Head of Legal & Compliance, Kordsa
Atike Kobudak is Head of Legal and Compliance at Kordsa, where she has built a 15-year career overseeing the company’s global legal and compliance operations. Since 2020, she has led the development of Kordsa’s global compliance frameworks, covering anti-bribery, data protection, export control, and competition law standards, while managing complex cross-border M&A transactions and corporate governance initiatives.
Before taking on her current leadership role, Atike served as Legal Counsel at Kordsa from 2014 to 2015, advising on international capital markets, compliance, and commercial matters across seven jurisdictions. Earlier in her career, she practiced law with Arisoy Legal & Consultancy, AVEA, and Siemens, gaining extensive experience in telecommunications, IP, and procurement law.
She holds a law degree from Marmara University and completed postgraduate studies in Intellectual Property Law at Birkbeck, University of London.
Country Legal Director, Saint Gobain
Aslihan Evcimen currently serves as the Country Legal Director for Turkiye at Saint Gobain.
Aslihan has had a diverse career, including roles in private practice at prominent law firms advising recognized companies in Turkiye. She has also held in-house roles for leading companies in various sectors such as heating, air conditioning, bus manufacturing, milk and dairy production, drug store operations, and smart city technologies.
Aslihan holds a law degree from the University of Marmara in Istanbul, Turkiye, and furthered her education with a postgraduate Business Administration and Management degree from the University of California, Berkeley, USA. She is a lawyer admitted to the Istanbul and Turkiye Bar Associations.
Deputy General Manager, Legal and Corporate Communications, Gama Enerji
Aybars Yagiz currently serves as the Deputy General Manager for Legal and Corporate Communications at Gama Enerji, where he looks over across twelve group companies operating in Turkiye, Jordan, and the Netherlands.
Before joining Gama Enerji in 2012, Aybars worked as a Lawyer for CMS in London, in 2012, as well as for White & Case in London and Ankara, from 2008 to 2009 and from 2011 to 2012.
Yagiz holds an LL.B. and an Executive MBA from Bilkent University as well as an LL.M. from King’s College London.
Legal Director, Fiba Renewables
Ayca Aydin works as the Legal Director of Fiba Renewables. She has a particular focus on energy, infrastructure, and alternative dispute resolution. She started her career in 2009 and has been working as an in-house counsel since 2018.
Before joining Fiba Renewables, she was Head of Legal at TEB Finansman – TEB Cetelem from 2020 to 2022, and previously Legal & Compliance Manager at ViTO Energy and Investment between 2018 and 2020, where she advised on regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and large-scale project contracts. Earlier in her career, she spent more than six years at Cetinel Law Firm. She began her professional journey with internships at Esin Law Firm and Cerrahoglu Law Firm between 2009 and 2011, and briefly worked at AYA Law Firm in 2011. Ayca holds an LL.M. degree in law from Istanbul Bilgi University.
Head of Legal and Compliance, Teleperformance
Baris Ozturk is the Head of Legal and Compliance at TP Turkiye and Azerbaijan – part of Teleperformance, a leading global BPO group – overseeing corporate, regulatory, and compliance operations across both markets.
Baris brings over a valuable experience gained through roles at PwC, Yapi Kredi Bank, and the Turkish Embassy in Dublin, combining legal expertise with business strategy. His background covers corporate governance, cross-border M&A, regulatory compliance, competition law, and HR matters, with a proven record of supporting international transactions and post-merger integrations.
Baris holds an LL.M. in International and European Business Law from Trinity College Dublin and an LL.B. from Istanbul Bilgi University. He has also engaged in academic studies at the London School of Economics and Utrecht University, focusing on international business and regulatory law.
Legal Director, Cencora
Basak Gurbuz, currently a Legal Director at Cencora, is a Turkish qualified lawyer specialized in a variety of legal fields, with 19 years of experience both in private practice and in-house. In the early years of her career, Basak worked for Bayindir Holding, and then in leading law firms Pekin & Bayar and Gun + Partners in various fields of law, specializing in intellectual property, advertising and media, data protection, and contract law for almost 10 years.
Basak then spent another 10 years as in-house counsel at The Walt Disney Company and Visa Europe. She was Legal and Compliance Director at The Walt Disney Company for around five years and was involved in many international and social responsibility projects. Most recently, she worked for Visa Europe for five years as Regional General Counsel for the Southeastern Europe and Southern Europe regions, leading various prominent projects. In April 2025, she joined the well-known American healthcare company Cencora as the Legal Lead and Director responsible for Turkiye.
