Senior Appointments Made at Kuveyt Türk

Semih Sel appointed to Deputy General Manager of Human Resources and Strategy at Kuveyt Türk, Dr. Okan Acar to Deputy General Manager of Digital Banking and Payment Systems, Aslan Demir to Deputy General Manager of Treasury and International Banking, and Dr. Ruşen Ahmet Albayrak to Deputy General Manager of Corporate and Commercial Banking.

Kuveyt Türk, one of Turkey's leading participation finance institutions, enters the new year with senior-level management appointments. Following the retirement of Ahmet Süleyman Karakaya, Deputy General Manager of Corporate and Commercial Banking, Dr. Ruşen Ahmet Albayrak, Deputy General Manager of Treasury and International Banking, has been appointed to the position of Deputy General Manager of Corporate and Commercial Banking. Aslan Demir, Deputy General Manager responsible for Strategy, has been appointed to the position of Deputy General Manager of Treasury and International Banking; Semih Sel, Head of Human Resources Group, has been appointed to the position of Deputy General Manager of Human Resources and Strategy; and Dr. Okan Acar, Head of Digital Banking Group, has been appointed to the newly established position of Deputy General Manager of Digital Banking and Payment Systems.

Ufuk Uyan, General Manager of Kuveyt Türk, made the following statement regarding the appointments: "We extend our gratitude to Ahmet Süleyman Karakaya, who has served our bank with dedication for many years, and wish him health and happiness in his retirement. I am confident that the newly established Deputy General Manager of Digital Banking and Payment Systems, which will advance our strong vision in digital transformation, will add value to our bank's future by combining technology with a human-centered service approach. We wish all appointments well and hope that the coming period will continue to bring success."

Dr. Ruşen Ahmet Albayrak – Deputy General Manager of Corporate and Commercial Banking
Ruşen Ahmet Albayrak graduated from Istanbul Technical University Industrial Engineering Department and received a master's degree in Organizational Leadership and Business from University of North Carolina State University (USA) in 1993, and a doctorate degree for his work on technology management at Istanbul Technical University in 2007. Albayrak joined the participation banking sector 30 years ago and has been working as Deputy General Manager at Kuveyt Türk since 2005. He managed the Banking Services Group until October 2012, at which date he was appointed as Deputy General Manager responsible for Treasury, Investment and International Banking. Dr. Ruşen Ahmet Albayrak will assume his new position as Deputy General Manager of Corporate and Commercial Banking as of 1 January 2025.

Aslan Demir – Deputy General Manager responsible for Treasury and International Banking
Aslan Demir graduated from Marmara University International Relations Department and completed his master's degree at Sheffield University in the United Kingdom with a thesis titled "Critical Elements of Strategy Implementation in Banking Sector." Aslan Demir began his banking career in 1995 at Kuveyt Türk Treasury Management, where he served for six years, and continued his career at Project Management and Quality Management from 2001 to 2004. He was appointed as Head of Project Management and Quality in 2005 and continued his career as Head of Information Technology Group following the restructuring in 2007. As of October 2012, Aslan Demir has continued in his position as Deputy General Manager responsible for Strategy and will assume his new position as Deputy General Manager responsible for Treasury and International Banking as of 1 January 2025.

Semih Sel - Deputy General Manager of Human Resources and Strategy
Semih Sel graduated from Istanbul Technical University Industrial Engineering Department and began his career in 2000 at Kuveyt Türk as a Quality Development Specialist. Between 2004 and 2009, Sel held various roles in human resources in recruitment, compensation, career and performance management, and became Head of Human Resources in 2009.

Semih Sel continued as Head of Human Resources until 2012, after which he was appointed as Head of Human Resources Group and led several award-winning projects such as the first implementation of flexible benefits in the banking sector and the establishment of Kuveyt Türk Banking Academy. Semih Sel will assume his position as Deputy General Manager of Human Resources and Strategy at Kuveyt Türk as of 1 January 2025.

Dr. Okan Acar - Deputy General Manager of Digital Banking and Payment Systems
Dr. Okan Acar graduated from Marmara University Industrial Engineering Department, received his master's degree in Management and Organization at Istanbul University, and completed his doctorate in finance at the same university. Acar began his career in 2000 at Pamukbank in the Commercial Loans Allocation Unit and joined Kuveyt Türk in 2004 as Credit Product Development Specialist. He served as Head of Product Development at Shamil Bank of Bahrain in Bahrain for a period, and following his return to Kuveyt Türk in 2008, he held positions as Head of Retail and Corporate Product Development, Head of Retail and Corporate Marketing, and Head of Digital Marketing. Since 2016, he has served successively as Head of Private Banking Group and Head of Digital Transformation Group. Dr. Okan Acar has four published books. Most recently serving as Head of Digital Banking Group, Dr. Okan Acar will assume his new position as Deputy General Manager of Digital Banking and Payment Systems as of 1 January 2025.