Turkey 2017 – GC Powerlist
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Turkey 2017

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Ahmet Berkan

Senior counsel - director | Philip Morris International

With over 13 years of experience at tobacco giant Philip Morris International, Ahmet Berkan is one of the most trusted in-house advisers for the company in the region, having spent...

Ahmet İlker Doğan

Vice president - general counsel | Anagold Madencilik

Established in 2000 as a joint-venture corporation of Alacer Gold and Lidya Madencilik, Anagold Madencilik is the operator of the world-class Çöpler Gold Mine located in east-central Turkey. In 2013,...

Ahmet Serdar Kayhan

Chief legal advisor | Ford Otosan

Consumer products

Founded in 1959, Ford Otosan has been one of the top three exporting companies in Turkey since 2005 and is the largest commercial vehicle production centre in Ford Europe, thanks...

Ali Murat Dizdar

Executive vice president - chief legal counsel | DenizBank

Financials

As head of legal for international law and consultancy at Halkbank, Murat Caglar is responsible for dealing with its international legal issues, as well as with its various affiliates and...

Ali Uysal

Head legal counsel | Türk Hava Yolları (Turkish Airlines)

Transport and infrastructure

Experienced aviation lawyer Ali Uysal has been the head legal counsel for Turkish Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, for the last three years heading all of its legal operations and...

Aybars Yağız

Legal counsel | GAMA Energy

Energy and utilities

Founded in 2002, GAMA Energy develops and invests in power and water infrastructure projects in Turkey and the surrounding region. Aybars Yağız joined the company in 2012 as its first...

Ayça Ögel

Deputy legal counsel - legal department | Garanti Emeklilik

Financials

Part of Garanti Bank, Turkey’s second largest private bank, Garanti Emeklilik has become a domestic market leader in the provision of pensions and insurance in a short space of time....

Aydın Düren

General counsel and corporate secretary | Garanti Bankası

Financials

Established in 1946, Garanti Bank is an integrated financial services group and Turkey’s second largest private bank with consolidated assets of $95.7bn as of June 2017, approximately 14.5 million customers...

Ayşe Akcan

Legal Counsel | Turkish Airlines

Transport and infrastructure

During her eight year career at Turkish Airlines, Ayşe Akcan has worked on nearly 250 aircraft and engine financings, aircraft purchase agreements and a variety of other matters in both...

Azra Oguz Çakıl

Executive counsel | GE Turkey

Established in 1953 with the aim of supporting rural development and the sugar industry, today Şekerbank provides a plethora of services to businesses across agricultural, commercial and SME, corporate and...

Barış Öner

Chief legal counsel | Pladis

Food, beverages and tobacco

A subsidiary of Yıldız Holding, Pladis was established in early 2016 to bring together the confectionary and biscuit companies of Yıldız together under one roof. Leading brands Ülker, McVitie’s and...

Bora Kaya

Managing legal counsel | GAMA Power Systems Engineering & Contracting

Energy and utilities

Having been mentioned in the GC Powerlist: Turkey Teams in 2016 as part of the recommended GAMA Power Systems legal department, managing legal counsel of the company Bora Kaya has...

Burak Ismail Okay

Legal affairs coordinator and chief legal officer | Zorlu Holding

Industrials and real estate

Burak Ismail Okay leads the legal team of Zorlu Holding, one of Turkey’s largest corporate groups that employs over 26,000 employees across a portfolio of over 60 companies operating in...

Burcu Şener Sözer

Head of legal | Aygaz

Energy and utilities

Aygaz is Turkey’s seventh largest industrial organisation according to the listing by Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and it is owned by the Koç Group. Providing legal support as head of...

Burcu Sönmezyalçın Döker

General counsel, compliance officer and data protection official | Media Markt Turkey

Formerly with Metro Cash and Carry and head of legal for Sütaş Group, Burcu Sönmezyalçın Döker now takes on a highly varied set of responsibilities in her role as general...

Buse Pinar Kaçar

Chief legal and corporate affairs officer | Yörsan

Food, beverages and tobacco

Founded in 1964, Yörsan is Turkey’s leading diary company supplying high quality food products to over 20 countries around the world. Buse Pinar Kaçar joined the company as Chief legal...

Çağla Zıngıl

Chief legal officer and legal director | Akkök Sanayi Yatırım ve Geliştirme

Materials and mining

Over her ten year tenure at the major Turkish conglomerate Akkök Holdings, Çağla Zıngıl has been involved in a number of important projects, including a series of recent shareholder disputes...