Chief Legal Counsel, Bayraktar Grubu
Buse Pinar Kacar is Chief Legal Counsel at Bayraktar Grubu, overseeing legal and compliance matters since 2023. Before that, she served as Chief Legal & Compliance Officer and later Secretary General at Istanbul Bilgi University from 2018 to 2023. Earlier, she held senior legal roles at Yorsan, Stroer, NN Hayat Emeklilik, GlaxoSmithKline, Carrefour, and Mavi Jeans, following the start of her career at Kacar Attorneys at Law.
Buse holds an LL.M. from Istanbul Bilgi University and brings over 20 years of experience across the corporate and regulatory landscape.
General Counsel, TAV Airports Holding
Ceyda Akbal Oztarhan is General Counsel for TAV Airports Holding based in Istanbul. She joined TAV Airports in February 2009 as Legal Counsel and was appointed as General Counsel in April 2012. After finishing Galatasaray High School, she graduated from Galatasaray University Faculty of Law in 1999. Ms. Akbal did her master’s degree both in Private Law at Galatasaray University and Economic Law at Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and also conducted a PhD thesis at Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University. Akbal started her career in 2000 and worked in Competition Law and International Corporate Law at various international law offices in Paris and Istanbul, providing legal services to the leading companies of Turkey in the pharmaceutical, air and sea transport, telecommunication and cement industries.
Chief Operating Officer Merzigo
Ceyda Sila Cetinkaya has been Chief Operating Officer at Merzigo since 2025. Alongside this, she serves as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee at Key Networks Group, where she previously held the position of Senior Vice President, Commercial, Global.
Before transitioning into the media and entertainment sector, Ceyda spent over seven years with Baker McKenzie in Istanbul, progressing from trainee lawyer to Senior Associate and advising on complex international matters.
Managing Partner, Ozbek Attorney Partnership
Deniz Senvar Pekin is the Managing Partner of Ozbek Attorney Partnership, which she has been a part of since 2006. Her practice spans corporate and commercial Law, corporate governance, contracts law, employment, employee benefits & executive compensation, employment litigation, white collar crime & regulatory defense, as well as competition law.
Pekin holds an LL.M. from Tulane University School of Law and an LL.B. from Istanbul University. She is admitted to the Istanbul Bar Association and is a member of the International Bar Association.
Legal Director, Hepsipay
Dilsad Sever is the Director of Legal Affairs at Hepsipay, where she oversees the company’s legal and regulatory strategy across its digital payments and fintech operations. In parallel, she also serves as Head of Legal at Hepsifinans, leading the legal framework for the group’s financial services ecosystem.
Before joining Hepsipay, Sever served as Legal Director at 1000 Pay in 2024 and previously as VP of Legal at TOM Group from 2022 to 2023. Earlier, Sever worked for Akbank as a Senior Legal Counsel from 2016 to 2022, as well as for Turkiye Finans Katiliim Bankasi as a Legal Counsel from 2013 to 2016.
Sever holds an LL.B. from Bilkent University as well as an LL.M. from Marmara University.
Supervisor Legal Department, Zoomlion
After 15 years of experience in in-house counseling in various sectors, Dinc Sanver currently works as Legal Department Supervisor in the Chinese Industrial Machinery Giant Zoomlion’s Turkish subsidiary.
Before joining Zoomlion Turkiye, Dinc held senior legal roles across leading companies, including PwC Turkiye in 2025, Pearson from 2022 to 2025, Teva Pharmaceuticals from 2020 to 2022, Zimmer Biomet from 2017 to 2020, and Samsung Electronics Turkey from 2011 to 2017. He has been a member of the Istanbul Bar since 2005, with nearly two decades of experience in corporate, compliance, and commercial law.
Head of Legal & Compliance, BASF
Ece Cakirel Eskinat is the Head of Legal & Compliance for Turkiye, Azerbaijan, and Georgia at BASF. Before joining BASF in 2023, she spent several years in private practice, working at Balcioglu Selcuk Ardiyok Keki Avukatlik Ortakligi from 2019 to 2023 and at Gide Loyrette Nouel from 2012 to 2019, where she advised international and local clients on corporate and regulatory matters.
Ece holds a law degree from Marmara University, completed the Summer Institute in Law at Fordham University School of Law, and earned an associate’s degree in Securities and Capital Markets from Anadolu University. She is also an alumna of Galatasaray High School.
Legal & Government Relations Senior Director, Procter & Gamble
Gozde Adal is Legal & Government Relations Senior Director and Board Member for Turkiye, Caucasus, and the Central Asia Republics at Procter & Gamble. Since 2005, Adal has been working in P&G Turkiye and had an expat assignment in the Global Antitrust and Trade Practices Group between 2015-2017 at the P&G European Regional Headquarters office in Geneva. Since her return to Turkiye, she has been appointed as Legal Director responsible for P&G Turkiye, Caucasus, and the Central Asia Republics. In 2020, she took the role of Head of Legal & Government Relations Department as Senior Director and Board Member.
