında adım attığı son
sektör olan demir çelik yatırımında da aktif bir rol üstlenen Yıldız, halen Yıldızlar Yatırım Holding
Yönetim Kurulu Üyesi olarak şirketteki görevine devam ediyor. Yıldızlar Yatırım Holding
iştiraklerinden İGSAŞ ve Yıldız Entegre, İSO 500 listesinde ilk 100’e girme başarısını gösterirken,
Yıldız Demir Çelik ise kurulduktan iki yıl sonra ülkenin en çok ihracat yapan şirketlerinden biri
olmayı başardı ve bu başarıda Yıldız’ın liderliğinin ve vizyonunun önemli bir payı bulunuyor.
Hakkı Yıldız, yenilikçi bakış açısıyla Yıldızlar Yatırım Holding’in dijitalleşme ve değişim yönetimi
süreçlerine liderlik ediyor. Sürekli öğrenmenin gücüne inanan Yıldız, eğitim projelerine destek
olmanın geleceğe yapılabilecek en iyi yatırımlardan olduğunu düşünüyor. Bu yaklaşımdan
hareketle kurulan Akademi Yıldız, holding ve grup şirketlerdeki çalışanların kariyer yolculuğunu
destekliyor.
Forbes dergisi tarafından iş dünyasında Türkiye’nin ekonomi tarihine yön veren ve yaptıklarıyla iz
bırakan isimlerine verilen “Yaşayan En Büyük Zihinler” ödülüne layık görülen Hakkı Yıldız, TÜSİAD,
MÜSİAD, DEİK, TAİK ve Kocaeli Sanayi Odası üyesidir.
Yıldız, evli ve üç çocuk babasıdır
Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün
Aselsan Chairman Of The Board Of Directors , President, Ceo
Prof. Dr. Haluk Görgün
Aselsan Chairman Of The Board Of Directors , President, Ceo
Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN was born in Istanbul in 1973. He completed his undergraduate and
graduate education in Electrical Engineering Department of Yıldız Technical University and his
Ph.D. in Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York USA in 2003. After his Ph.D. graduation, he
has engaged in scientific studies at the University of Connecticut in 2004-2005. He became an
associate professor in 2008 and became a professor in 2013 at Yıldız Technical University, where
he served from 2005-2008 as an assistant professor.
Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN, who is the founder department chairman of Yıldız Technical University,
Control and Automation Engineering Department, has served as the chairman of Control and
Automation Engineering Department in between the years 2009-2013. During his chairmanship,
he has been the founder of many postgraduate programs.
Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN served as the Turkey Delegate of European Union 7th Framework
Program Energy Field in between the years 2007-2010. Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN, who carried his
duties as a Board Member of Yıldız Technical University Technopark, BAP Coordinate, Science
Application and Research Center, served as the Editor of YTU Sigma Engineering and Science
Journal between 2010-2013. He also carried his duties as Yıldız Technical University Deputy
Manager of the Institute of Science and Vice Rector.
Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN was elected as the Associate Member of Turkey Academy of Sciences in
2013. Between November 2014 and April 2018, he has been served as the Rector at Gebze
Technical University. He has numerous national and international articles / reports, editorial
editions and projects. He was elected as the Rector of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 in
organizations organized by different institutions due to his pioneering contributions to university-
industry cooperation during his rectorate
He served as a Member of the Board of Directors in the IT Valley. Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN has
served in many commissions and committees at TÜBİTAK and YÖK. He is the Chairman of the Board
of Trustees and Board of the Gebze Technical Education and Research Foundation where he made
significant contributions in establishment. Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN’s membership in the Board of
Trustees of many institutions has also been ongoing such as Basic Science Research Foundation of
Turkey, Yıldız Technical University Foundation and OSTİM Technical University.
Professor Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN was elected as a Member of the Board of Directors of ASELSAN for
the first time on 15 March 2017 by a resolution of the General Assembly. He was re-elected as a
Member of the Board of Directors at the ASELSAN Ordinary General Assembly Meeting held on 2
April 2018, and was appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at the same day.
At the Board of Directors meeting dated 17 April 2018, Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN was appointed as
ASELSAN General Manager on 27 April 2018, in addition to his position as Chairman of the Board
of Directors.
Prof. Dr. Haluk GÖRGÜN is married with two children.
İlke Toptaş
Country Director of META Turkey
İlke Toptaş
Country Director of META Turkey
Ilke Toptas has been appointed as the Country Director of META Turkey in 2020, to lead the
company’s Business operation in Turkey. She is based in London and also a member of META EMEA
Ecosystem Leadership community as she is very passionate about ecosystem development and
partner enablement. Prior to Facebook she has served as the VP of Business Development for the top
digital media platforms in Turkey. She is an alumnus of Istanbul University and UC Berkeley. Toptas,
used to be a professional basketball player representing Turkey’s National Women Basketball Team
and a National Gold Medalist.
İnanç Erol
NGN Chairman of the Board, CEO
İnanç Erol
NGN Chairman of the Board, CEO
Inanc Erol is a C-level executive with 20 years of senior management experience in the Telecommunications, Media and Technology sectors.
He acted as a Board Member & CEO throughout his professional career in both multinationals like JCDecaux, Vodafone and Deutsche Telekom and leading Turkish companies such as Borusan and Comnet, a Sabanci Holding company.
Prior to joining Turkish system integrator NGN in 2012, he was the CEO of JCDecaux Turkey, the largest outdoor advertising corporation in the world.
Under his leadership as the Chairman of the Board and CEO, NGN’s revenue increased incrementally over 1 billion $ revenue. Inanc Erol also initiated the biggest data center investment of Turkey, Star of Bosphorus Data Center.
He has expanded NGN’s operations in MENA region through NGN International brand. The aspiration is to make NGN the largest technology group in the region.
Inanc Erol holds a BS degree in Business Administration from Eastern Mediterranean University and has completed Executive Management Programs at Stanford University and London School of Business consecutively.
İnanç Kabadayı
Ege Yapı Chairman of the Board
İnanç Kabadayı
Ege Yapı Chairman of the Board
Born in 1974 in Istanbul, H. İnanç Kabadayı completed his secondary and high school
education at Kadıköy Anatolian High School and took his bachelor’s degree at Istanbul
Technical University Civil Engineering Department. İnanç started his professional career in
the most prominent real estate development companies and held many positions such as
Field Engineer, Project Coordinator and completed many distinguished projects.
