About

With sales of TRY 25bn ($8.4bn) in 2013, OMV Petrol Ofisi is the second largest private company in Turkey and is the country’s leading fuel products distribution and lubricants company. Gül Özdinç has managed the legal team of 12 as head of legal affairs since 2010. Impacting the strategic direction of the company the team recently developed a new policy to reduce expenses on dealer contract renewals. This involved a move from a customary usufructs business model of 50 years to a long term lease agreement model, which resulted in material savings. The change also saw the development of a structured methodology and integration into software used by the business units, which cover the negotiation and execution phases of the contracts. Known as an innovative department, the legal team recently helped develop a tailor-made software system specifically designed to allow in-house lawyers, internal business units and external law firms to keep track of law suits and execution files. The system allows all parties to follow the assignment from initial instruction of external lawyer, up until the closing of the file with the final decision or settlement. This tool can be considered to directly affect the bottom line of the business in terms of cost monitoring and time saved: there is a comprehensive cost management system, organisation of litigation files, deadline monitoring, proven and accountable workflows and a demonstrable efficiency gain. Working closely with the senior management, the legal team helped OMV Petrol Ofisi overcome serious challenges after a price ceiling was imposed by the regulatory body and which resulted in a drastic decrease of the profit margin of oil distribution companies. The team also advised on the “2015 Dealership Contract Renewal Period”, which resulted in the renewal and termination of 2,218 contracts within 12 months compared to renewal and termination of approximately 500 contracts annually in the ordinary course of business.