Senior-level appointments at Kuveyt Türk

Kuveyt Türk, one of Turkey's leading participation finance institutions, is entering the new year with senior-level appointments at the management level.

Following the retirement of Ahmet Süleyman Karakaya, Executive Vice President of Corporate and Commercial Banking, Dr. Ruşen Ahmet Albayrak, who served as Executive Vice President of Treasury and International Banking, has been appointed to the position of Executive Vice President of Corporate and Commercial Banking.

Aslan Demir, who served as Executive Vice President of Strategy, has been appointed as the new Executive Vice President of Treasury and International Banking; Semih Sel, who served as Human Resources Group Manager, has been appointed as Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Strategy; and Dr. Okan Acar, who served as Digital Banking Group Manager, has been appointed to the newly established position of Executive Vice President of Digital Banking and Payment Systems.

Kuveyt Türk CEO Ufuk Uyan made the following statement regarding the appointments:

"We would like to thank Ahmet Süleyman Karakaya, who served our bank with dedication for many years, and we wish him health and happiness in his retirement. I believe that the newly established Executive Vice Presidency of Digital Banking and Payment Systems, which will further advance our strong vision in the field of digital transformation, will add value to the future of our bank by combining technology with a human-oriented service approach. I wish all the appointments to be beneficial and hope that the coming period will continue with successes."

DR. RUŞEN AHMET ALBAYRAK – EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF CORPORATE AND COMMERCIAL BANKING

A graduate of Istanbul Technical University's Department of Industrial Engineering, Ruşen Ahmet Albayrak received his master's degree in Organizational Leadership and Business Administration from the University of North Carolina State University (USA) in 1993, and earned his doctorate in 2007 for his work on technology management at Istanbul Technical University. Albayrak, who entered the participation banking sector 30 years ago, has been working as an Executive Vice President at Kuveyt Türk since 2005. He managed the Banking Services Group until October 2012, and as of that date, he was appointed as the Executive Vice President responsible for Treasury, Investment, and International Banking. Dr. Ruşen Ahmet Albayrak will begin his role as Executive Vice President of Corporate and Commercial Banking as of January 1, 2025.

ASLAN DEMİR – EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RESPONSIBLE FOR TREASURY AND INTERNATIONAL BANKING

A graduate of Marmara University's Department of International Relations, Aslan Demir completed his master's degree at the University of Sheffield in the UK with his thesis titled “Critical Elements of Strategy Implementation in Banking Sector.” Starting his banking career in 1995 at the Kuveyt Türk Treasury Department, Aslan Demir worked in the Treasury Department for six years and continued his career in the Project Management and Quality Department between 2001 and 2004. He was appointed as the Project Management and Quality Manager in 2005 and continued his career as the Information Technology Group Manager with the new restructuring in 2007. Aslan Demir, who has been serving as the Executive Vice President of Strategy since October 2012, will begin his new role as Executive Vice President responsible for Treasury and International Banking as of January 1, 2025.

SEMİH SEL - EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND STRATEGY

A graduate of Istanbul Technical University's Department of Industrial Engineering, Semih Sel began his professional life in 2000 at Kuveyt Türk as a Quality Development Specialist. Taking on different roles in human resources, recruitment, compensation, career, and performance management between 2004 and 2009, Sel became the Human Resources Manager in 2009. Continuing his duty as Human Resources Manager until 2012, Semih Sel was appointed as the Human Resources Group Manager after this date and led many award-winning projects such as the first implementation of flexible fringe benefits in the banking sector and the establishment of the Kuveyt Türk Banking Academy. Semih Sel will begin his role as Kuveyt Türk Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Strategy as of January 1, 2025.

DR. OKAN ACAR - EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF DIGITAL BANKING AND PAYMENT SYSTEMS

A graduate of Marmara University's Department of Industrial Engineering, Dr. Okan Acar completed his master's degree in management and organization at Istanbul University and his doctorate in finance at the same university. Starting his career in 2000 at Pamukbank in the Commercial Loans Allocation Unit, Acar joined Kuveyt Türk in 2004 with the title of Credit Product Development Specialist. Having worked as a Product Development Manager at Shamil Bank of Bahrain for a period, Acar returned to Kuveyt Türk in 2008 and held the positions of Retail and Business Product Development Manager, Retail and Business Marketing Manager, and Digital Marketing Manager. Since 2016, he has served as Private Banking Group Manager and Digital Transformation Group Manager, respectively. Dr. Okan Acar has 4 published books. Most recently serving as the Digital Banking Group Manager, Dr. Okan Acar will begin his role as Executive Vice President of Digital Banking and Payment Systems as of January 1, 2025.

News Source: 12punto