Having gained many national and international experiences in the real estate sector, H.
İnanç Kabadayı opened a new chapter in his professional life by establishing Ege Yapı in
2006 and he currently is the Chairman of the Board. He has initiated many innovative
domestic and international projects such as first mixed-use project built on one plot, the
largest photovoltaic panel field installation in a residential building, the first hotel built with
top-down method in a superstructure building.
Acting on the principle of producing privileged projects that make people's life easier and
improve the quality of life, H. İnanç Kabadayı has integrated architecturally certified
systems such as smart, healthy homes, sustainable living, energy efficiency, reduced carbon
emissions and the use of ecological materials into the projects developed by Ege Yapı.
With The Superior Living brand, he brought an innovative perspective to the sector. He was
a pioneer in unearthing the rusting values of Istanbul through monumental restoration
operations and turning it into a center of attraction for culture and arts activities. He
supported the establishment of museums, exhibitions, galleries, and workshops to support
young and talented artists. Closely involved in many branches of art, H. İnanç Kabadayı
has contributed to the realization of many projects to date. He supported many social
responsibility projects to protect the environment and nature.
2 million m² construction projects have been developed under his leadership and as of
today, Ege Yapı successfully manages 950,000 m² of construction area in 10 different
locations. The Company carries out real estate development and contracting works for
branded residential projects, commercial units, mixed projects, hotel projects, shopping
centers, educational institutions, and investment projects such as service apartments.
H. İnanç Kabadayı, who constantly originates state of the art real estate project ideas for
robust evolvement of the sector. One of the most important achievement as a forerunner of
the sector he has led the establishment of the first Real Estate Investment Fund and the
development of the first Shared Housing System in Turkey. He closely follows real estate and
construction technologies on a global level, he invests in proptech and contech companies
through his venture capital company.
H. İnanç Kabadayı, who shares his views on the sector in many national and international
conferences and television broadcasts, is a member of the Real Estate Managers Association
(GYODER), Real Estate International Promotion Association (GİGDER) and Housing
Developers and Investors Association (KONUTDER). H. İnanç Kabadayı, who regularly
publishes blog posts on his personal page, writes articles on "Entrepreneurship, Urbanism,
Environment and Innovation".
Kağan Dağtekin
CEO of Doğan Holding Automotive Group, Executive Board Member
Kağan Dağtekin
CEO of Doğan Holding Automotive Group, Executive Board Member
Kağan Dağtekin, İstanbul Erkek Lisesi ve İstanbul Teknik Üniversitesi Makina Mühendisliği’nden mezun olduktan sonra iş hayatına 1998 yılında Ford Otosan’da başladı. 2005 yılında Koç Grubu sponsorluğunda katıldığı Koç Üniversitesi Executive MBA programını birincilikle tamamlayan Dağtekin, Pazarlama Müdürü olarak geçiş yaptığı Otokoç Otomotiv’de daha sonra Kiralama Operasyonlarına da liderlik yaptı.
2011 yılında e-ticaret tecrübesi kazanma hedefiyle Grupanya.com’a Genel Müdür Yardımcısı olarak katılan Dağtekin, aynı yıl Perabulvarı.com’un kurucu ortağı olarak girişimcilik tecrübesi kazandı. 2012 yılında ise Borusan Otomotiv Premium Kiralama şirketinin Kurucu Genel Müdürü olarak Borusan Grubuna katılan Kağan Dağtekin, 2016 yılında Fransa-INSEAD’da tamamladığı Üst Düzey Yöneticilik eğitimi sonrasında Borusan Otomotiv Grubu İcra Kurulu Üyesi olarak atandı.
Doğan Grubu’nun büyüme stratejileri paralelinde; girişimcilik ve değer üretme heyecanıyla Doğan Holding Otomotiv Grubu CEO’su ve Suzuki Motorlu Araçlar Pazarlama A.Ş. ile Trend A.Ş. Murahhas Üyesi olarak 2019 sonunda gruba dâhil olan Kağan Dağtekin; Doğan Trend Otomotiv çatısı altında otomobil, motosiklet, deniz motorları ve elektrikli oto şarj cihazları distribütörlükleri; satış, pazarlama ve kiralama hizmetlerinin yanı sıra ikinci el ticareti alanlarına da odaklanarak çalışmalarını yürütmektedir.
Kağan Dağtekin evli ve bir çocuk babasıdır.
M. Avni Kiğılı
Hayat Holding A.Ş. Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
M. Avni Kiğılı
Hayat Holding A.Ş. Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer
Born in 1974 in Istanbul, M. Avni Kiğılı is the third generation member of the Kiğılı family. Having
fulfilled different duties and responsibilities within Hayat Kimya in the first three years of his business
life, M. Avni Kiğılı took responsibility for the personal care investment in 1997. In 2002, he became
the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hayat Cleaning and Health Products, Inc , Vice Chairman of
the Board of Directors of Hayat Kimya in 2009, and Chairman of the Executive Board of Hayat Holding
in 2013.
He currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer at Hayat
Holding A.Ş., which operates in the fast-moving consumer goods, wood-based panel sector,
maritime, real estate and finance. M. Avni Kiğılı is married and has 3 children.
Mehmet Ali Akarca
General Manager of Koç Sistem
Mehmet Ali Akarca
General Manager of Koç Sistem
KoçSistem General Manager and KoçDigital Vice Chairman Board of Directors Mehmet Ali Akarca, served as the General Manager at Bookinturkey.com between 2001-2003, and continued his career as the General Manager of Koç.Net Telecommunication Technologies and Communication Services Inc. in 2004 - 2011. At his career path he became Deputy General Manager at Zer Central Services and Trade Inc. in 2011-2012. From 2012 to 2017, Akarca served at Türk Telekom Group as Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Corporate Customer Vice President and CEO, respectively. Akarca is still General Manager of KoçSistem since April 1, 2017.
Mehmet Ali Akarca has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nottingham School of Economics. He received post-graduate degree in marketing and tourism at the University of Surrey. Mehmet Ali Akarca is married and has two children.
Mehmet Ali Ergin
Re-Pie Portföy Co-Founder and Deputy Chairman of the Board
Mehmet Ali Ergin
Re-Pie Portföy Co-Founder and Deputy Chairman of the Board
Born in 1985 in Kayseri, Mehmet Ali Ergin completed his primary education in Kayseri and his secondary and high school education in Şanlıurfa. In 2008, he graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration. Ergin completed his master's degree at Istanbul Technical University, Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Real Estate Development. Mehmet Ali Ergin specializes in investment model development and econometrics.
