About

Led by Simhan Savaşçın Başaran, Eczacıbaşı Group’s legal team is responsible for coordinating all high-level legal matters concerning companies across the group. In the past year the team has completed a restructuring process which was begun following the appointment of Simhan Savaşçın Başaran as chief legal counsel. The newly structured team is now able to provide comprehensive legal services to the entire Eczacıbaşı Group. ‘This centralisation helped to cut down outsourcing costs and enabled us to provide high quality services given the accumulation of know-how and familiarity with the group companies’ businesses and operations’, says Başaran. Due to the nature of the projects that the legal team is involved in, its members actively participate with senior management to determine strategic approaches of the group’s businesses. They have recently helped split one of the group’s joint ventures into three entities, helping to make its operations leaner and easier to manage. The team has also played a big role in a number of restructurings and reorganisation deals across the group. Introducing structures and models that can meet its business, tax concerns and legal requirements. Turkey’s legal system has been in a transformation period since 2012, and the team at Eczacıbaşı has responded by introducing a compliance process in conjunction with a new Data Privacy Law covering 32 local affiliates and foreign affiliates. An important part of the team’s attitude is an emphasis on close communication with business management, to take time to effectively assess all the legal risks despite their enthusiasm and appetite for the completion of projects whilst being as business friendly as possible.