Board of directors

Suzan Sabancı is the Chairman of Akbank. Ms. Sabancı is also a board member of Sabancı Holding and a member of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı University and the Sabancı Foundation. In 2009, Ms Sabanci founded the Akbank International Advisory Board and currently serves as its chairman.

Suzan Sabancı began her career in banking in 1986 and joined Akbank as Executive Vice President in charge of Treasury in 1989. Having specialized in Treasury and Risk Management, she has been active in these two subjects since 1993. In 1997, she was named Executive Board Member for Treasury and International Banking Relations. Ms Sabancı was appointed as Executive Board Member to oversee the bank-wide change and transition program in 2001. She was named Chairman in March, 2008.

Ms. Sabancı is a member of the Institute of International Finance Board of Directors and Emerging Markets Advisory Board, Harvard University’s Global Advisory Council, Harvard Business School’s Global Leaders Circle, and an emeritus member of the Harvard Business School’s Middle East and North Africa Advisory Board. Suzan Sabancı is also co-chair of the New York-based American-Turkish Society, as well as a member of the Global Board of Advisors at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), the Board of Managing Directors of Venetian Heritage, Inc, and the Cultural and Social Affairs Committee of the Serpentine Council respectively.

From 2010 to 2014, Suzan Sabancı served as the chairman of the Turkish-British Business Council for two terms. From 2009 to 2016, Ms. Sabancı sat on the Global Board of Advisors of Chatham House and she is currently a member of the Chatham House Chairman’s Circle. In 2012, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II awarded Ms. Sabancı the title of "Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE)" in recognition of her proactive and influential contributions to the development of Turkey-UK relations. Having previously served as an Advisory Board Member for The Prince's Charities, Ms. Sabancı is currently a Patron of Prince’s Trust International, a highly prestigious charity organisation set up by King Charles III, then The Prince of Wales, in 1976 and aimed at promoting the development of young people.

Suzan Sabancı is strongly committed to corporate social responsibility activities and assumes various positions in the fields of culture, education, and the promotion of entrepreneurship. Between 2014 and 2018, Sabancı acted as the Advisory Board President of the Women on Board Association Turkey, dedicated to promoting social development by increasing female representation on boards. She is a founding member and board member of the leading high-impact entrepreneurship movement, Endeavor Turkey, a founding and honorary member of the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey, and chairman of the Executive Advisory Board and member of the board of patrons of the Contemporary Istanbul Art Fair. Ms. Sabancı acted as Luxembourg’s Honorary Consul in Istanbul between 2005 and 2022 for 17 years. In 2014, Ms. Sabancı was given the Order of Civil Merit (Orden del Mérito Civil) of the Kingdom of Spain by King Felipe VI of Spain for her contributions to the relations between the two countries and for her support to the cultural convergence.

Suzan Sabancı holds a BA in Finance from Richmond College in the UK and an MBA from Boston University in the USA. Ms. Sabancı has two children.

Hakan Binbaşgil is the Vice Chairman and Executive Board Member of Akbank. Binbaşgil also serves as the President of the Banking Group and Executive Committee Member of Sabancı Holding, Chairman of Akbank AG and Chairman of Akbank Ventures BV.

Mr. Binbaşgil, who served as CEO at Akbank for nearly 12 years between 2012 and 2023, commenced his tenure with Akbank in 2002, assuming the role of Executive Vice President responsible for Change Management. In 2003, he became the Executive Vice President overseeing Retail Banking and in 2008, he ascended to Deputy CEO. Starting in 2002, he spearheaded a multitude of initiatives encompassing strategic direction setting, restructuring, digitalization, technology, corporate identity, change management, talent building and cultural transformation.

Prior to joining Akbank, Binbaşgil worked as a Management Consultant in the London and Istanbul offices of Accenture, and as Executive Vice President in a different private sector bank.

Binbaşgil has an extensive history of leadership roles, having held the positions of chairman and board member across numerous respected domestic and international organizations. Additionally, he has held the office of Term President at the Institut International D'Etudes Bancaires (IIEB), a prominent institution comprised of member banks from across Europe.

After graduating from Robert College, Hakan Binbaşgil graduated from Bosphorus University, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. Binbaşgil later received master's degrees in business administration and finance from LSU.

Ahmet Fuat Ayla was elected as Executive Board Member in charge of credits as of 12 July 2017. Ahmet Fuat Ayla joined Akbank as Corporate Branch Manager in 2002, became the Senior Vice President in charge of Corporate and Commercial Credits Approval Unit in 2005 and was appointed as Executive Vice President in charge of Corporate and Commercial Credits Approval in 2007. Before joining Akbank, Ahmet Fuat Ayla worked in marketing and sales department positions at Head Office and branches at different private sector banks. Ahmet Fuat Ayla is a graduate of Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Business Administration.

Eyüp Engin joined Akbank in 1978 as an Assistant Internal Auditor. Following his auditing assignment, Eyüp Engin served as Department Head in Treasury, International Banking and Overseas Financial Institutions. He was appointed as the Executive Vice President in charge of Corporate Banking in 1996 and after 1998, Engin continued to serve as Executive Vice President in charge of International Banking and Overseas Financial Institutions Marketing.

Eyüp Engin was appointed to the position of Head of Internal Audit in 2007 and during 2007-2019 he served on Boards of Directors of Bank's subsidiaries as the President of Audit Committee. A graduate of Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Engin served as Executive Board Member between March 2019 and March 2020 and as Vice Chairman and Executive Board Member between March 2020 and October 2023. He is currently serving as a Board Member.