A serial entrepreneur throughout his business life, Mehmet Ali Ergin has been a founder or investor in ventures in various sectors, especially technology, in Germany, Canada, UAE and Turkiye. He serves as a board member in startup companies such as GTC Güneş Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S, DMR Unlu Mamüller A.Ş, Biofarma Teknoloji İlaç Tanı ve Sanayi A.Ş, Biobuluyo Bilgi Teknolojileri Pazarlama ve Ticaret A.Ş, Modanisa and EasyCep. Mehmet Ali Ergin serves on the investment committee of Re-Pie Portföy Yönetim A.Ş. for all private equity and real estate investment funds with a total size of over TL 17 billion.
Metin Canoğulları
Country Managing Partner at EY Turkey
Metin Canoğulları
Country Managing Partner at EY Turkey
Background
33 years of experience in professional services (mainly Assurance).
Over 8 years of regional leadership experience in Growth Markets/Private.
Member of the Global EY Emerging Markets Committee.
Professional career
Worked as a research assistant in the Istanbul Technical University between 1988 and 1990.
Joined the Assurance and Advisory Business Services (AABS) in Andersen Istanbul office in 1990.
Promoted to Assurance Manager in 1995.
Led the Andersen office in Izmir between 1996 and 1999.
Moved to Romania in 1999 as the Head of Assurance in the Andersen office in Bucharest for a
one-year appointment.
Promoted to Assurance Partner in Andersen Turkey in 2000.
Appointed as the Head of Assurance in Andersen Turkey in 2001. Led the Andersen Turkey
Assurance practice until August 2002 when he joined EY.
Appointed as the EY Turkey Markets Leader in 2005. Coordinated all market activities and service
line go-to-market strategy until 2008. Relied on cross-selling and integrated solutions as an
alternative to silo-based approach.
Served as the EY Telecommunications Sector Leader in the South East Europe (SEE) Region
between 2005 and 2008.
Re-joined the EY Turkey Markets Board in 2012 as a Partner responsible for PMM, IPO and the
Telecommunications sector.
Appointed as the Growth Markets/Private Leader and Family Business Services Leader in the
CESA Region in 2012.
Appointed as the Country Managing Partner in 2016.
He is the GCSP of Haci Omer Sabanci Holding and Turk Telekomunikasyon A.S.
Specific Growth Markets/Private achievements
Built the regional Family Business network from scratch and helped country teams produce various
results since 2013 (specific client engagements in three countries, FB surveys in two countries, FB
yearbooks in two countries, FB Award of Excellence in two countries, 15% attendance share in the
EY NextGen Academy).
Engaged clients in Turkey and won several Family Business engagements.
Owned several major client events and regional meetings of the EY Family Business Leaders since
2013.
Supported the deployment of the EY Growth Navigator™ across the Region (more than 50 activated
users and nearly 200 clients sessions since 2015).
Improved the communication with EMEIA and Global Growth Markets/Private teams and increased
the overall visibility of the CESA Region in the Growth Markets/Private organization.
Oversaw the deployment of the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year™ (EOY) program across the region.
Relaunched and rebranded the EOY program in Turkey.
Major clients
Banking: Finansbank, Akbank, participation banks (Albaraka Turk, Kuveyt Turk), ABN Leasing
Telecommunications: Turk Telekom, Avea, Turkcell, TT Net
Holding companies: Borusan, Abalioglu, OYAK, BİM
Sports Clubs: Beşiktaş, Trabzonspor
Inbounds: Schneider Electric, Bosch, Legrand, Arcelor, ClubMed, Georgia Pacific, Total SA,
Lafarge, Unifil, Toyota, Renault, Coca Cola
Managed consulting services provided to the Turkey Wealth Fund.
Provided consulting services to the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund of Turkey.
Participated in the consulting services provided for bonds issued by banks.
Mine Taşkaya
Founder and CEO of GTECH
Mine Taşkaya
Founder and CEO of GTECH
I am the founder and the CEO of GTECH, a global and consulting company firm with the vision to be instrumental in bringing about positive impact the lives of people by leveraging technology. GTech offers value added services and solutions by merging its’ experiences in various sectors with the global technological developments. Since founding GTECH in 2000, I led a strategic vision of the firm, investing in innovation, advanced technology, and highly skilled talent, and reshaping the future its future toward mission-critical, intelligent solutions. Prior to founding GTECH, I formulated successful strategies and delivered tangible results at the likes of IBM, Koc Sistem and Coretech.
I received Computer Engineering BS Degree from Middle East Technical University and being a “Mentor” in METU (Middle East Technical University) Alumni Association I help young talents with my expertise in leadership and coaching. I was selected in the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” list by Fortune Turkey for 2021 and in the “Female Founders 100” list by Fast Company Turkey for 2022.
Murat Bilgiç
TSKB Chairman of the Board, CEO
Murat Bilgiç
TSKB Chairman of the Board, CEO
Born in Ankara in 1968, Mr. Murat Bilgiç graduated from METU - Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of International Relations and received his master’s degree in Money-Banking-Finance at the University of Birmingham. He completed the Management Program at Manchester Business School and the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Mr. Murat Bilgiç started his career in 1990 as Assistant Inspector at the Board of Inspectors of Türkiye İş Bankası. After serving as Vice Manager, Unit Manager and Head of Corporate Loans Allocation Department, he was promoted to the position of Executive Vice President of Türkiye İş Bankası on March 25, 2016. As of 07.04.2022 Mr. Murat Bilgiç will serve as CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of TSKB.
Murat İkinci
Roketsan CEO
Murat İkinci
Roketsan CEO
Mr. Murat İkinci started his early career as a Computer Engineer at HAVELSAN in 1997. In
2000 he continued his career at STM Defense as a Computer Engineer and was appointed
General Manager in 2018, the role which he successfully carried out until 2020. During this
time, he played critical roles in completing many high-level defense projects; including
software development projects, C2 systems, autonomous systems and critical defense
technologies. He served as a Deputy General Manager responsible for Engineering and
Consultancy, consisting of Maritime Programs, Defense Procurement, Consultancy Services,
and Airworthiness Certification Services at STM.