Canan Arslan

Legal Director | Amgen

Canan Arslan currently stands as the head of the legal department in Turkey for US multinational biopharmaceutical company Amgen and its subsidiary Mustafa Nevzat İlaç, a leading local pharmaceutical company...

Cem Çeliker

Chief legal counsel and vice president | ENKA

As a chief legal counsel and vice president Cem Çeliker is part of the critical decision-making function of ENKA, Turkey’s largest construction company with a turnover of $3.5bn in 2016,...

Cem Davutoğlu

Managing counsel | Akbank

Financials

Cem Davutoğlu left behind a hugely successful private practice career to join the in-house ranks of Akbank in March 2016. Prior to this, he spent over a decade with White...

Cemal Aybars Sanal

Assistant general manager - legal affairs | Yapi ve Kredi Bankası

Financials

Yapı ve Kredi Bankası, is Turkey’s largest private bank, owned under a joint venture structure by Koç Holding and UniCredit, both Fortune Global 500 companies. Having held the position of...

Cemile Gunes Dinlenmis

Group legal director | Erdemir Group

Cemile Gunes Dinlenmis specialises in transport, commercial, competition and energy law with a particularly strong pedigree in claim management. She joined Erdemir Group in 2011 as group legal counsel manager...

Ceyda Akbal

General counsel | TAV Airports

Transport and infrastructure

Ceyda Akbal currently leads the legal department at TAV Airports Holding, a company established in 1997 as a joint venture of Tepe, Akfen and Airport Consulting Vienna and won the...

Çiğdem Dayan

Chief legal counsel | ING Bank

Financials

Çiğdem Dayan is one of the most experienced financial services lawyers in Turkey, boasting nearly three decades experience of working for leading organisations in the sector. After graduating with a...

Dilek Akdaş

Legal affairs and compliance manager | Doğuş Planet

N11.com is an e-commerce platform founded in March 2013 by Dogus Planet that offers a wide range of apparel, electronics, and home products. Legal and corporate leadership at the company...

Eda Arıcıoğlu

Chief Legal Counsel | Rönesans Holding

Founded in 1993 in the Russian city of St. Petersburg, Rönesans Holding currently operates in Turkey, CIS, Europe, Middle East and Africa. Eda Arıcıoğlu was hired by the company in...

Eda Okay Riehl

Regional compliance officer | Ingram Micro

Information technology

Eda Okay Riehl was nominated during this year’s research for her outstanding support with regards to many legal issues, and she can also point to an accomplished career background that...

Elçin Erdeniz

Legal counsel | Yandex Reklamcılık (Yandex Turkey)

Elçin Erdeniz currently serves as the only legal counsel of Yandex Reklamcılık, a technology company that builds intelligence products and services powered by machine learning. Erdeniz has had the opportunity...

Elif Şen

Chief legal officer | SOCAR Türkiye

Energy and utilities

SOCAR (The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic), is one of the leading oil companies in the region. Its Turkish operation began in 2008 and having pumped almost $20bn...

Emel Nakay

Country legal lead | Accenture Turkey

Information technology

A firm believer in collaboration and partnership when managing in-house legal teams, Emel Nakay has had transformative impact on both Turkcell and Accenture Turkey in her in-house legal career. ‘In...

Emel Yılmaz Özbay

Chief legal counsel - executive vice president | Finansbank

Financials

Supporting a bank with 647 branches and 13,000 employees is not an easy task for Emel Yılmaz Özbay’s legal team, as it requires her lawyers to work around the clock...

Erem Turgut Yücel

Chief legal counsel | Doğan Şirketler Grubu Holding

Erem Turgut Yücel has been chief legal counsel of Doğan Şirketler Grubu Holding since August 2017. As a central part of a company that has added significant value to the...

Ertuğrul Onur

General counsel and company secretary | Coca-Cola İçecek

Food, beverages and tobacco

Coca-Cola İçecek is the global soft drink brand’s subsidiary in Turkey and has responsibility for the production, distribution and sale of sparkling and still beverages on behalf of The Coca-Cola...

Esma Gül Nalbantoğlu Kocaman

Vice president legal | Mastercard

Financials

Global credit card company Mastercard recently completed an important milestone in Turkey; it teamed up with mobile retail upstart Getir to provide the Masterpass digital payment service technology and facilitate...

