Dr Umut Kolcuoğlu > Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli > Istanbul, Turkey > Lawyer Profile
Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli Offices
Maslak Link Plaza
Eski Büyükdere Cad. No. 3-5, Kat 11
34398 Sariyer
Turkey
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Dr Umut Kolcuoğlu
Work Department
Mergers and Acquisitions, Corporate and Commercial, Banking and Finance, Capital Markets
Position
Managing Partner
Dr. Umut Kolcuoğlu has diverse experience and comparative knowledge in a wide range of M&A, finance and capital market transactions, as well as international commercial dispute resolution. He has represented leading private equities, multinational and local corporations, financial institutions and borrowers (such as Vitol, Petrol Ofisi, Abu Dhabi Ports Company PJSC, Cosco Group, QTerminals, team.blue, Likewize Corp. (formerly Brightstar Corp.), Glencore, ORIX Corporation, UTC Aerospace (Goodrich Corporation), TPI Composites, Talanx Group, HDI Insurance, VHV Group, BMS Group, Otto Group, Hugo Boss, BioIVT LLC, Bunzl, Deloitte, Siemens, Hyundai Motor Company, Turkven Private Equity, Mediterra Capital, İş Private Equity, Bain Capital, Southeast Europe Equity Fund II, MIC Capital, Bedminster Capital, Boyner Group, Doğan Holding and Hedef Filo) acting in numerous sectors, including energy, financial services, insurance, retail, ports and maritime, aerospace, hospitality, food, electronics, automotive, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, and manufacturing. Umut also acts as expert witness in international arbitration proceedings involving corporate and commercial disputes between Turkish and international parties. He leads the Firm’s German desk. Aside from his legal practice, Umut serves as an independent board member of various companies.
In recent years, Umut advised Vitol, one of the world’s largest energy companies, on its acquisition of Petrol Ofisi, Turkey’s leading fuel products distributor, from OMV AG for USD 1.45 billion; QTerminals, a leading Qatar-based terminal operating company, on its acquisition of Port Akdeniz; team.blue on several acquisitions of Turkey’s outstanding hosting and domain name registration service providers; and MIC Capital Management 39 RSC Ltd, a fund owned by Abu Dhabi state investor Mubadala, in connection with its investment in Getir B.V. by way of share subscription. He further advised HDI Insurance, one of Turkey’s leading insurance companies and a Talanx AG subsidiary, on its acquisition of a majority stake in Fiba Emeklilik ve Hayat, a prominent life insurance and pension company in Turkey. He recently advised Vitol and its Turkish subsidiary Petrol Ofisi on the acquisition of BP’s Turkish downstream fuel operations; Mediterra Capital on the sale of its shares in Paycore, a prominent payment services provider, to Param, the largest full-stack payment service provider of Turkey; and Boyner Group, Turkey’s leading retail group, in connection with Param’s (a licensed e-money institution offering payment solutions) investment in and strategic partnership with Hopi, Boyner’s loyalty and consumer platform.
He has handled restructurings and finance transactions involving leading banks, borrowers, financial institutions, funds and other public and private companies, such as Chailease International, Mubadala, Boyner Group, Samsung C&T, Mediterra Capital, Deutsche Bank, Barwa Bank, Wittur Holding and Wittur Turkey, Siemens, NEF, Tavuk Dünyası, Hypo Real Estate Holding, Deutsche Pfandbriefbank, Royal Bank of Scotland, Putzmeister, X-Trade Brokers, LR Global Holding GmbH, FMS Wertmanagement, Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, Lloyds Bank and Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft Mbh (DEG). He has led the KDK team in the financial restructuring (under the German Financial Market Stabilization Fund Act) of the Turkish component of a portfolio of loans, securities, derivative instruments and other assets and liabilities, having a nominal amount of EUR 173 billion and was the largest transaction of its kind.
Career
Umut is the Firm’s founder and managing partner. He was an associate lawyer in a major Istanbul-based law firm between 1998 and 2000 and again between 2003 and 2005. He was seconded to and worked with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, New York in 2002. He also worked as a foreign associate with German law firm, Hengeler Mueller, in Frankfurt, between 2005 and 2006 and, subsequently, founded the Firm in 2007.