During his duty, he played a critical role in one of the largest export projects in Turkish
defence industry, Pakistan Navy Fleet Tanker Project, in addition to the development of
MiLGEM National Corvette Project. Currently, as of July 2020, he acts as Chief Executive
Officer of Roketsan.
In addition to his CEO role at Roketsan, Mr. İkinci is the Vice Chairman of SAHA Istanbul
and he is a Board Member of the Defence and Security Committee of SASAD.
Mr. İkinci holds a B.S. and also a M.S. degree in Computer Science, in addition to an
Executive MBA Degree from Bilkent University, Ankara.
He speaks English fluently and is married with two children.
Murat Kolbaşı
Arzum A.Ş. Chairman of the Board
Murat Kolbaşı
Arzum A.Ş. Chairman of the Board
Murat Kolbaşı’s professional career began in 1988 at Arzum where he was positioned as the Sales and Business Development Manager after graduating from Marmara University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1987. Following this managerial position, he became Vice President of Arzum in 1996, within which he developed sales and marketing strategies to increase Arzum brand equity.
Murat Kolbaşı was elected as Chairman of Arzum in 2008. That same year, he signed an asset purchase agreement with Ashmore Asset Management Inc., partnering 49% of the company shares with the UK-based private equity fund.
Upon termination of 5 years agreement with Ashmore, he took an active role on signing partnership agreement with Meditarra Capital Partners owning 51% of company shares in 2013.
He takes role as a board member at Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) and he is also Coordinator Chairman of Asia Pacific Business Councils and Chairman of Turkish Chapter at Turkey-Hong Kong Business Council, Vice Chairman of Turkey-China Business Council and an active member of the Turkish - Taiwan Business Councils at Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), he takes role also as a Chairman of Turkish Glassware Council at The Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) along with his memberships at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO), Independent Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (MÜSİAD), Turkish Industry & Business Association (TUSİAD), Young Entrepreneur’s Committee (GGK) and Turkish Coffee Culture and Research Association.
Murat Kolbaşı speaks English, is married and has two sons.
Murat Pınar
Enerjisa Energy CEO
Murat Pınar
Enerjisa Energy CEO
Murat Pınar graduated as an Electrical and Electronics Engineer from Karadeniz Technical University, and received his MBA degree from London School of Commerce & University of Wales. Mr. Pınar, who debuted his professional career in Siemens in 1998, worked at Nokia NSN through 2005 to 2010, where he assumed Field Operations Manager and Program Director roles in Telecommunications, Fiber Optics, Infrastructure, Construction and Integration processes, in 13 different countries. He joined Enerjisa in 2010, and until 2015 held various senior managerial roles within Enerjisa distribution companies - Başkent, Ayedaş and Toroslar - operating in 14 cities and serving over 9 million customers and a population of 21 million. Mr. Pınar assumed responsibilities related to operational excellence efforts, progression of business models, development of sector dynamics, and formulation of investment programmes, making notable contributions to the integration, growth and development phases of Enerjisa distribution companies. Mr. Pınar was appointed General Manager of Enerjisa distribution companies in 2015; and as President of Enerjisa Enerji Distribution Business Unit in 2016. He serves as Enerjisa Enerji CEO since November 1, 2019. Mr. Pınar also serves as Board Member at the Association of Electricity Distribution System Operators (ELDER), and as Chairman of E-mobility Operators Association (E-MOD) and of EUROGIA
Neşe Gök
İnci Holding Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
Neşe Gök
İnci Holding Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
Since January 2016, she has been the Chairwoman of the Board of
Directors and also since 2007, she is a Member of the Board in İnci
Holding Group.
Neşe Gök graduated from BSc Economics in İstanbul University and did
her master degree of MSc Strategic Marketing in De Montfort University in
the UK. She started to work for Foreign Trade Company in their Family
Business, İnci Group (http://www.inciholding.com/en/home ). Since the
year 2000, she has taken responsibilities at Human Resources
Department. She worked as Human Resources Supervisor for their Joint
Venture Company Hayes Lemmerz Turkish Operations. She took
responsibilities in the implementation of Global Performance Management
System of Hayes Lemmerz for Turkey, Czech Republic and Germany
Plants. She implemented the hiring system and Management Resource Review System within the company.
In the meantime, between 2008-2010 she was the president of both Family Council and Family Assembly of
Inci Family. She is also a İzmir Institute of Technology and Ege University Advisory Board Member. She gave
lectures and speeches in various universities about Human Resources Management, Recruitment, Talent
Management and Management in Family Business. In addition, she is an “Angel Investor” at Keiretsu Forum,
Arya Women Investment Platform and EGIAD Angels.
She is married and has one son. She speaks Turkish and English. She is a travel addict and plays golf.
Nevzat Aydın
Co-founder of Yemeksepeti
Nevzat Aydın
Co-founder of Yemeksepeti
Nevzat Aydın is the co-founder and former CEO of Yemeksepeti, the leading quick commerce platform l in Turkey.
Born in 1976, Nevzat Aydın holds a computer engineering degree from Boğazici University. After completing his studies he went to University of San Francisco to do his MBA. During his stay in Silicon Valley he had his inspiration to start ‘’yemeksepeti.com’’ and returned back to Istanbul to persue his endeavor.
May 2015, Yemeksepeti was acquired by the global leader Delivery Hero with the biggest valuation ever yet in Turkish internet history. Nevzat Aydın was among the 150 entrepreneurs invited from all around the world to the Entrepreneurship Summit held by USA President Barack Obama in April, 2010. In 2013 and 2015, he was named number one on Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list. He was honered with the Philantrophy Award of American Turkish Society in 2017. In 2018, he was listed in Turkey’s Best Minds list by Forbes. Aydın as an active angel investor and he received many awards as the top angel investor of Turkey by many reputable sector shapers such as Webrazzi.
Currently, Mr. Aydın is a board chairman of GEN (Global Entrepreneurship Network) Turkey, board member of Endeavor Turkey, TOBB (Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) Young Entrepreneurs and American Turkish Society, trustees board member of Boğaziçi University and a founding member of Galata Business Angels and Wtech (Women's Association in Technology). Nevzat Aydın is also an independent board member of MAVI Company.