Yaman Törüner became a member of the Board of Directors in March 1998. Having served as a Member of Parliament between 1995 and 1999, Yaman Törüner also served as a Minister of State in 1996. Between 1990 and 1994, Yaman Törüner served as the President of the Istanbul Stock Exchange and from 1972 until 1990 he worked in various administrative positions within the Central Bank of Turkey, also serving as the Governor of the Central Bank of Turkey between February 1994 and January 1996. 

Emre Derman has led numerous large cross-border transactions in Turkey as a partner with the international law firm White & Case between 1989 and 2008. In addition to his work in Turkey he has worked in the New York and London offices of the firm and also in former Soviet Union and Eastern European countries during his term as a lawyer for the EBRD in 1994 to 1995. A former board member of Akbank in 2010, Derman has served as a Managing Director and the Senior Country Officer of JP Morgan in Turkey between 2011 and 2014. He is a member of various organizations relating to education and yacht racing and serves as a freelance consultant. Derman holds an LL.B. from Istanbul University Law School and an LL.M. from Harvard Law School.

Orhun Köstem joined Anadolu Group in 1994, where he held several management roles until 2008. He was appointed as the CFO of Efes Breweries International in 2008. A year later, in 2009, he transitioned to the role of Corporate Finance Coordinator within the Anadolu Group. 

From 2010 to 2018, Mr. Köstem furthered his career at Coca-Cola İçecek, serving as the CFO between 2010 and 2016 and then as the Regional Director for the Middle East and Pakistan. He was the CFO of Anadolu Efes between 2019 and 2021. 

Since July 1, 2021, Mr. Köstem has been the Group CFO of Sabancı Holding. In addition to his primary role, he holds significant positions across various organizations: Chairman of Carrefoursa, Vice Chairman of Sabancı İklim Teknolojileri, Board of Trustees of Sabancı University, and Member of the Board of Directors at Akbank, Kordsa, Enerjisa Enerji, and Enerjisa Üretim. 

He was one of the co-authors of the book "Opening the Window to Capital Markets: From A to Z Initial Public Offerings and Investor Relations.", published in 2009. His expertise has been recognized for many years by various national and international platforms; while listing among "Türkiye’s Most Influential 50 CFOs" by BMI Business School and DataExpert in 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021, he also received accolades as Türkiye’s Best CFO in Thomson Reuters Extel's Investor Relations Awards in 2011 and 2013, and was named “Best CFO” in the Consumer Sector in Emerging EMEA by Institutional Investor (II) in 2020. He also achieved rankings as Best CFO in Industrials in 2022 and in SMID-cap Industrials in 2023 in the Emerging EMEA Region by II, and was selected Best CFO among BIST30 companies at the Turkish IR Society (TUYID) Summit in 2022 and 2023. 

Mr. Köstem, featured in the C-Suite Series – Fortune CFO 2022 list, is a member of the CFA Society Istanbul and the CFO Network of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), reflecting his commitment to excellence in finance and sustainable development. 

In 1991, Orhun Köstem completed his undergraduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at Middle East Technical University (METU) , where he also obtained his MBA. Furthering his education, he acquired a master's degree in Finance and Corporate Law from Bilgi University. 

Tuğrul Belli started his professional career at Iktisat Bank’s Corporate Finance Department in 1990. He started serving as General Secretary at Turkish Bank in 1994, and participated in the foundation of Turkish Yatırım in 1997, a subsidiary of the bank. He served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the company until 2005, and also served as General Manager for a period. He still serves as an Economics Advisor at Turkish Bank. Belli taught at İstanbul Ticaret University on “Banking Management” between 2006 and 2012. Belli has been an op-ed columnist of Dünya Daily since 2008. An alumni of American Robert College, he holds an undergraduate degree from London School of Economics and Political Science, and a graduate degree from CUNY Baruch College.

Levent Demirağ joined Sabancı Holding as a Consultant in 1994, became Financial Affairs Director in 2007, and served as the President of Financial Affairs, Accounting and Investor Relations from May 2010 to September 2021. He also served as a member of the board of directors in Sabancı Holding group companies. He has Sworn-in Certified Public Accountant and Independent Auditor certificates. Levent Demirağ graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences in 1980 and worked as a tax inspector at the Ministry of Finance before joining the Group.

Kaan Gür, with over 30 years of experience in the banking sector, obtained his degree from Gazi University's Faculty of Banking and Insurance and an Executive MBA from the Middle East Technical University. He began his career in a prominent private sector bank, holding positions such as Branch and Regional Manager in Corporate, Commercial, and SME Banking, later transitioning to the role of Director of SME Marketing Coordination.

In 2011, Gür joined Akbank as the Executive Vice President of SME Banking. From 2013 to 2017, he served as the Executive Vice President of the Commercial Banking segment, overseeing the Cash Management and Trade Finance departments. During this period at Akbank, he also held the positions of Chairman of AK Lease and Vice Chairman of AK Investment, both Akbank subsidiaries.

Between 2017 and 2023, Gür assumed the role of CEO and Board Member at another private sector bank, leading transformations across various areas, including corporate, technological, and cultural sectors. As of October 2023, Gür has assumed the position of CEO and Board Member of Akbank. Kaan Gür is also Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Akbank AG and a member of the Supervisory Board of Akbank Ventures BV.