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).

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, Doğan Şirketler Grubu Holding AŞ and Pegasus Hava Taşımacılığı 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 1988 and obtained a master’s degree at Bilkent University in 1990. Having served in the banking industry between 1990 and 2001, Mr. Köksal was appointed as Deputy General Manager at Denizbank in 1997. Cem Köksal joined Vestel as Chief Financial Officer in 2002. Cem Köksal, who continues to serve as a Member of the Executive Committee at Vestel Group of Companies, is also the CEO of Zorlu Holding, the Chairman of the Sustainability Committee at Zorlu Holding, and a Board Member at Zorlu Enerji Elektrik Üretim AŞ and Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ.

Having completed his undergraduate and graduate studies in Electronics Engineering at Middle East Technical University, Cengiz Ultav continued his education at Philips International Institute in the Netherlands. Subsequently, he worked in the IT and R&D departments of various electronics companies in Türkiye and abroad. During the periods when he served as Deputy General Manager at NCR and General Manager at Sun Microsistemler AŞ, Cengiz Ultav also provided consultancy services to Koç, Sabancı and Eczacıbaşı Groups. After joining Vestel as the Chief Technology Officer in 1997, he assumed the role of Executive Board Member responsible for Strategic Planning and Technology and then continued his tenure as a Board Member of Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ. Mr. Ultav, who served as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of TTGV (Technology Development Foundation of Türkiye), conducted a study in Vietnam as a consultant for the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to develop the local electronics industry. Mr. Cengiz Ultav, who is among Microsoft's certified consultants in the Solution Development Discipline, is a founding member of the Turkish Informatics Foundation and Unix Users Association and was awarded the "Lifetime Service Award" by TÜBİSAD (Turkish Informatics Industry Association).

Adnan Yıldırım graduated from the Department of Economics and Finance at Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences in 1981 and completed his master's degree in the Department of Economic Development at Vanderbilt University. Mr. Yıldırım's professional career, which began as a Tax Inspector at the Ministry of Finance, continued with his appointment as the Head of Department at the Revenue Administration after a ten-year career at the Board of Tax Inspectors. Between 1996 and 2001, Adnan Yıldırım worked as the Financial Affairs Coordinator at EGS Group. Being one of the founders of Denizli and İpekyolu Free Zones, Mr. Yıldırım also took part in the management of the operating companies of these zones. Adnan Yıldırım has founded Pamukkale Consultancy and Batı Certified Public Accountant and Independent Audit Firm. He has also provided consultancy services to leading institutions and organizations such as Aegean Exporters' Associations, Aegean Region Chamber of Industry, İzmir Chamber of Commerce, İzmir Commodity Exchange, and Organized Industrial Zones and Free Zones in İzmir. Mr. Yıldırım served as Deputy Minister of Economy between 2014 and 2015, and as Chief Advisor at the Ministry of Economy from June 2016 to November 2016. Adnan Yıldırım served as the General Manager at the Turkish Eximbank from 2016 to 2019.

Graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Middle East Technical University, Emin Ataç served as Purchasing Manager for Türkiye at Arçelik for 1 year, Ford Otosan for 2 years and Toyota for 10 years. He worked at Toyota Motor Europe Brussels in 2003. Managing the procurement and supplier strategies of various categories in Toyota's European projects, Emin Ataç has served as the Director Responsible for all Parts and Components Procurement of Toyota's Europe, Türkiye and Russia Operations since 2012. Returning to Türkiye in 2015, Mr. Ataç served as the General Coordinator (CEO) of Coşkunöz Holding for 2.5 years and then served as a Board Member/Management Consultant in various companies in the automotive and non-automotive sectors in Türkiye for 3 years. Emin Ataç has been serving as the CEO of Farplas Automotive Company since 2021. Standing out with his angel investor and intrapreneur identity, Mr. Ataç is a member of the Arya Investment Platform and provides intensive support to the association's angel investment, diversity, inclusion, gender equality and mentoring activities.