Neyran Bahadırlı
General Manager of Uber Turkey
Neyran Bahadırlı
General Manager of Uber Turkey
Neyran Bahadırlı is a graduate of Boğaziçi University's Economics department. After receiving her MBA from UVA Darden School of Business in the US, she worked in the TMT (Technology, Media, and Telecommunications) Investment Banking team at Merrill Lynch London office. She continued her career at the online communications company Skype in London. After a decade of experience abroad, she returned to Istanbul and was appointed as the General Manager of Uber Turkey. Uber, one of the world’s most popular technology apps, continues its operations in Turkey with Uber Taxi and Uber Courier. The number of Uber app downloads in Turkey has passed 6.5 million. Uber Yellow Taxi service is available in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antalya, Adana, Bursa, Mersin, Kayseri, Nevsehir and Hatay; Turquoise Taxi, Black Taxi, Yellow - Black Large Taxi and Uber Courier services are available in Istanbul.
Nilhan Onal Gökçetekin
Hepsiburada Chief Executive Officer
Nilhan Onal Gökçetekin
Hepsiburada Chief Executive Officer
Prior to Hepsiburada, she founded Amazon Shipping Company as well as leaded important categories such as consumer electronics, insurance, apparel and footwear in Amazon Europe. During the ten years preceding her career at Amazon, Onal held important and diverse senior management roles at Procter & Gamble in many categories and geographies, from food and cosmetics to home care products.
Among many recognitions, in 2021, she was also named among top Turkish executives in 'Global Turks par excellence' conducted by Heidrick and Struggles.
Mrs. Onal holds a Master of Business Administration from Boğaziçi University on Marketing and Finance and holds a degree in Political Science and International Relations from Boğaziçi University. She also completed the "Advanced Management Program" at Harvard Business School.
Niv Garih
Alarko Holding Member of the Board
Niv Garih
Alarko Holding Member of the Board
Born in 1981, Niv Garih graduated from New York University, Stern School of Business, Department of Finance and International Business Administration with honors in 2006. Mr. Garih worked in JP Morgan’s Asset Management division in New York from 2006 to 2008. He later returned to Turkey in 2009 and started working at Alarko Holding A.Ş. ‘s business development, feasibility and valuation departments. Since 2013, he has been heading the investor relation activities of Alarko Holding A.Ş. and its subsidiaries. Niv Garih is speaks English and French.
Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi
Yıldız Holding Member of the Board of Directors
Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi
Yıldız Holding Member of the Board of Directors
Nurtaç Ziyal Afridi graduated from Marmara University Department of Business
Management in 1993. She received her MBA degree from Germany. She began her career at
Arthur Andersen in 1993 and then started working at Accenture. Ziyal Afridi conducted
restructuring, strategy, and transformation projects for her clients from various industries.
Having joined Yıldız Holding in 2006 by establishing and leading the Corporate Strategy
department, Nurtaç Afridi played a key role in Yıldız Holding’s transformation into a global
Turkish company with more than 300 brands available in over 120 countries. She managed
domestic and international acquisitions, mergers, company sales, IPOs, and strategic
projects at Yıldız Holding between 2010 and 2020. In 2014, she successfully managed the
acquisition of United Biscuits which included such international brands as McVitie’s, Carr’s,
Jacobs, and BN under its roof and contributed to Yıldız Holding’s growth in global markets.
She also spearheaded GODIVA’s transformation and licensing deals for GODIVA in Japan,
South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
Having assumed the role of GODIVA’s global CEO in December 2020, Nurtaç Afridi is also a
member of the GODIVA Board. In this role, she drove an extensive transformation that led to
GODIVA’s growth in global markets. Afridi leads all the elements of the GODIVA
transformation, including extending channels of distribution, driving product innovation,
expanding marketing and licensing, creating an integrated supply chain, and empowering
GODIVA's people. In addition to her outstanding contributions to both Yıldız Holding and its
global brand GODIVA, Nurtaç Afridi was appointed as a Yıldız Holding Board Member as of
April 2022.
Osman Okyay
Kale Group Vice Chairman and President of Technical Division
Osman Okyay
Kale Group Vice Chairman and President of Technical Division
He received his BSc. degree in Mechanical Engineering at the Bogazici University
(formerly Robert's College), Istanbul, Turkey, in 1988, then his MSc. degree in
Mechanical Engineering at the University of New Hampshire, NH, USA, in 1990. He
also attended the Executive MBA program at the Koc University, in Istanbul in 1994.
In 1990, he started working for Digital Equipment Corp., Istanbul Office, as a Field
Service Engineer, later promoted to Services Planning Manager. He then joined Kale
Group, in 1994, and worked as the Deputy General Manager of Kalekalip, then General
Manager of Kalekalip. Today, he serves as the Vice Chairman and President of
Technical Division at Kale Group.
Osman took the initiative to diversify Kale Group into high-tech fields and international
partnerships. Robotics & Automation, Industrial Energy Equipment, Software
Simulation, Defense & Aerospace are to name a few.
Kale’s partnerships with Pratt & Whitney and Rolls Royce were also led by Osman.
Kale has also become a direct supplier to worlds leading defense & aerospace
companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman.
Osman serves as the Chairman of Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Canakkale
province. He is the Chairman of Turkey-UK Business Council, Board Member of
Turkey- Canadian Business Council, and Board Member of Turkey-USA Business
Council under DEIK (Foreign Economic Relations Board) of Turkey. Osman also
served as the 2nd term Chairman of the Turkish-American Business Council formed
under the Framework for Strategic, Economic and Commercial Cooperation (FSECC)
mechanism between Turkish and US Administrations. He is a member of the Board of
Trustees at the Eisenhower Fellowships. Osman is a Board Member at YASED
(International Investors Association). He is currently serving as the Chairman of
Defense and Aerospace Manufacturers Association of Turkey (SASAD) and the
Chairman of Aerospace Cluster Association (ACA-HUKD) in Izmir. He is also a
member of the General Assembly of OYAK Holding. Osman also serves on the Board
of Directors of Bogazici University and Fatih Sultan Mehmet University Foundations.
Osman lives in Istanbul with his wife Zeynep and their son Ibrahim.
Özarslan A. Tangün
Enterprise Rent A Car, Turkey CEO, Managing Partner
Özarslan A. Tangün
Enterprise Rent A Car, Turkey CEO, Managing Partner
After graduating from ITU Industrial Engineering Department in 1993, he received a Master of Business
Administration (MBA) degree with a scholarship from the University of Iowa.