Gozde, who graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Law in 2002, completed her legal internship and then pursued a Master’s degree in European Union Law at Marmara University in 2004. Gozde is currently part of the Board of Directors of AmCham Turkiye as well as being the Chair of Consumer Goods Working Group of YASED.
Managing Partner, Turunc
Kerem Turunc is Managing Partner of Turunc and specializes in financial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance. Kerem’s experience covers many jurisdictions, including Turkiye, the European Union, the United States, Latin America, Asia, and Israel, and a wide variety of industries, including automotive, banking, consumer goods, fund management, energy, healthcare, industrial goods, information technology, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and transportation.
Before joining Turunc, Kerem worked in the New York and London offices of the international law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton. Kerem received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts degree, with distinction, from Yale University, where he double majored in economics and political science with a concentration in international relations. He has lectured at various schools and universities, including Harvard Law School and New York University.
Associate General Counsel WPP
Koray Kocak serves as Associate General Counsel at WPP Turkey, where he oversees legal and compliance matters across the company’s operations. Before joining WPP, he worked as Legal and Compliance Manager & HR Manager at TTOPCO from 2016 to 2021 and as Senior Legal Advisor at Genel Energy between 2014 and 2016. Earlier in his career, he held legal roles at Enerya, Brisa Bridgestone Sabanci, and Ankara Patent Bureau, gaining extensive experience in energy, corporate, and IP law.
Koray earned an LL.M. in Information and Technology Law from Istanbul Bilgi University, a Bachelor of Law from Bilkent University, and completed further studies in International Commercial & Investment Arbitration at the American University Washington College of Law.
Chief Legal, Compliance and Regulation Officer, TurkNet
Merve Oney Barlas serves as the Chief Legal, Compliance, and Regulation Officer of TurkNet. Merve joined TurkNet in 2013, after spending almost two years with DgPays as Chief Legal Officer, from 2021 to 2023.
Earlier, she worked for Mapfre Genel Sigorta as the Director of Legal Affairs and Secretary of the Board of Directors between 2016 and 2021. Before moving in-house, Merve worked as an Associate Lawyer with Herguner Bilgen Ozeke between 2014 and 2016 and as an Associate Lawyer with Dentons’ legacy firm Salans between 2008 and 2012.
Barlas holds an LL.M. from Columbia University as well as an LL.B. from Galatasaray University.
Head of Legal & Corporate Affairs, MBRF
Miray Iliksoy Baran is Head of Legal & Corporate Affairs at MBRF Turkiye, where she leads the legal & regulatory function for entities in Turkiye and serves as Company Secretary of the Board. A certified mediator with 19 years’ experience, she specializes in corporate law, regulatory compliance, data privacy, IP, litigation & dispute management.
Miray has been with MBRF since 2021, having previously worked for Vodafone as Senior Legal Manager from 2012 to 2021, including a secondment in the UK. Miray also held counsel roles at different international organizations operating in music, FMCG & real estate industries. Miray represents YASED, TOBB, DEIK working groups, and previously TUSIAD, and is an Istanbul University Law graduate.
Head of Legal and Compliance, Borusan Boru
Muge Bulat Cetinkaya is the Head of Legal and Compliance at Borusan Boru, and she also serves as Turkiye’s Country Representative for ACC Europe, the Association of Corporate Counsel.
Before joining Borusan Boru in 2024, Muge was a Head of Legal at Domino’s from 2018 to 2024 and was also the Legal Unit Manager at Boyner Buyuk Magazacilik from 2014 to 2018. Earlier, she worked for Cefic Turkiye as a Legal Manager from 2011 to 2014 and for Arihan Law as an Attorney at Law from 2008 to 2009.
Muge holds an LL.M. from Queen Mary University of London, as well as an LL.B. from Marmara University.
Head of Legal & Integrity, Hitachi Energy
Mujgan Onsoy is the Head of Legal & Integrity for Turkiye, Romania, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Moldova at Hitachi Energy, where she leads the company’s regional legal, compliance, and integrity strategy. She also serves as a Board Member of Hitachi Energy Turkiye.