Funda Zeynep Ekincioğlu

Legal and compliance director | MSD Turkey

Healthcare

From her base in Istanbul, Funda Zeynep Ekincioğlu leads both the legal and compliance functions at the Turkish operation of global healthcare leader MSD, and has a history of providing...

Gamze Gökçen Pilevne

Chief legal counsel | Mercedes-Benz Türk

German automotive giant Mercedes-Benz operates in Turkey through its Mercedes-Benz Türk subsidiary, which provides a full range of services to customers including the sale of new and used cars, after...

Gonca Uyguç

Legal, compliance and internal audit director | Roche Turkey

Healthcare

Experienced aviation lawyer Ali Uysal has been the head legal counsel for Turkish Airlines, the country’s flag carrier, for the last three years heading all of its legal operations and...

Hakan Bekiroğlu

Chief legal Officer | TOFAŞ

TOFAŞ is the only Turkish automaker which manufactures both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles, producing a total of 400,000 vehicles annually. As chief legal counsel at the company, Hakan...

Halil İbrahim Kardıçalı

General counsel | 3M Türkiye

Industrials and real estate

As the general counsel for 3M Türkiye, Halil Kardıçalı serves as the director of the Turkish legal department and member of the management operating committee. In light of a number...

Hasan Esen

Chief legal officer | Akbank

Financials

Chief legal counsel for Turkey’s third largest private bank and fourth largest bank overall, Hasan Esen is a passionate in-house lawyer, known in the region for his excellent work across...

Hilal Utku

Legal director | L'Oréal Turkey

Consumer products

Hilal Utku is L’Oréal’s legal director for Turkey and a member of the country management committee. Since joining L’Oréal, Utku has had a big impact on the Turkish legal department...

Iltem Dokurlar

Director of legal affairs | Yıldırım Holding

Iltem Dokurlar took on his role with Yildirim Holding in May 2016, prior to which he worked at the Borsa Istanbul as the general counsel. His time here coincided with...

İrem Aydın

Director of legal affairs | Doğan Müzik Kitap Mağazacılık ve Pazarlama

Newly appointed director of legal affairs İrem Aydın has already made a number of changes as a leader of the legal department of D&R, one of the biggest conglomerates in...

Işık Soydan

Legal director | Pfizer

Healthcare

With over a decade’s tenure with international pharmaceutical giant Pfizer’s Turkish operation, Işık Soydan is an in-house legal expert in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. However, she has previously proven...

Kaan Aksu

Senior Legal Counsel | ENKA

A Turkish construction company worth over TRY 7.8bn, Istanbul-based Enka İnşaat ve Sanayi (ENKA) has 37 separate subsidiaries that are present in a diverse range of activities that include a...

Kagan Oztarakci

Legal director | PepsiCo Turkey

Food, beverages and tobacco

US food and beverage conglomerate PepsiCo has had a presence in Turkey since 1962. In March 2002, Pepsi Bottling Group bought the Pepsi bottling operation in Turkey, merging the Fruko...

Kayhan Karabayır

Legal affairs and investor relations director | Çimentaş Group

Materials and mining

Having worked at cement company Çimentaş Group since 1998, Kayhan Karabayır has an almost unrivalled understanding of his company’s vast operations. Established in 1950 as the first cement factory in...

Kenan Yılmaz

Chief legal counsel | Koç Holding

A highly experienced in-house counsel with an extremely detailed understanding of what is needed to provide outstanding legal support to the company, Kenan Yılmaz has been in the legal department...

Kerem Moralı

Chief legal counsel | Fiba Group

Financials

After graduating from law school, Kerem Moralı pursued an academic career at Galatasaray University between 1995 and 1998, enabling him to set the foundation and acquire invaluable skills he would...

Kutay Yayın

Legal counsel | Google Turkey

Information technology

As one would expect of Google’s legal counsel for Turkey, Kutay Yayın is an IT and technology legal expert. As a private practice lawyer for Dentons, he was a TMT...

Mehmet Emin Karaağaç

Legal affairs and credit risk liquidation | VakıfBank

Financials

Currently the seventh largest bank in Turkey in terms of asset size, VakıfBank plays a pioneering role in the financing of domestic and foreign trade in investment banking and capital...