Özarslan Tangün started his career at Southwest Securities, the largest investment bank in Texas, in 1995. He
later headed the research department with a staff of 25 analysts. The division has achieved many national
successes and Mr. Tangün was chosen as America's Best 'Retail Industry' analyst by The Wall Street Journal
due to his investment recomendations. He was regularly quoted in national and international media, including
The Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, Fortune Magazine, Businessweek, Barron’s, Reuters and
Dow Jones News, etc. He also appeared on various news channels including Bloomberg, ABC, NBC, and FOX.
He is a CFA charter holder and held Series 7, 16, 24,86 and 87.
Mr Tangün founded Patara Capital, LP an activist hedge fund that made private equity like investments in
public and private companies with less than $500 million market value. His hands on approach has led to many
board positions on NASDAQ, AMEX and NYSE listed companies, as well as private companies and start-ups. He
provided advise and help execute action plans to increase long-term sustainable profitability, raising/
allocating capital, turnarounds, acquisitions and overall shareholder value enhancement strategies.
After returning to Turkiye in 2012, he was a director at AccessTurkey Capital, one of the largest alternative
investment platforms focused on public and private companies, including Kariyer.net, Sigortam.net, Logipark,
Olgun Celik as well as a hedge fund.
Mr. Tangün joined Yes Oto, a car rental company, as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and
Managing Partner. He took an active role in bringing Enterprise Rent A Car, the world's largest car rental
company with over 2.1 million cars and 80,000 employees in 95 countries, to Turkiye in 2014.
Mr. Tangün is married and has three children.
Özgür Güleryüz
STM Member of the Board of Directors and the General Manager
Özgür Güleryüz
STM Member of the Board of Directors and the General Manager
Mr. Özgür GÜLERYÜZ graduated from Ankara Atatürk High School completed his undergraduate and graduate studies with scholarship at Bilkent University, Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering in 1998. Mr. Özgür GÜLERYÜZ, successfully completed the Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA) program in Bilkent University Faculty of Business Administration in 2012 while working as a Research Assistant at Bilkent University.
Mr. Özgür GÜLERYÜZ, started to work as a Senior Systems Engineer in the R&D Department of NOKIA Mobile Phones company located in Tampere, Finland in 1998, returned to Turkey in 2003 and he continued his professional journey in the fields of communication technologies, information security and cyber security at ASELSAN.
Mr. Özgür GÜLERYÜZ held a number of senior management positions in STM Savunma Teknolojileri Mühendislik ve Ticaret A.Ş. (“STM”) since 2007 such as System Engineering Manager (mainly regarding consultancy and maritime projects) and Quality Assurance Manager, in addition to various technical and project management roles. Mr. Özgür GÜLERYÜZ, served in ASELSAN between 2014-2019 and in January 2019 he was appointed as STM’s Assistant General Manager of Engineering and Consultancy. Leading STM as General Manager since July 2020, Mr. Özgür GÜLERYÜZ has been appointed as a Board Member by the General Assembly in General Assembly Meeting dated 20 June 2022.
Currently serving as a Member of the Board of Directors and the General Manager of STM, Mr. Özgür GÜLERYÜZ has been serving as a Board Member of the Board of Directors of ASBÜ Sosyokent Teknoloji Geliştirme Bölgesi Yönetim A.Ş.; SAHA İstanbul Defense Aviation Space Clustering Association; SASAD Defense and Aerospace Industry Manufacturers Association.
Mr. Özgür GÜLERYÜZ is fluent in English, is married with two children.
Sani Şener
Vice Chairman of TAV Airports & Chairman of TAV Construction
Sani Şener
Vice Chairman of TAV Airports & Chairman of TAV Construction
Founding partner of TAV Airports, Mustafa Sani Sener served as a member of Board of Directors, President and CEO between 1997 and 2022. On 1 May 2022, he was appointed as the Vice Chairman of the Board.
Founded in 1997 with the Istanbul Ataturk Airport BOT project, TAV Airports achieved huge financial and operational growth under the leadership of Mr. Sener. Today the company manages a portfolio of 15 airports in 8 countries.
Mr. Sener, graduated from Karadeniz Technical University (KTU) Faculty of Mechanical Engineering in 1977, Şener earned his master’s degree (M. Phil) in fluid mechanics in 1979 from University of Sussex in the UK. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in engineering from KTU for “his invaluable contributions to the development of Turkish engineering at the international level”, as well as an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from the New Hampshire University “for his accomplishments in project and risk management throughout his tenure at TAV”. Prior to his career at TAV Airports, Şener served in various positions, from project manager to general manager, in national and international projects.
He attended the executive education program on the management of complex systems at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He gave a lecture in Harvard Business School MBA Program on TAV Airports Case Study by HBS.
Mustafa Sani Şener previously served on the Board of Airports Council International (ACI World) and acted as the chairman of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye (DEIK) Turkey-France and Turkey-Croatia business councils. Since January 2022, Şener is acting as the Chairman of the DEIK Turkey-Kazakhstan Business Council. In 2016, Şener was awarded the Legion d'honneur by the President of the Republic of France François Hollande, due to his contributions to the relations between Turkey and France and he was given the High Honour of Service by the Georgian state. In 2019 he was honored with Medal of Merit for Macedonia Republic for the improvement of business and commercial relations in Macedonia and Turkey.
In the voting carried out by Thomson Extel among national and international finance corporations, he was chosen first in the category of “The Best CEO” in Turkey in 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2016, and third in the European Transport Sector in 2014.
Seçil Yıldırım Çelebi
Genç Başarı Eğitim Vakfı General Manager
Seçil Yıldırım Çelebi
Genç Başarı Eğitim Vakfı General Manager
Seçil Yıldırım Çelebi completed her undergraduate education in Labor Economics and Industrial Relations and received a master's degree in industrial engineering. After working in the fields of Human Resources Management and Entrepreneurship/SME Consultancy, she joined the Genç Başarı Eğitim Vakfı / Junior Achievement Turkiye. JA Turkiye has been operating since 1999 for the development of the entrepreneurial mindset from an early age throughout Turkey. She is currently the General Manager of the foundation. She works on the development of experience-oriented programs to reveal the unique potential of each child, and contributes to many national and international programs organized for children, young people from primary school to university.
Sedef Seçkin Büyük
Capital & Economist Magazines Publication Director
Selim Akın
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Akfen Holding
Selim Akın
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Akfen Holding
Selim Akın, graduated from Surrey University, Business Administration Department in the United Kingdom, and after coming back to Turkey Mr. Akın started his professional career in the Akfen Holding Accounting Department and later served in the Project Development and Finance Departments.
