Board of Directors

Haluk Dinçer

Chairman of the Board of Directors

(Since July 2011)

After starting his career at General Motors Technical Center in 1985, Dinçer joined Sabancı Group in August 1995, serving initially as Executive Board Member, and then in December 1995, as Executive Vice Chairman of Temsa. In October 2001, he assumed responsibilities within the Holding company, first as Food Group Vice President, and six months later, as Holding Executive Board Member and Food Group President. He took over as Food and Retail Group President in September 2004, and after organizational restructuring in March 2011, as Retail and Insurance Group President. In June 2016, Dinçer was named Insurance Group President and later in April 2020, Financial Services Group President. With this role, he currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Aksigorta, Avivasa, Exsa, Tursa and Ankara Enternasyonel Otelcilik, as well as Board Member of Brisa. Haluk Dinçer served as President of TÜSİAD - Turkish Industry and Business Association in 2014-15, and as President of Turkish-American Business Council (TAIK) in 2008-14. He has been a Board Member of the Global Relations Forum (GRF) since February 2018 and a member of the Geneva Association since June 2019. Dinçer has a BSE degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA, both from the University of Michigan.

Emmanuel Van Grimbergen

Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors

(Since January 23, 2019)

Van Grimbergen serves as the Risk Director at Ageas SA/NV. He is a member of the Boards of Cardiff Lux Vie, East West Ageas Life (Philippines), Ageas and Intreas. Prior to joining Ageas in 2011, Mr. Grimbergen worked for 18 years in the ING Risk/Actuary departments, holding various senior management positions at ING Insurance Belgium and ING Europe, including actuary director at ING South Western Europe in the early 2000s, and insurance risk director at ING Insurance Retail Banking in 2004. In 2007, Mr. Grimbergen moved to Amsterdam to serve as Risk Director for ING Central Europe. Mr. Grimbergen holds an MBA in mathematics and actuary sciences, and is a member of the Actuaries Institute in Belgium.

Steven Georges Leon Braekeveldt

Board Member

(Since July 2011)

Steven Braekeveldt had been in various international management functions before serving as Assistant General Manager at ING America and Mexico in 2001. He studied Economics at Catholic University in Belgium and then got his master’s degree in Law in France and Belgium. He served on the Board of Directors of Fortis Insurance between 2006 and 2009. He has served as CEO of Ageas Continental Europe since 2009. He is married and has three children.

Kıvanç Zaimler

Board Member

(Since January 2020)

Kıvanç Zaimler graduated from Istanbul Technical University Industrial Engineering Department in 1991. He started his career in 1992 and until 2008; he worked in various executive positions in Turkish Electricity Industry, RAM Foreign Trade and Aygaz companies respectively. Kıvanç Zaimler joined Enerjisa in 2008 and served as Trade Director, Distribution Companies General Manager, Sales Companies General Manager and CEO at Enerjisa respectively. As of July 2018, Zaimler was appointed President of the Energy Group at Sabancı Holding. Taking active roles in NGOs, Zaimler serves as Turkish Vice President at World Energy Council; Chairman at TÜSİAD Energy Working Group; Board Member at YASED, Elder, Sabancı University Istanbul International Energy and Climate Center (IICEC) and Advisory Council Member at SHURA. He is also Chairman of the Board at Enerjisa Enerji and SabancıDx, serves as Deputy Chairman of the Board at Enerjisa Üretim and is a Member of the Board of Directors at Aksigorta.

Bülent Oğuz

Board Member

(Since March 2020)

A graduate of Middle East Technical University, Political Science and Public Administration, Bülent Oğuz holds an Executive MBA degree from Sabancı University. He joined Akbank in March 2003 and served as Vice President and Senior Vice President of SME and Consumer Banking respectively. Oğuz was appointed as Executive Vice President in charge of SME Banking in 2013 and he has been in charge of Retail Banking since November 2018. Bülent Oğuz is the Vice Chairman of AkÖde, an Akbank affiliate, and a Board Member of Ak Asset Management, Ak Insurance and AvivaSA. A Board Member at Aksigorta, Oğuz held various managerial positions at corporate banking and loans divisions at different private sector banks before joining Akbank.

Emin Hakan Eminsoy

Independent Board Member

(Since March 2015)

Hakan Eminsoy started his professional career in 1985 at the Istanbul office of Arthur Andersen, and went on to work at the London office. Between 1989 and 2002, he assumed duties as executive and member of the Board of Directors at different levels in Finansbank Group companies. He joined OYAK Group after serving as General Manager at Fibabanka between 2000 and 2002. From 2002 to 2009, he served as member of the Board of Directors and General Manager at many Group companies, including OYAK Bank. After resigning from his position as General Manager at ING Bank Turkey in 2009, he founded Sardes Factoring in 2010, where he is still Chairman of the Board of Directors. Currently he is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Burgan Bank. He graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration. Hakan Eminsoy is married and has one child.

Lütfiye Yeşim Uçtum

Independent Board Member

(Since October 2018)

Lütfiye Yeşim Uçtum began her professional career at Ernst & Young in 1986, working at the company’s offices in Turkey and the US. Subsequently, she served as General Manager at Strateji Menkul Değerler; Assistant General Manager at Yapı Kredi Yatırım Menkul Değerler and Koçbank; Coordinator of the Finance Group at Koç Holding, respectively. From 2012 onward, Ms. Uçtum served as Independent Chairman and Board Member, Chairman and Member of the Audit and Corporate Governance Committees at various companies including Burçelik, Aviva Sigorta, Marshall Boya, and HSBC Bank between 2016 and 2018. Lütfiye Yeşim Uçtum graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration. Ms. Uçtum holds a CPA license. In October 2018, she was appointed Independent Board Member at Aksigorta, per a resolution of the Board of Directors. She also serves as Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Early Detection of Risk Committees, and Member of the Audit Committee.

Uğur Gülen

Board Member and General Manager

(Since May 2009)

Uğur Gülen obtained undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Middle East Technical University, Department of Industrial Engineering. He began his career in 1991 and worked in various positions at Interbank, DenizBank, Ak Internet and MNG Bank. During 2004-2009, he served at AK Emeklilik A.Ş. and AvivaSA Emeklilik ve Hayat A.Ş. as the Assistant General Manager. He has served as General Manager and Board Member at Aksigorta since May 2009.