BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Ahmet Zorlu began his career in the family-owned textile business at an early age. Opening his first textile store in Trabzon, Ahmet Zorlu moved the company’s headquarters to Istanbul in 1970 and laid the foundations of Zorlu Holding. Ahmet Zorlu set up his first production company, Korteks, in 1976 and united all of his companies under the roof of Zorlu Holding in 1990. Acquiring Vestel in 1994, Zorlu opened the door to new lines of business for Zorlu Holding. Ahmet Zorlu’s entrepreneurialism, which began with the textile industry, went on to manifest itself in more companies operating in a wide range of industries such as major household appliances, consumer electronics, property development, energy, metallurgy, defense and e-mobility. Ahmet Zorlu is the Chairman of Zorlu Holding and serves as the Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Board in numerous Zorlu Group companies operating in different industries. With a keen interest in non-governmental organizations, Ahmet Zorlu sits on the Board of Directors of Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and is a member of Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD), Education and Culture Foundation of People of Denizli (DENSIR), Babadağ Industry and Business Association (BASIAD) and Turkish Home Textile Industrialists’ Association (TETSIAD).

A graduate of Robert College, Melih Araz received his bachelor’s degree from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences, in 1972. He completed his MBA at Kelley School of Business, Indiana University in 1975, where he was a USAID/TEV scholar. He also attended an “Executive Management Program” at Harvard Business School in 1988. Starting his career in finance and banking at Citibank N.A.’s office in Turkey in 1977, Mr. Araz served in executive positions at the bank’s Istanbul, Bahrain, Athens and New York offices and assumed key responsibilities in the establishment and expansion of Citibank’s operations in Turkey. Melih Araz later served as the CEO/General Manager at Interbank AŞ, a Çukurova Holding affiliate, for eight years where he played a leading role in elevating Interbank to a respected and pioneering position in corporate and investment banking in Turkey. After leaving Interbank, Mr. Araz worked as a consultant in various major projects and served as a Board Member at a number of companies including Zorlu Enerji Elektrik Üretim AŞ (2008-2013 and 2018-2020) and Enka İnşaat ve Sanayi AŞ (2012-2018). Mr. Araz still assumes important duties at Ata Group. In addition to his position as Vice Chairman of the Board of Vestel Beyaz Eşya Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, Melih Araz also serves as a Board Member at Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ. Mr. Araz also sits on the Boards of Ata Yatırım Menkul Kıymetler AŞ, Ata Gayrimenkul Yatırım Ortaklığı AŞ, TFI Gıda Yatırımları AŞ, Burger King China JV Ltd., and İzmir Enternasyonel Otelcilik AŞ and Entegre Harç Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ.

Olgun Zorlu began his professional career in 1988 after completing his higher education in textiles and business administration in the UK. He started to serve in managerial positions at various Zorlu Group companies in 1988 and led their foreign market research and business development operations. In 1998, Olgun Zorlu began serving as a Member of the Board of Directors of Zorlu Holding. Mr. Zorlu is the Chairman of Meta Nikel and serves as a Board Member at various Zorlu Holding subsidiaries such as Vestel Beyaz Eşya and Vestel Elektronik. Olgun Zorlu assumed the Vice Chairman position at the Board of Zorlu Holding in 2022. Mr. Zorlu is a member of the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD) and the Turkish Home Textile Industrialists’ Association (TETSIAD).

Cem Köksal graduated from the Mechanical Engineering Department of Boğaziçi University in 1990 and obtained a master’s degree at Bilkent University in 1990. After serving in the banking industry between 1990 and 2001, Cem Köksal was named Deputy General Manager of Denizbank in 1997. Mr. Köksal joined Vestel as the Chief Financial Officer in 2002. Cem Köksal currently serves as an Executive Committee Member at Vestel Group of Companies, and is the Chief Financial Officer and the Chairman of the Sustainability Committee at Zorlu Holding and a Board Member at Zorlu Enerji. Mr. Köksal is also a member of the Board of Directors of UN Global Compact Turkey and a substitute member of the Board of Directors of the Association for Business and Sustainable Development (SKD).

Ömer Yüngül obtained his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Boğaziçi University in 1978. He started his career at Tekfen İnşaat and went on to hold various managerial positions at Metaş, Faz Elektrik, and Merloni Elettrodomestici. In 1997, he was named General Manager of Vestel Beyaz Eşya Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, and became Chairman of the Executive Board of Vestel Group of Companies in 2000. After serving as a senior executive at Vestel for 15 years, Ömer Yüngül was named the CEO of Zorlu Holding in 2013. As of 2022, Yüngül has been appointed as a Board Member at Zorlu Holding.

After graduating from the Department of Business Administration at Middle East Technical University in 1956, Bekir Ağırdır served respectively, as Sales Manager and then Assistant General Manager at Bilsan Bilgisayar Malzemeleri AŞ (1980-1984), Sales Coordinator at Meteksam Ltd. Şti. (1984-1986), General Manager at Pirintaş Bilgisayar Malzemeleri ve Basım Sanayi AŞ (1986-1996), Deputy General Manager at Atılım Kâğıt ve Defter Sanayi AŞ (1996-1999) and as General Manager and Board Member at PMB Akıllı Kart ve Bilgi Teknolojileri AŞ (1999-2003). Between 2003-2005, he worked as a Coordinator and then as General Manager at Tarih Vakfı (History Foundation of Turkey). Ağırdır, who has been serving as the General Manager and Board Member at KONDA Araştırma ve Danışmanlık Limited Şirketi since 2005, resigned from his position as General Manager as of June 2022. In addition to Vestel Beyaz Eşya Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, Mr. Ağırdır also serves as a Board Member at Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, Zorlu Enerji Elektrik Üretim AŞ, Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii AŞ and Migros Ticaret AŞ. Mr. Ağırdır is a Board Member of Turkey Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) and Hrant Dink Foundation, and founding member of Yanındayız Association, Democratic Republic Program and EYMİR Cultural Foundation, and member of METU Alumni Association and commentator of T24 Internet Newspaper and GAIN Internet Media.

Ayşegül İldeniz holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Boğaziçi University and a master’s degree in Digital Communications from the San Francisco State University. Ms. İldeniz joined Intel Corporation, the leading global microprocessor company, in 1998 where she served respectively, as General Manager for Intel Turkey, as Director for Middle East, Turkey and Africa region, covering 67 countries and as a European Board Member before being appointed to the position of Global Vice President in the New Devices Group at Intel Headquarters in Silicon Valley in 2013.In 2016, Ms. İldeniz became the COO (Chief Operating Officer) of the Silver Spring Networks, a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, which controls half of the US smart energy market with 26 million users and implemented Smart Cities programs in a number of cities including Chicago, Singapore, Paris, Copenhagen and Dubai. Ayşegül İldeniz is a pioneer in the fields of innovation, technology and future vision, both in the Silicon Valley and in Istanbul. In 2015, she was named as one of the “100 Most Creative People in Business” by the Fast Company, one of the most prestigious publications in the United States, and as the “Third Most Influential Turkish-American Woman” by the Turks of America (TOA), while in Turkey she was selected as the “IT Woman of the Year” in 2004 and “Woman Executive of the Year” in 2006 by the Dünya Newspaper. Ayşegül İldeniz is currently the President of the TUSIAD Silicon Valley Network and a Board Member of the American Turkish Society and the New York-based Turkish Philanthropy Funds. Ayşegül İldeniz also serves as a Board Member at Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ, Zorlu Enerji Elektrik Üretim AŞ, Doğan Şirketler Grubu Holding AŞ and Pegasus Hava Taşımacılığı AŞ.