With nearly two decades of experience across the energy and infrastructure sectors, Onsoy has advised boards and executive teams on governance, competition, and regulatory matters across multiple jurisdictions. Before joining Hitachi Energy in 2024, Mujgan served as Senior Legal Counsel at Siemens Energy from 2020 to 2024, and was also the General Counsel of CK Enerji from 2017 to 2020. Earlier still, she was the Vice Legal Counsel at Zorlu Energy Group from 2013 to 2017 and has also worked for ELIG Gurkaynak Attorneys-at-Law as a Senior Associate from 2012 to 2013, for PwC Turkiye as In-house Legal Counsel from 2008 to 2010, and for Serap Zuvin Law Offices as an Associate from 2005 to 2008.
Onsoy holds an LL.M. in Corporate and Commercial Law from the London School of Economics, a Master’s Degree in Private Law from Galatasaray University, and an LL.B. from Istanbul University.
Head of Legal & Compliance, Danone
Ozge Gulsen Kosem is the Head of Legal and Compliance for Danone Turkiye, Central Asia, and the Caucasus and has been with the company since 2023.
Before joining Danone, Kosem spent over twelve years at Mondelez International, from 2011 to 2023, where she held several senior legal positions, including Senior Legal Counsel for Turkiye and Georgia. Earlier, she worked as a Lawyer for Turk Telekom, from 2007 to 2010 after spending a year working for the Ankara Patent Bureau’s trademark department, from 2006 to 2007.
Kosem holds an LL.M. in International Private Law from Ankara University and an LL.B. from Baskent University.
General Counsel, Kibar Holding
Pinar Parlak Koyuncu has been the General Counsel at Kibar Holding since 2025. She graduated from Dokuz Eylul University Faculty of Law in 1997, completed her legal internship at Birsel Law Firm. With 28 years of experience, Pinar has held roles for global companies in sectors like FMCG, cement-concrete, tobacco, automotive, and healthcare. Her areas of expertise include competition investigations, mergers & acquisitions, corporate governance, implementation and auditing of ethics and compliance programs, dispute resolutions, and consumer law.
Pinar has also been a member of management teams at the companies she’s worked for, providing legal support to business professionals in strategy development for many years. She holds titles as a Trademark and Patent Attorney and Mediator, and also has an MBA. In addition to her professional achievements, she is passionate about mentoring aspiring lawyers and promoting legal education and leadership. She is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Professional Women Network Turkiye.
Managing Partner, Ozbek Attorney Partnership
Selen Ibrahimoglu Gures is the Managing Partner at Ozbek Attorney Partnership, a position she has held since 2014. Her practice focuses on corporate and commercial law, e-commerce law, data privacy, protection, and security, securities and capital markets, privatizations, mergers and acquisitions, as well as project finance, private equity, and venture capital transactions.
Before joining Ozbek Attorney Partnership, Ibrahimoglu Gures spent nearly 15 years at Cerrahoglu Law Firm, where she served as Partner from 2007 to 2014 and Attorney at Law from 1999 to 2007.
She is a graduate of the Istanbul University School of Law.
Managing Partner, Herguner
Senem Denktas is a leader in Hergüner’s Infrastructure & Project Finance and M&A practice groups, providing comprehensive support through every phase of project development. She is renowned in the legal field for her expertise as a facilitator of common ground among different project partners and stakeholders and skilled negotiator. With decades of experience in all major sectors, she is an invaluable asset to her clients, offering effective solutions to difficult challenges.
Senem’s long-term strategic vision allows her to consider short-term priorities and potential risks over a project’s lifecycle. Additionally, her extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions across industries has been a critical asset to clients. Her innovative structuring advice and streamlined efficiency consistently ensure rapid but fundamentally robust outcomes.
With her practice primarily focused on long-term infrastructure projects, Senem represents companies, banks, and international financial institutions (IFIs) engaging in public-private partnerships (PPPs). Some of her most significant work has been on PPPs utilizing the build-lease-transfer (BLT) model for the development of healthcare campuses throughout Türkiye. Senem has played a significant role in the development of BLT legislation, commenting on provisional articles as applied to PPP projects. In acquisitions, she primarily advises clients in transactions involving various types of investors, including private equity funds. She has successfully represented numerous clients in both entry and exit transactions and some of her most recent work in acquisitions includes advising on cross-border transactions in the security, consumer goods, flooring, and household cleaners markets.
Head of Legal & Compliance, Goodyear
Sibel Yaka has been the Head of Legal & Compliance at Goodyear Turkey since early 2025. Earlier, she was the Senior Legal Counsel for Air Liquide, from 2021 to 2024, as well as for CGV Mars Cinema Group, from 2018 to 2021.
Earlier still, Yaka was a Legal Counsel at Prime Development, from 2016 to 2018, and at LG Electronics, from 2015 to 2016. She began her career in private practice as a Legal Intern with Erciyas Law Firm, from 2014 to 2015, and with Arslan Law Office in 2014.