He is a columnist for Turkey’s leading economy newspapers, Nasıl Bir Ekonomi Gazetesi (https://www.ekonomim.com) and TR Monitor (https://www.trmonitor.net/) where he writes a column on business and commercial law matters. He is the author of “Mandatory Tender Offers in Capital Market Law,” (Vedat Publications, April 2009).
Languages
English, German, Turkish
Memberships
Board Member of Boyner Group; Member of the Board of Trustees of Turkish Entrepreneurship Foundation; Advisory Board Member of Istanbul Bilgi University School of Law; New York Bar Association; Istanbul Bar Association; International Bar Association (IBA); Turkish Corporate Governance Association (TKYD); Turkish-British Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TBCCI); German-Turkish Chamber of Industry (AHK).
Education
Istanbul University School of Law (Ph.D. in Corporate Law and Capital Market Law, 2009); New York University School of Law (LL.M. in Corporate Law, 2001); Istanbul University School of Law (LL.B.,1998); Sankt Georg Austrian High School (1994).
Lawyer Rankings
Turkey > Competition
Multijurisdictional merger transactions and complex competition investigations are core elements of Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli’s active practice. The team’s expertise spans all stages of investigations, including litigation and appeals in administrative courts when required. Competition law audit and compliance programmes are another method utilised by the group to support its clients. Umut Kolcuoğlu brings extensive sector-specific knowledge, frequently representing clients before the TCA in filings and investigations. Neyzar Ünübol‘s broad practice covers cartel and abuse of dominance investigations, as well as appeal proceedings. Ali Tunçsav and Esen Çakır both advise multinational and domestic clients on clearance processes.
Turkey > Banking, finance and capital markets
With an ‘unparalleled ability to navigate intricate financial structures while ensuring strict compliance with local and international regulatory standards’, Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli excels at handling multi-jurisdictional matters, often being called upon by foreign law firm referrers to provide the local law elements of financing involving a nexus to Turkey. Although it also handles some lender work, the growing team continues to gain the most traction among local corporates across a wide range of their financing activity, including in the capital markets space. Hasan H. Yaşar has deep ‘insight into the nuances of Turkish financial regulations’, ensuring that he is able to provide a ‘pragmatic and solutions-oriented’ service, including to issuers raising equity finance via an IPO procedure. Umut Kolcuoğlu co-heads the team alongside Yasar.
Turkey > Commercial, corporate and M&A
(Leading partners)The ‘very diligent and commercially-minded’ team at Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli acts for clients in highly regulated sectors across a range of transactional work, where clients benefit from the firm’s ‘second to none’ knowledge of the M&A process. As well as regularly handling work on behalf of high-profile blue-chip corporates on their inbound transactional activity, the firm has gained a market-leading reputation advising on funds-related M&A matters. Here, under the guidance of Umut Kolcuoğlu, the practice regularly advises core client Turkven Private Equity on its downstream investment activity, as well as handling a considerable amount of work for Middle Eastern investors, including UAE sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. ‘Organized, detail-oriented and informative’, Gökçe İldiri Coşgüner is increasingly key to the firm’s success on the private equity front, and alongside the ‘exceptional’ Bihter Bozbay Inan, who also has niche expertise at handling bank M&A, is recognised as a rising force in the team. Serhan Koçaklı co-heads the team with Kolcuoğlu and as part of his advisory offering, has a focus on establishing/improving corporate governance structure for family-owned businesses.
Turkey > Project finance/projects
Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli is involved in domestic and international infrastructure development, and it has notable experience in engineering, procurement and construction contracts within PPP projects. It is also recognised for its skill in public procurement matters, and its involvement in notable projects in the port infrastructure and energy sectors. Managing partner Umut Kolcuoğlu calls upon the specialist energy and infrastructure skills of Okan Demirkan and construction expert Serhan Koçaklı.
Lawyer Rankings
- Commercial, corporate and M&A Turkey
- Leading partners Turkey > Commercial, corporate and M&A
- Competition Turkey
- Banking, finance and capital markets Turkey
- Project finance/projects Turkey