Corporate Governance

Haluk Dinçer
Chairman of the Board of Directors
(Since July 2011)
Haluk Dinçer became President of the Insurance Group of Sabancı Holding in June 2016. Previously, Mr. Dinçer served as President of the Retail and Insurance Group between 2011 and 2016, President of the Retail Group between 2007 and 2011, President of the Retail and Food Group between 2004 and 2007, and President of the Food Group between 2002 and 2004. Since joining Sabancı in 1995, Mr. Dinçer has held several leadership positions in the automotive, food and retail businesses of the Group. Haluk Dinçer is a member of the Brookings International Advisory Council. Mr. Dinçer is also an Executive Committee Member of B20 Turkey. Previously, Haluk Dinçer was the President of TUSİAD – Turkish Industry & Business Association, and acted as the Chairman of DEIK/Turkish-American Business Council for three consecutive terms. Mr. Dinçer earned a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1985 and an M.B.A. in 1988, both from the University of Michigan. Haluk Dinçer is married and has two children. Haluk Dinçer is married and has two children.

Emmanuel Van Grimbergen
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors
(Since January 2019)
Van Grimbergen serves as the Risk Director at Ageas SA/NV. 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. He is a member of the Boards of Cardiff Lux Vie, East West Ageas Life (Philippines), Ageas and Intreas. Mr. Grimbergen holds an MBA in mathematics and actuary sciences, and is a member of the Actuaries Institute in Belgium.

Fuat Öksüz
Board Member
(Since March 2018)
Fuat Öksüz graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration in 1986. He began his professional career in the same year as an audit assistant at the Istanbul office of Arthur Andersen, where he eventually became a partner. During his first 10 years at the firm, Mr. Öksüz worked as independent auditor and financial advisor. Later, he founded and managed the Outsourcing Department between 1999 and 2002 and served as head of the Management Consulting Department between 1996 and 1999. In 2003, he joined Ernst & Young Turkey as partner and worked there for one year. Mr. Öksüz joined Sabancı Holding in 2004 as Head of Audit; he also served as Chairman of the Ethics Council of Sabancı Holding. In December 2009, he joined Enerjisa, where he served as Co-CEO and CFO of Enerjisa Production and Trade companies for two years. Subsequently, he served as Head of Planning and Control (three years) and Head of Accounting, Reporting and Tax (three years) at Enerjisa Group. In 2018, Mr. Öksüz was reappointed Head of Audit at Sabancı Holding. Previously, he had also served as Member of the Advisory Board at the Turkish Accounting and Auditing Standards Authority and the Institute of Internal Auditing-Turkey.

Hayri Çulhacı
Board Member
(Since July 2010)
Appointed as Assistant General Manager at Akbank in 1990, Mr. Çulhacı served as Assistant General Manager responsible for Corporate Communications, Investor Relations and Strategy, Consultant for the Chairman of Board of Directors, and an Executive Director at the Board of Directors, respectively. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Audit Committee and Risk Committee at Akbank. Hayri Çulhacı is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Sabancı Foundation and a member of the Board of Directors at AvivaSA. Hayri Çulhacı graduated from the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University and received his MBA at Northeastern University in the USA. Hayri Çulhacı is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Sabancı Foundation, And a member of the Board of Directors at AvivaSA.

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. Mr. Braekeveldt studied Economics at Catholic University in Belgium and then earned his Master’s degree in Law in France and Belgium. He was on the Board of Directors at Fortis Insurance between 2006 and 2009. He has served as CEO of Ageas Continental Europe since 2009. He is married and has three children.

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. Hakan Eminsoy is also Member of the Board of Directors at Erdemir Iron and Steel Factories and serves as consultant at AON (Turkey office). He graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Business Administration. Hakan Eminsoy is married and has one child.

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 professional career in 1991 and worked in various positions at Interbank, DenizBank, Ak Internet and MNG Bank over the years. Between 2004 and 2009, he served as Assistant General Manager at AkEmeklilik A.Ş. and AvivaSA Emeklilik ve Hayat A.Ş. He has been serving as General Manager and Board Member at Aksigorta since May 2009.

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.

The Corporate Governance Committee was established to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the Board of Directors in a sound manner. Corporate governance is a management process at Aksigorta A.Ş. which is based on ethical values, is responsible toward internal and external parties, is aware of risk, is transparent and responsible for its resolutions, protecting the interests of the stakeholders, targeting sustainable success in a manner complying with the Corporate Governance Principles established by the Capital Markets Board.