Mehmet Tekergül

Head of legal and compliance | Volkswagen Doğuş Finansman

Consumer products

Mehmet Tekergül is the most senior lawyer at the Volkswagen Doğuş Finansman (vdf) Group Companies, which include a number of business areas including Finance, vdf Insurance, vdf Factoring, vdf Operational...

Melis Alkan Bölükbaşı

Legal Counsel | Polat Enerji

Now the most senior lawyer of wind power specialist Polat Enerji, Melis Alkan Bölükbaşı began working at the prestigious Aksu & Savaş & Çalışkan Law Office following her graduation from...

Melis Coşan Baban

Assistant general manager, head of legal affairs | Türk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB)

Financials

Founded in 1927, Türk Ekonomi Bankası (TEB) has established itself as one of Turkey’s most successful banks. Melis Coşan Baban moved to the company in 2005 in what was her...

Meltem Azbazdar

General counsel and company secretary | Mey İçki

Leading a legal team of six other individuals, Meltem Azbazdar is both general counsel and company secretary of major spirits-producing company Mey İçki, which has been owned by Diageo since...

Miraç Ucankale Yuce

Senior legal officer | ALJ Holding

Industrials and real estate

Following her graduation from the Faculty of Law at Marmara University in 2005, Miraç Ucankale Yuce went on to establish herself as one of Turkey’s leading legal professionals, initially impressing...

Murat Caglar

Head of legal for international law and consultancy | Halkbank

Financials

As head of legal for international law and consultancy at Halkbank, Murat Caglar is responsible for dealing with its international legal issues, as well as with its various affiliates and...

Murat Durmaz

Head of legal affairs | Demirören Group

Showing tremendous flexibility, Murat Durmaz has seamlessly transitioned into Turkey’s industrial sector after developing an outstanding in-house legal reputation in the country’s financial sector between 1999 and 2015. Upon joining...

Murat Sümer

Legal counsel | Otoyol Yatırım ve İşletme

Industrials and real estate

Murat Sümer is the head legal counsel of Otoyol Yatırım ve İşletme, the project company of the multibillion dollar Gebze İzmir Motorway project. In this capacity Sümer manages the in-house...

Nazli Dereli Oba

Legal director | Karadeniz Holding

Having moved up through the ranks of Karadeniz Holding company in a variety of in-house legal positions, legal director Nazli Dereli Oba has been a fixture at the energy giant...

Necati Karabayır

Head of legal and compliance, country general counsel | Vaillant Group

Energy and utilities

Experienced head of legal and compliance, Necati Karabayir has a demonstrated history within the renewables, energy and durable goods industry. Skilled in negotiation, international law, legal compliance, arbitration and competition...

Neşe Kaya Durak

Neşe Kaya Durak | Doğan tv

At the helm of the legal function of the largest broadcasting group in Turkey, Neşe Kaya Durak provides legal support to several leading media companies and channels including KANAL D...

Nilüfer Türkçü Hıra

Head legal counsel | Çalık Holding

Diversified Turkish business Çalık Holding has had the benefit of the wise counsel of Nilüfer Türkçü Hıra since November 2016, when she joined Lidya Madencilik, the mining subsidiary of Çalik...

Oğuz Sami Sarıkaya

Head of legal | LUKOIL Eurasia Petrol

Energy and utilities

Since returning to the in-house legal profession in 2011, Oğuz Sami Sarıkaya has established himself as a premier counsel in the energy sector, culminating in his 2016 appointment by LUKOIL...

Oya Sehirlioğlu

Chief legal officer | Erdemir Group

Materials and mining

Experienced chief legal officer Oya Sehirlioğlu has a demonstrable history of working in the fast-moving consumer goods and the mining and metals industries; before her current role she spent over...

Öykü Api

Country senior legal manager Turkey | Metlife Emeklilik ve Hayat

Beginning her career with consulting firm Yurttutan Topsakal Yörüker, Öykü Api quickly gained valuable experience in commercial, corporate and competition matters and helped her to ‘identify the most important elements’...

Özen Keskin

General counsel | Generali Sigorta

Financials

Founded in 1959, Ford Otosan has been one of the top three exporting companies in Turkey since 2005 and is the largest commercial vehicle production centre in Ford Europe, thanks...

Ozge Ayoz

Legal and government relations director, board member | Procter & Gamble Turkey and Caucasus

Lawyer of over 20 years Ozge Ayoz joined Procter & Gamble (P&G) Switzerland in 2000 as a senior legal counsel for EMEA. After three years her role expanded to cover...

