About

The Turkish legal team at French multinational power, natural gas and energy services company, ENGIE is led by general counsel, Berna Gungenci. The team is now made up of six lawyers, including three legal counsel covering all Turkey operations and two legal counsel working on ENGIE’s distribution asset İzgaz. Having grown from a team of two in the last two years, the team has been able to expand after the creation of the general counsel position localised the management of legal services to the company, removing the heavy dependence on regional reporting and allowing the department to have a more “hands-on approach”; the team is now spread across İstanbul, Ankara and Izmit. Since assisting the company in obtaining a memorandum of understanding with the Turkish Government in 2014, relating to cooperation on future energy initiatives in Turkey, the team has been proactive in reducing the effect of enacted changes and potential changes to legislation, particularly in the company’s renewable energy business. ‘This is not only the result of aligning ourselves with the global strategy but also of the Turkey legal team’s studies on the relevant legislation or incentives’, explains Gungenci. As part of the senior management team, she and her lawyers enjoy an almost daily interaction with the senior management, with the CEO being ‘very open and respectful to the legal analysis and advice the team gives’.