The Corporate Governance Committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Board of Directors at Aksigorta A.Ş. to ensure compliance of the corporate governance principles of the Company with the Corporate Governance Principles established by the Capital Markets Board and any other internationally recognized corporate governance principles. The Committee also makes recommendations to introduce and implement such principles, monitors compliance of the Company with such principles, and conducts improvement efforts in these areas.

The duties of the Nomination Committee, the Early Detection of Risk Committee and the Remuneration Committee are also carried out by the Corporate Governance Committee.

Lütfiye Yeşim Uçtum
Chairman of the Corporate Governance Committee

Steven Georges Leon Braekeveldt
Member

Osman Akkoca
Member

Ayşegül Gürkale
Member

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 professional career in 1991 and worked in various positions at Interbank, DenizBank, Ak Internet, MNG Bank over the years. Between 2004 and 2009, he served as Assistant General Manager at AkEmeklilik A.Ş. and AvivaSA Emeklilik ve Hayat A.Ş. He has been serving as General Manager and Board Member at Aksigorta since May 2009.

Osman Akkoca
Assistant General Manager - Financial Affairs
(Since January 2017)
Osman Akkoca graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Department of Business Engineering. He began his professional career as an assistant inspector at Sumerbank in 1999. After holding various management positions between 2003 and 2005, he worked as Inspector at AvivaSA from 2005 to 2007. Mr. Akkoca joined Aksigorta in 2007. He worked as Assistant Manager of Internal Control and Compliance during 2007 and 2010; as Risk Manager in 2010 and 2011, and as Financial Control Manager from 2011 to 2017. Since January 2017, Mr. Akkoca has served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Aksigorta.

Fahri Altıngöz
Assistant General Manager - Corporate Technical, Sales, Legal and Reinsurance
(Since September 2018)
Fahri Altıngöz graduated from Middle East Technical University, Department of Statistics. He worked as the Founding General Manager of TEB (Zurich) Insurance Company, between 1997 and 2005. In 2005. In 2005, Mr. Altıngöz rejoined Aksigorta Insurance Company and worked as Assistant General Manager responsible for Claims and Recovery; Corporate, Marketing, Health Insurances, Risk Management and Reinsurance, respectively. Altıngöz is currently working as the Assistant General Manager Responsible for Corporate Sales, Corporate Relations, Corporate Legal and Reinsurance. He has been the Chairman of Insurance Practitioners Association since 2002, and a Board Member of Agricultural Insurance Pool (TARSIM) since 2009. Mr. Altıngöz is also a member of International Investors Association of Turkey Insurance and Pension Working Group (YASED) and member of the insurance working group of Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSİAD).

Ayşegül Gürkale
Assistant General Manager - Human Resources, Purchasing and Administrative Affairs
(Since August 2017)
Ayşegül Gürkale graduated from Marmara University, Department of Economics in 1999. She began her professional career in 1999 as a Management Trainee in the Commercial Banking Marketing Department at Pamukbank. In 2003, she joined Garanti Pension and Life, where she served as Product Development Specialist between 2003 and 2005, Regional Performance Monitoring Manager between 2005 and 2007, Planning Manager between 2007 and 2008, and Regional Manager between 2008 and 2013. In her last role at Garanti Pension and Life, she served as Director of Human Resources, Organization, Purchasing and Administrative Affairs from 2013-2017.

Metin Demirel
Assistant General Manager - Technology, Digital and Individual Technical
(Since September 2018)
Metin Demirel started his professional career at Akbank in 1992. After 1996, he continued his career in the United States. He first worked at Sulzer Medica Intermedics company as Senior System Analyst. Then, he worked as a Consultant for Oracle. From 2004 to 2006, he managed his own firm Midsoft Inc. Mr. Demirel returned to Turkey in June 2006, and started working for Tofaş as Financial and Commercial Practices Manager. Lastly, he worked as Director in charge of Zürich Insurance Information Technologies Management. After graduating from Boğaziçi University, Department of Computer Engineering in 1992, Metin Demirel attended the Executive MBA program at Koç University.

Tolga Okan Tezbaşaran
Assistant General Manager - Retail Sales and Health
(Since November 2016)
Tolga Okan Tezbaşaran graduated from Dokuz Eylül University, Department of Industrial Engineering in 1993. He began his professional career at Halk Yaşam Sigorta. He began his professional career at Halk Yaşam Sigorta. Later, he worked as Regional Manager and Group President at Yapı Kredi Sigorta. In 2011, Mr. Tezbaşaran joined Zurich Sigorta, where he served as Assistant General Manager responsible for Individual and Small Enterprise Segment and as Board Member. Mr. Tezbaşaran has been serving as Assistant General Manager of Bancassurances and Health since November 2016; he was promoted to Assistant General Manager of Retail Sales and Marketing on April 1, 2017.