Özge Kösem

Senior legal counsel | Mondelēz International Turkey

Food, beverages and tobacco

Since joining Mondelēz International Turkey in 2011, Özge Gülşen-Kösem has adapted the legal function’s approach to new technology and has demonstrated innovative thinking to find ways to bring a standardised...

Özge Sanioğlu

Vice president and legal counsel | Deutsche Bank

Financials

Previously a private practice lawyer with Topaloğlu and an in-house counsel for Garanti Bankası, Özge Sanioğlu moved to Deutsche Bank in 2012, and received a quick promotion to vice president...

Özgür Çolpan

Head of legal and compliance | Henkel

Özgür Çolpan joined the German chemical and consumer goods giant Henkel in 2015 following a decade of experience at ABB. In his time at Henkel, Çolpan has refined the workload...

Özgür Ozan Döker

General counsel | Sofra Grup

Consumer products

A lawyer with over 15 years’ experience in reputable national and multinational companies, Özgür Ozan Döker brings a large amount of multidimensional experience to Sofra Grup, a leading Turkish food...

Özlem Akyüz Atamer

Head of Legal | Kale Holding

Head of legal Özlem Akyüz Atamer is the most senior lawyer and leads a legal team of five at Kale Holding, a conglomerate that initially pioneered the ceramics industry in...

Özlem Uluışık

Legal director | Zorlu Holding

Industrials and real estate

Previously a highly regarded legal counsel in the accounting world, having been at EY and Arthur Andersen for four years in total, Özlem Uluışık moved to Zorlu Holding in March...

Ruba Unkan

Director, legal affairs | Sabancı Holding

Industrials and real estate

Founded over 90 years ago, Sabancı Holding is the parent company of Sabancı Group, Turkey’s largest industrial and financial conglomerate which operates in 18 countries and markets their products across...

Ruken Taşkıran Canbekte

Legal manager of International corporate Issues | Yapi ve Kredi Bankası

Financials

Ruken Taşkıran has shaped the legal division of Yapı ve Kredi Bankası, one of the first nationwide commercial banks in Turkey, for the last eight years as its legal manager...

Ruşen Gürlük Yarpınar

Legal manager | EWE Turkey Holding

Energy and utilities

German based energy giant, EWE, entered the Turkish gas market in 2007, establishing itself as the first and largest international investor in the market, with more than 850 employees and...

Şebnem Önder

Legal director Turkey and North Africa area | British American Tobacco

Food, beverages and tobacco

Şebnem Önder holds overall responsibility for the world’s most international tobacco group, British American Tobacco (BAT), in Turkey and North Africa Area with respect to legal and security functions. As...

Seçkin Cemiloğlu

Legal manager | ALD Automotive Türkiye

Over the course of his seven year professional legal career, Seçkin Cemiloğlu has been exposed to handling a wide range of legal matters at both multinational and local companies. He...

Sefer Oguz

Chief legal counsel | Şekerbank

Financials

Established in 1953 with the aim of supporting rural development and the sugar industry, today Şekerbank provides a plethora of services to businesses across agricultural, commercial and SME, corporate and...

Şelale Serengil

Chief legal counsel | Borusan Otomotiv

Consumer products

With annual sales of approximately 15,000 vehicles a year, Borusan Otomotiv is a major automotive group that counts a highly reputable portfolio of brands under its umbrella; BMW, MINI, Land...

Senem Berkem Paflak

Head of legal and compliance | Borusan EnBW Energy

Energy and utilities

Moving into the in-house legal ranks with energy holding company Akkok Holding in mid-2013, Senem Berkem Paflak impressed thoroughly, and soon progressed into the role of head of legal and...

Serçin Kireçtepe

Head of legal and corporate compliance officer | Metro Group

Consumer products

Serçin Kireçtepe is a lawyer with an enviable record of achievement in in-house roles. Previously an internal lawyer for pharmaceutical company Eczacıbaşı İlaç Pazarlama, she also spent six-and-a-half years at...

Serdar Tunçbilek

Country general counsel and integrity officer | ABB Turkey

Industrials and real estate

ABB’s global technology operation has been honed to a high degree of efficiency over the course of an over-100 year history, with Turkey being one of the many regions that...