The main projects in which he participated are the privatization and financing of Vehicle Inspection Stations, the privatization and financing of Mersin Port and Akfen Holding’s public offering and bond issue. Besides his Chairman of the Board of Directors role at Akfen İnşaat ve Turizm A.Ş. and İstanbul Fast Ferries (İDO), Mr. Akın also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO at Akfen Holding and its various subsidiaries.
Mr. Akın is a member of TÜSİAD, Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TTYD), Young Businessmen Association of Turkey (TÜGİAD) and Turkish Contractors Association (TMB) Supervisory Board. He has also been serving as DEİK representative since 2018.
Sina Afra
Tiko, Founder and CEO
Sina Afra
Tiko, Founder and CEO
Sina is a Serial Entrepreneur. His latest endeavor is Tiko which he founded and serves as CEO. Before that he was the Founder of Markafoni, the first Online Fashion site of Turkey. Markafoni became the first Turkish internet company expanding beyond the borders of Turkey: Markafoni launched sites in Australia, Ukraine, Greece and Poland. Sina served until 2014 as Chairman and CEO.
The Naspers Group acquired in July 2011 a majority stake at Markafoni and signed for one of the biggest deals in the Turkish internet.
Sina is also an active Business Angel and invests in early stage start-ups. He has 35 angel investments. He is the President of the Entrepreneur Foundation, former Board Member of Endeavor Turkey and served at the Board of Fenerbahçe Futbol AS as Board Member.
Sina has been elected as the “Internet Entrepreneur of the Year” and “Business Angel of the Year” in Turkey. Markafoni won several awards: “Best Web Start-up” and “Best Online Fashion Site” in several years. The Wired UK magazin elected Markafoni two times to the hottest 100 companies in Europe. Sina was also selected (2014 & 2015) to the Top 100 most influential tech people Europe. In 2016 he was selected as one of Top 100 most influential tech people in the World (Wired Magazine). The Forbes Magazin selected him 2019 as one of the 100 brightest minds in Turkey.
Sina is also president of 1907 Fenerbahçe esports – one of the biggest esports organizations in Turkey.
Prior to his Entrepreneurship career, Sina spent more than 5 years with eBay and 12 years with KPMG. Sina received a “Diplom Kaufmann” from Münster University and joined later Harvard Business School. He speaks five languages. He shares his thoughts on eCommerce in his personal blog www.sinaafra.com and on twitter (@sinaafra).
Sinem Türüng
Metro Türkiye CEO
Sinem Türüng
Metro Türkiye CEO
from the Economics Department of Boğaziçi University between 1994-1999. She joined Metro
Türkiye in October 1999 in the Budget Planning and Reporting Department, where she held both
domestic and international positions within the group. As the Budget Planning and Reporting Group
Manager for the Asia, Russia, and Ukraine region at Metro Global, Türüng was appointed as the
Administrative Affairs Group Manager at Metro Croatia in May 2006, and was promoted to Finance
Director in April 2008. In 2014, Türüng was appointed as the Finance Director in Turkey and held the
position of Metro Türkiye's Operations Director between 2018-2019. Since 2019, Türüng has been
serving as the CEO of Metro Türkiye.
Sitare Sezgin
General Manager of Teknosa
Sitare Sezgin
General Manager of Teknosa
Sitare Sezgin started her career as a Consultant at Bain & Company in 1999 and went on to work as a Senior Consultant at Boston Consulting Group between 2001 and 2004. She joined Sabancı Group in 2004 and served as Strategy and Business Development Manager at Sabancı Holding Retail Group in 2004-2009 and President of New Product and Channel Development at Akbank in 2010-2011. After assuming the duty of Assistant General Manager in Charge of Sales, Marketing and Supplier Relations at Back-Up company affiliated to Boyner Group at the beginning of 2011, she worked as the General Manager of Back-Up and Bofis Turizm companies from August 2011 to 2018. Having served as an Independent Board Member at Carrefoursa and Avivasa from March 2016 to 2018, Sitare Sezgin continued her duty as the General Manager and Board Member of AkÖde, a subsidiary of Akbank, as of February 2018.During this period, She also served as a member of the Independent Board of Directors of Doğtaş Furniture. Sezgin, who is a board member of the Chain Stores Association, is the first and only female member of the board of Euronics, Europe's largest electronics purchasing group. She plays an active role especially in the Women's Association in the Board of Directors and the Women's Association in Technology, which are active in the field of gender equality.
Sitare Sezgin has been working as the General Manager of Teknosa since September 1, 2021.
Turgay Durak
Türk Tractor Board Member
Turgay Durak
Türk Tractor Board Member
Mr. Durak is a graduate of the Mechanical Engineering Department of Northwestern University (USA) where he also completed his Master’s degree in mechanical engineering. His career commenced at Ford Otosan in 1976 as Applications Engineer. In the same year, he assumed the position of Product Development and Design Engineer, and by 1979 he became the İnönü Engine Plant Project Leader. In 1982 and 1984, he was assigned as Project Coordination Manager and Project Coordination Department Head, respectively. In 1986 and 1987, he was designated as Assistant General Manager of Marketing and Assistant General Manager of Purchasing, respectively. He became the Deputy General Manager of Ford Otosan in 2000. He started to serve as the General Manager in 2002 when he also joined the Board of Directors. From 2007 to 2009, he was the Automotive Group President at Koç Holding. He served as Deputy CEO of Koç Holding from May 2009 until April 2010 and as CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of Koç Holding from April 2010 to March 31, 2015, Mr. Durak retired at age 63. He was Chairman of the Board of the Automotive Manufacturers Association for 6 years between 2004 and 2010. He served as a member of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ISO) from January 2008 to May 2010 and was a board member between February 2009 and May 2010. Mr. Durak also was a National Board Member of International Chamber Of Commerce from February 2014 to March 2015. After his retirement in March 2015, he has continued to serve as Board Member on Koç Group Companies
Uğur Coşkun
BİTES Defence & Aerospace Technologies General Manager
Uğur Coşkun
BİTES Defence & Aerospace Technologies General Manager
Uğur COŞKUN was born in Erzurum in 1980. In 1997, he graduated from İstanbul Şişli
Technical High School, Department of Computer. He started his undergraduate education in
the Department of Mathematics Engineering at İstanbul Technical University in 1998.
