Kolcuoglu Demirkan Koçakli

Corporate and Commercial, Employment, Personal Data Privacy

Partner

Maral Minasyan leads the Firm’s employment law and data privacy law practices and has extensive experience in corporate and commercial law, as well as in contracts law. She advises domestic and multinational companies acting in various sectors, including retail, electronics, insurance, pharmaceuticals, media, e-commerce, technology, manufacturing and automotive, in connection with corporate governance, commercial law, contracts, employment law-related matters, as well as personal data privacy compliance. Maral assists a wide range of foreign and local companies during incorporation and advises on legal matters regarding their operations.

She is experienced in assisting multinational companies in all non-contentious and contentious aspects of employment law from hiring to termination, as well as on collective labor law-related matters. She has significant experience in legal support to various companies’ HR departments, especially in advising on employment contracts, employee policies, compensation issues, restrictive covenants, confidentiality agreements, severance agreements, employee benefits, such as leave and retirement plans and stock option plans, workplace investigations, waivers and releases, disciplinary actions, and termination & mass lay-off issues. Maral represents clients in several major disputes with former high-level executives and has conducted negotiations with trade unions at both the domestic and international levels.

Maral plays a key role in the HR practices and personal data privacy practices of the Firm’s clients and advises reputable clients, such as iyzico, Vitol, Gucci, Agence France-Presse (AFP), Comau, Cummins, Dyson, Prada, Talanx Group, Deloitte, Duracell, Huntsman, Peek & Cloppenburg, SolarWinds, UL, Superdry, Hugo Boss, Fendi, Dover Corporation, Boston Consulting Group, Nike, GTT Communications, Majorel, Ajax Systems, Züber, Snowflake, ServiceTitan, Rippling, TPI Composites, Abdi İbrahim, Avalara, Allianz, RWS, Mediterra Capital, Gano Excel, QTerminals, World Courier, People Center Inc, Mavenir, TMF Group, VHV Group, PVH Corporation, Tik Tok, Boyner, Uber, Philip Morris, Fujifilm, Hilton, Nielsen, Wabtec Corporation, Merlin, AmerisourceBergen, Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft, Bunzl, OneTrust, Sony, Costa Crociere S.p.A., Kalimbassieris Maritime, Hedef Filo, Axpo Group, Terumo Europe, Becton, Dickinson and Company, Magneti Marelli and SonicWall.

She is also experienced in assisting multinational companies on the personal data privacy aspects of new products or services, as well as on commercial arrangements involving personal data. She assists extensively in compliance actions and practical implementation, such as responses to complaints and the exercise of rights, security breach management, data controller to data processor contracts and dealings with Turkish data privacy authorities. She provides clients with tailor-made personal data privacy compliance packages and assists them in structuring personal data management systems to ensure that the clients’ practices, policies and documentation comply with the Turkish data protection law. She excels in employment projects with an emphasis on personal data privacy.

Maral Minasyan started with Kolcuoğlu Demirkan Koçaklı at its inception in 2007. She became one of the Firm’s partners in 2022. She leads the Firm’s Employment Law and Data Privacy Law practices.

She is a co-author of “International Franchise Handbook,” Turkey Chapter, 2nd edition, (DWF Germany, 2017).

English, Turkish

Boğaziçi University, Human Resources Management Program (2022); Queen Mary University of London School of Law (LL.M. in Intellectual Property Law, 2005); Istanbul Bilgi University School of Law (LL.M. in Private Law, 2003); Marmara University School of Law (LL.B., 2002).