Serhat Demir

Executive vice president - legal and regulation | Turkcell

Occupying a position on the executive management team of Turkey’s leading mobile phone operator, İ. Serhat Demir first joined Turkcell in the distinguished role of executive vice president of the...

Sevda Aydın Alemdar

Senior Legal Counsel | PepsiCo

Food, beverages and tobacco

Having started her in-house legal career at PepsiCo Snacks in 2008, Sevda Aydın Alemdar has since become a key figure in the in-house legal department at the global food and...

Süreyya Uğurses

Chief legal counsel | Citibank

Financials

Nominated during the research process by a private practice source, renowned country legal counsel for Citibank in Turkey Süreyya Uğurses is a highly accomplished banking in-house lawyer with more than...

Tolga Erendaç

Chief legal advisor | Burgan Bank

Financials

Tolga Erendaç joined Burgan Bank in May 2015 following its acquisition of Eurobank Tekfen and with a mandate to restructure the legal team in line with the bank’s changing vision...

Tuba Çetin Alpa

Senior lawyer- head of the legal department | Cargill Turkey

A seasoned legal professional with a comprehensive understanding of her company’s business, Tuba Çetin Alpa has served the legal department in the Turkish operations of US food conglomerate Cargill since...

Tülay Aktan

Director of legal and corporate relations | Efe İçecek

Lawyer of 26 years Tülay Aktan is responsible for setting up, maintaining and providing legal advisory services to the entirety of domestic and foreign operations of Efe İçecek, a producer...

Tuna Yasin Doyuk

Legal affairs manager | Porland

Tuna Yasin Doyuk currently heads legal affairs at Porland, a leading producer of porcelain based products that was founded in 1976 and exports to more than 30 countries globally. A...

Ugur Ates

Group Legal Counsel | Kurum Holding

Since joining the Turkish conglomerate Kurum Holding, Ugur Ates overhauled the legal function, clearly specifying the roles and responsibilities of each member of the team, while simultaneously ensuring that they...

Ümit Başer

Legal adviser and head of legal | EYG Group

For over a decade Ümit Başer ran his own personal law firm before joining Turkish real estate developer EYG Grup in 2014. Applying the principles of running a law firm...

Yakup Öztunç

Legal assistant general manager | Türk Telekom

Telecommunication services

At Türk Telekom, Yakup Öztunç was appointed as assistant general manager of law for the company in January 2017. Founded in 1839, Türk Telekom is an established institution in Turkey...

Yelda Dogan Yasarturk

Cluster legal director for Turkey, Near East and direct distribution markets | GlaxoSmithKline (GSK)

Healthcare

Following a two-and-a-half year period as a competition and M&A lawyer at ELIG law firm, Yelda Dogan Yasarturk moved in-house to join GSK as a legal manger in Turkey. ‘I...

Zehra Betul Ayranci

Legal counsel head of International legal affairs | TV8 and Acun Medya

Well-accomplished media and broadcasting lawyer Zehra Betul Ayranci can boast an imposing career, having represented Fortune 500 companies and leading global companies in the technology, media, entertainment and sports industries...

Zeynep Candan Çetiner

Head of legal affairs | Çelebi Holding

Çelebi Holding is another constituent of Turkey’s historically successful airline industry. As an airport services provider, it provides the support and logistics services that allow aircrafts to function, and has...

Zeynep Derman Küçükönder

Legal director - Turkey, Caucasus and Central Asia | Coca-Cola İçecek

Food, beverages and tobacco

Zeynep Derman Küçükönder joined the Turkish business of Coca-Cola in 2005, initially as a country legal counsel and then as legal director for Turkey, Caucasus and Central Asia business unit....

Zeynep Gazzali Yilmazer

Legal affairs director | Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP)

Energy and utilities

Verging on megaproject status, the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) is a multi-billion dollar pipeline project that aims to transport natural gas from the Caspian Sea to Turkey and Europe....

Turkey’s impressive economic performance since the turn of the millennium can be credited to macroeconomic and fiscal stability which has boosted employment and household incomes. At the same the country has urbanised rapidly, improved public services and opened up to foreign trade and finance whilst harmonising with EU laws and regulations. Future growth prospects in the country remain positive according to economic commentators, despite new domestic and geopolitical challenges surfacing.