Uğur COŞKUN, who founded his company in 2001 while he was still studying at university,
he carries out duties which is the Deputy Chairman and General Manager of BİTES Board of
Directors and the Vice Chairman of the Board of SASAD.
BİTES, where Uğur COŞKUN served as the General Manager; In the IT Sector in İstanbul in
2001; while continuing its activities in Interactive Television Applications, Game
Technologies, Web Technologies and various business practices, it focused on developing
innovative technologies based on R&D in the Defence Industry in 2005. In 2019, ASELSAN,
the Leader of the Defence Sector, became a partner in the company by acquiring 51% of BİTES
shares. BİTES became one of the 10 IT companies that allocate the most budget to R&D in
Turkey in 2020. In addition to this, BİTES; according to the BİLİŞİM 500 (IT 500) Research
results in 2020, it ranked 1st in the "Fastest Growing Companies" category and registered its
successes.
BİTES under the leadership of Uğur COŞKUN; in order to add value to our country with with
the software-intensive systems and technologies it has developed with its valuable human
resources, decisively and pasionately continues to work with innovative solutions and products
around the world.
Uğur COŞKUN is married and has 3 children.
Vahap Küçük
Chairman of LC WAIKIKI Executive Board
Vahap Küçük
Chairman of LC WAIKIKI Executive Board
Mr. Vahap Kucuk was born in 1961, in Dogansehir, Malatya and completed his education in Dogansehir. He was engaged in trade for a while in Malatya and then moved to Istanbul in 1990. Mr. Vahap Kucuk was one of the founding partners of Tema Tekstil Pazarlama A.S.
In the meantime, he completed the Strategic Business Management Expertise Programme in Marmara University.
Mr. Vahap Kucuk had been the General Manager of Tema Tekstil Pazarlama A.S. for 8 years. Throughout that period, LC Waikiki succeeded to have the most prominent and widespread dealer network in Turkey and became a market leader in several segments. Within the same period, Tema Tekstil globally obtained all the rights of LC Waikiki and thus, LC Waikiki became a Turkish brand. As for today, with the mission of “everyone deserves to dress well”, LC Waikiki sustains its activities as a global Turkish brand in 82 countries in 5 continents, with 1300 stores and 45.000 employees.
Küçük, who has worked as CEO until 2003, has become the Chairman of the Executive Board after 2003. At the same time, he has accomplished the establishment of Küçükler Holding where all the partners belong to Küçük Family and he worked as Chairman of the Executive Board. In 2013, Küçük has become the first Chairman of the Executive Board of the Shopping Malls and Retailers Association Federation (TAMPF) which was established by Turkey’s modern retail sector’s joined collaboration and performed his task until April, 2015. Vahap Küçük, currently works as the Chairman of the Executive Board of LC Waikiki and the board member of Taha Holding. He is married and he has three children.
Yiğit Arslan
İstanbul Asset Management Venture Capital Funds Managing Partner
Yiğit Arslan
İstanbul Asset Management Venture Capital Funds Managing Partner
Yigit Arslan began his finance career while pursuing a Master's degree in the United States, and
gained experience in various fields such as corporate finance, private equity investments, and
securities fund management. He served in the management of Brook Ventures fund, which invests in
technology and healthcare sectors. While providing corporate finance consultancy to many mid-sized
companies in the telecommunications, energy, and technology sectors, he also became an investor
and achieved successful exits.
From 2008 to 2016, Arslan successfully managed investment funds established in Turkey, Europe,
and the United States with sizes ranging from 20 to 200 million dollars respectively, at Is Investment,
Rhea Asset Management, and Azimut Capital Management. Since 2017, he has led and served in the
management of various funds that invested in projects exceeding 1 billion dollars in venture capital
(private equity and venture capital) and initiated the establishment of different funds. As of 2022, as
the founding partner of TechOne Venture Capital, twozero Ventures, and Logo Ventures funds, he
manages total venture capital commitments exceeding 100 million dollars and has invested in more
than 50 startups through these funds.
Yiğit Arslan holds a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering from Sabancı University and a Master's
degree in Business and Finance from Bentley University, and his industry experience spans 15 years.
Zeynep Bodur Okyay
President and CEO of Kale Group
Zeynep Bodur Okyay
President and CEO of Kale Group
From 1992 to 1993, Zeynep Bodur Okyay served in various positions as a management trainee in the production units of Çanakkale Ceramic Factories in Çan, Çanakkale. In 1995, she was appointed as a Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee of Kale Group's Marketing Companies and has been serving as the President and CEO of Kale Group since 2007.
Zeynep Bodur Okyay actively contributes to many non-governmental and international organizations by taking part in their management levels. Served as the President of the Assembly of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry for two consecutive terms between 2013 and 2022, Okyay currently serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Global Relations Forum Association, Board Member and Executive Committee Member of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), Chairman of the Türkiye-Morocco Business Council at DEİK and member of Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD), Impact Investing Advisory Board, and Carnegie Europe Advisory Board. Zeynep Bodur Okyay, who has been actively supporting the G20 processes since the 2015 Turkish Presidency, will continue to serve as Co-Chair of the B20 “Women Diversity Inclusion Action Council” during the Brazilian Presidency through 2024.
Zeynep Bodur Okyay was awarded the "Cavaliere di Lavoro" decoration by the Italian State in 2006 for her contributions and services to Turkish-Italian relations and received the “Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” high-level state decoration in 2014. In 2010, she was honored with the Franco Nobili Award within the scope of “Türkiye in Europe” for her contribution to the relations between Türkiye and the European Union countries. In the same year, Zeynep Bodur Okyay received the Distinguished Service Award from the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.
Also supported the establishment of a Turkish Chair at Harvard University through her work at the Harvard Alumni Association, of which she is one of the founders, Okyay leads many pioneering programs within Kale Group to contribute to Türkiye's education, design, art, local development, and social entrepreneurship ecosystem as Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dr. (h.c.) İbrahim Bodur Kaleseramik Education, Health, and Social Aid Foundation.
Zeynep Bodur Okyay is fluent in Italian and English, having graduated from the Italian High School, Istanbul Technical University Department of Management Engineering, and Harvard University's graduate executive training programs, respectively. Zeynep Bodur Okyay is married to Osman Okyay, Vice Chairman of Kale Group, and has one child.