Hamdi Akın was born in 1954. He graduated from Gazi University, Department of Mechanical Engineering. In 1976 he founded Akfen Holding, whose main activity area is to invest in, manage and coordinate partnerships and subsidiaries active in infrastructure and superstructure construction, port management, marine transportation, water distribution and waste water services, energy and real estate sectors. In addition to serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Akfen Holding, he is also the Chairman of Board at Akfen Renewable Energy (Akfen Yenilenebilir Enerji A.Ş.) and Akfen REIT (Akfen Gayrimenkul Yatırım Ortaklığı A.Ş.), adn Member of the Board MIP (Mersin International Port). In 1997, he founded the TAV brand to build and operate Turkey’s first high capacity airport in the aviation sector, one of the hardest sectors of the world, and he managed the company as Chairman of Board until 2017.
In addition to his private entrepreneurship, Mr. Akın realized projects in infrastructure, energy and investment in scope of privatization efforts. He also carried his dynamism and hard work in business to volunteer efforts and non-governmental organizations as a Manager and founder of many societies, foundations, chambers of commerce. He has served as Vice President of Fenerbahçe Sports Club (2000-2002), MESS-Metal Industrialists’ Union President of Ankara Regional Representatives Council (1992-2004), President of TÜGİAD-Turkish Young Businessmen’s Association(1998-2000), Board Member of TİSK-Turkish Confederation of Employers’ Associations (1995-2001), Board Member of TÜSİAD-Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association President of Information Society and New Technologies Commission (2008-2009) and Board Member of Clean Seas Association/TURMEPA (2011-2018).
Hamdi Akın is a founder of the Contemporary Turkey Studies Chair at the London School of Economics. He is also the Founding Member and Honorary President of the Turkey Human Resources Foundation (TİKAV), founded in 1999 to provide Turkey with well-trained human resources. He is also member of the Board of Trustess at Support and Education Foundation for Basketball and Board Member of Bodrum Promotion Foundation (BOTAV).
Selim Akın, graduated from Surrey University, Business Administration Department in the United Kingdom, and after coming back to Turkey Mr. Akın started his professional career in the Akfen Holding Accounting Department and later served in the Project Development and Finance Departments.
The main projects in which he participated are the privatization and financing of Vehicle Inspection Stations, the privatization and financing of Mersin Port and Akfen Holding’s public offering and bond issue. Besides his Chairman of the Board of Directors role at Akfen İnşaat ve Turizm A.Ş. and İstanbul Fast Ferries (İDO), Mr. Akın also serves as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO at Akfen Holding and its various subsidiaries.
Mr. Akın is a member of TÜSİAD, Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TTYD), Young Businessmen Association of Turkey (TÜGİAD) and Turkish Contractors Association (TMB) Supervisory Board. He has also been serving as DEİK representative since 2018.
After graduating from Surrey University, UK, in 2010, Pelin Akın Özalp started her career in the Deutsche Bank. Following her return to Turkey, she attended the MT Program of TAV Airports Holdings. Later moving on to the parent company, she has been serving as a Board Member in Akfen Holding as of 2012.
She is an active member of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors at TİKAV (Turkish Human Resources Education and Health Foundation) and Vice President of The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award-Türkiye National Committee. She is also Chairwoman at the Advisory Board of the Contemporary Turkish Studies Chair founded in London School of Economics since 2010.
She has been serving in DEİK(Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey) as a Board Member in British Business Council. She is also a Board Member of Turkish Tourism Investors Association (TTYD), Turkey Business Women’s Association (TIKAD), the Marine Environment Protection Association (TURMEPA), Turkish Enterprise and Business Confederation (TURKONFED) and American Turkish Society (ATS) Boards and in Steering Committee Member of Inclusive Capitalism at the moment.
Previously, her experience entails different Board Memberships in various networks such as Association of Family Businesses (TAİDER) and Turkey Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Young Entrepreneurs Advisory Councils, Association of Women in Board of Directors (YKKD). She was elected as the youngest deputy board member in TUSIAD in 2014.
Currently serving as Board Member of Akfen Holding, and Board of Directors Member of Akfen Renewable Energy, Akfen REIT, Istanbul Sea Buses (İDO) and Travelex.
She has enjoyed her YPO network from 2013-2020.
Sıla Cılız İnanç, graduated from Marmara University, Faculty of Law in 1995, joined Akfen Holding in 1997 upon having carried out law internship in 1996.
She took part in Public Private Partnership projects (PPP) in Turkey, mergers and acquisitions, worked in concern with infrastructure, construction, energy and competition law. She took an active role in secondary legislation of Public Tender Law. She worked at every stage of build-operate-transfer projects, transfer of rights/concession and all process of privatizations implementations including tenders and transfers in which Akfen and its subsidiaries participated, also dealt with establishment of financial structures, facility agreements and both share and bond issues laws and regulations. She conducted company and holding structure works.
She is Board Member of Akfen Holding A.Ş. and also Board Member of various Akfen Holding subsidiaries and Akfen İnşaat Turizm ve Ticaret A.Ş.
Graduating from Istanbul University Faculty of Business
Administration in English in 1990, H. Deniz Bilecik
participated in the Human Resources Management
Certification Program at Boğaziçi University in 2009. He
started his career in 1990 as an Investment Specialist at
Deha Securities Inc., worked as a Chief Broker at Nurol
Securities Inc. during 1992-1993, at Karon Securities Inc.
during 1994-1995, and at Tür Securities Inc. in 1995. He
then served as a Manager in the Domestic Markets
Department at Alternatif Securities Inc. from 1996 to
2006.
Joining Akfen Real Estate Investment Trust Inc. in 2006,
Bilecik played an active role in the establishment and IPO
of the Company. In addition to serving as the Deputy
General Manager of Akfen REIT, he also held the
position of Corporate Communications Unit Manager
from the IPO process of Akfen Holding in 2010 until
2016. Bilecik, who has been a member of GYODER,
TÜYİD, and the PERYÖN Advisory Board at various
times in his career, holds Capital Market Activities Level
3 and Derivative Instruments Licenses. As of 2018,
Bilecik is a member of the Board of Directors of Akfen
GPYŞ.
Graduating from Marmara University Faculty of Economic
and Administrative Sciences, Department of Economics
in 2000, Barış Barçak served as the Regional Manager
responsible for Istanbul's Anatolian side and surrounding
provinces at Deva Holding between 2002 and 2008. He
started working as a Sales Manager at Sinpaş Yapı Endüstrisi ve Ticaret A.Ş. in March 2009, and continued
in this position until September 2013. At this date, he
moved to Akfen Real Estate Development and Trade
(Akfen Gayrimenkul Geliştirme Ve Ticaret A.Ş.) as the
General Manager, and in February 2016, he took over
the position of General Manager at Akfen Consulting and
Project Development (Akfen Danışmanlık ve Proje
Geliştirme A.Ş.). Barış Barçak has been serving as the
General Manager of Akfen Real Estate Portfolio
Management Inc. since May 2019.