Fortunately the country can rely on its most thriving industry sectors to help further bolster its economic performance over the coming years. Healthcare has risen to prominence following the enhancement of the country’s health insurance coverage, energy production continues to play a vital role in the economy whilst the financial sector remains stable and prosperous. The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist: Turkey features in-house lawyers from companies across these sectors and more, with renowned legal talent from some of the most important businesses and organisations recognised. In particular, the GC Powerlist: Turkey includes those in-house lawyers that have been able to successfully combine their technical legal ability with excellent business acumen to make a truly indispensable contribution to their company’s success and the in-house legal profession.

Over several months our experienced researchers consulted both law firm partners and in-house counsel in order to garner nominations for those believed to provide the most outstanding support and innovative methods of working in the market. We then chose those nominees who were most worthy of inclusion through background research and telephone interviews.

I would like to express my personal thanks to our sponsors, Esin Attorney Partnership, a member firm of Baker & McKenzie International, for supporting this publication. A special mention must also be made for the general counsel that took time to speak to us throughout the process, and for the research team that worked on this GC Powerlist publication.

David Burgess
Publishing Director

Esin Attorney Partnership

Esin Attorney Partnership logo

Past

We began our journey 20 years ago in modest conditions, and the destination we have arrived at makes us truly happy and proud. Several in-house lawyers who we count as friends crossed paths with us in our decades-long journey. We are thankful to the contributions of our teammates past and present, and our clients who continue entrusting us with their businesses.

Present – Why The Legal 500 Powerlist Sponsorship is important to us

We have sponsored the GC POwerlist for three consectutive years becuase we truly believe in-house lawyers play a crucial role in the healthy management of a company. Previously, in-house counsel acted according to company instructions; currently, in-house legal departments are like pilots flying in the dark of night without a navigation device. Corporate law departments shoulder tremendous resposibilities in the assesment, calculation and management of risks. We are pleased to see the quality of companies’ in-house legal departments increases every year.

In this context, we want to contribute to all efforts and organisations developing better communication between in-house lawyers. The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist event will provide the necessary platform to further in-house lawyer dialogue, likely leading to the formation of crucial market practices.

At the end of the day, we all are lawyers working in the same sector and any measure that strengthens communication with each other will yield positive results for the legal practice and enviroment. In turbulent times such as these, where the slightest strategy mistake can threaten a company’s future, it is inspiring to know our colleagues are playing significant roles in the execution of company-wide strategies.

Future – Increasing importance of quality in-house counsel in Turkey

We are aware of the critical importance of corporate law departments, an importance that will only increase in the comin years.

In-house lawyers best understand the daily operations, needs and strategies of a company; they provide seamless and optimal organization between assigned offices. Outsourced lawyers are unable to infiltrate a company’s inner workings the same way; therefore, in-house lawyers have a greater responsibility and advantage.

Teamwork

In-House lawyers are a company’s backbone. The necessity of working as a team to ensure the coordination of managers and external experts for successful outcomes is indiputable. We believe corporate law departments, an increasingly vital part of a company’s team, will enhance productive teamwork

Sustainabilty

One of the most important concerns for companies is sustainability. Companies must unquestionably develop ethical and appropriate codes of conduct to acheive sustainability, especially in countries such as Turkey. In order to ensure continuity, companies able to grasp this concept will ensure their longevities, while those unable to adhere will threaten their futures by scrambling for short-term solutions on a daily basis.

Expertise

The expansion of regulatory areas such as information technologies will again revealthe importance of expertise. In addition to their in-house legal department’s expertise of core areas, companieswill have to seek outside advice regarding niche fields. We, as Esin Attorney Partnership try to deepen our knowledge by establishing dedicated departments for nearly every area of law. We believe other law firms on the market will follow suit, thereby widening their scope of services and influence to better serve themselves and their clients.

Jones Day Hong Kong Roundtable 2024

The Legal 500 was thrilled to join a selection of top Jones Day partners and a hand-picked group of 15 the most prominent GCs in Hong Kong for a freewheeling and no-holds-barred discussion on geopolitical risk management at a time of global transition. Steve Brogan, managing partner of Jones Day from 2002-2022 flew over to lend his considerable expertise to the discussion, as did Partner-in-Charge Hong Kong Joelle Lau. Joining them to give expert briefings on the topics of the day were partners Peter Wang, Dr Qiang Xue, James Fidler, Samuel Ngo and Charles Chau. The conversation moved from sanctions and counter sanctions, to the increasing pre-eminence of the Asian economy, to the philosophy of the rule of law in times of crisis.