Deputy general manager, legal and corporate communications | GAMA Energy
Legal affairs and corporate compliance director | SunExpress Airlines
Lead regional counsel, legal, ethics and compliance for Southern Europe | Visa
Legal counsel | Batıçim Batı Anadolu Çimento Sanayii
Rising stars
Legal counsel | LST Lojistik Servis Ticaret
Rising stars
Senior vice president, legal and compliance | Turkish Airlines
General counsel, compliance officer and data protection officer | Media Markt Türkiye
Head of legal affairs | The Walt Disney Company
Hall of fame
Chief legal and compliance counsel | Tüpraş - Türkiye Petrol Rafinerileri
Vice President, general counsel and local compliance officer | beIN MEDIA GROUP
Legal director, Central South Europe, and ethics correspondent, Central Europe | Air Liquide
Head of legal and compliance, Türkiye | Vaillant Group
Legal counsel and compliance specialist | SOCAR Türkiye
Rising stars
Head of legal and sustainability | Roche Pharma Türkiye (Roche Müstahzarları Sanayi)
Legal counsel | Eşarj Elektrikli Araçlar Şarj Sistemleri
Rising stars
Legal expert | Ege Yeni Nesil Enerji
Rising stars
Legal manager | Eti
Emre Çotuksöken graduated from Maltepe University-Faculty of Law (Istanbul) in 2002 and has a post graduate degree in International Commercial Law and EU from Istanbul Commerce University. After working for...
Legal and compliance group manager | Akçansa Çimento Sanayi ve Ticaret
Eastern Europe and Middle East counsel for cyber & intelligence solutions | Mastercard
Head of group, legal and compliance director | Samsung Electronics
General counsel, senior compliance officer and corporate secretary | Mercedes-Benz Türk
Vice president, legal and compliance | Türkiye Wealth Fund
Senior attorney | Rönesans Endüstri Tesisleri
Rising stars
Director of legal affairs and compliance | ICA Yatırım ve İşletme
Lead legal counsel | Makyol İnşaat Sanayi Turizm ve Ticaret
Legal and compliance manager | Eşarj Elektrikli Araçlar Şarj Sistemleri
Senior legal counsel and compliance officer | Enerjisa Enerji Üretim
Rising stars
General counsel and chief compliance officer | Koç Holding
Hall of fame
Manager legal counsel, South East Europe, Spain and Turkiye | FedEx
Senior legal counsel and compliance supervisor | T. Garanti Bankası
Rising stars
Legal director | Yıldız Holding
Meral Öncü has practiced law as an in-house lawyer for 18 years and gained her Bachelor’s (Hons) degree from Yeditepe University Faculty of Law with a full scholarship. She also...
Chief legal officer | NEF-Timur Gayrimenkul Geliştirme Yapı ve Yatırım
Head of legal, telecommunication | Vodafone Türkiye
Muhterem İlhan started his career in 1995, after graduating from Ankara University Faculty of Law, and worked as a freelance lawyer until 2001. He entered the telecommunications industry with...
President of legal affairs | Anadolu Grubu
Years in-house: 26 Mr. Mustafa Yelligedik graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Law in 1994 and started his career in Efes Beverage Group as a lawyer in 1997. Throughout his...
Hall of fame
Head of legal | İhracatı Geliştirme (İGE)
Drawing upon more than 15 years of dedicated service as a legal professional, I offer a profound reservoir of expertise across diverse legal domains. My specialisation encompasses Banking and Finance,...
Head of legal | Softtech Yazılım Teknolojileri Araştırma Geliştirme ve Pazarlama
Head of legal | Sabanci Holding
Şebnem Önder started her career at White and Case LLP in Türkiye as an Associate in 1994. She then took her expertise to New York between 1999 and 2000, working...
General counsel, corporate governance secretariat and head of legal | Mercedes-Benz Otomotiv
Chief legal and people officer | Getir
Selin Barlın Aral obtained her master’s degree from Georgetown University, graduated from Koç University Law School, and completed her high school education at Robert College. Following her education, Selin worked...
Legal vice president | Getir
Senem Özyavuz Uysal is Legal Vice President of Getir Turkey, the pioneer of ultrafast grocery delivery. Previously, Senem served as Legal Director of Turk Telekom, Turkey’s first and largest integrated...
Senior legal counsel | Turkish Airlines
Rising stars
Vice president, general counsel, Eurasia and Middle East | Coca-Cola Company
Legal counsel | AppSamurai & Storyly
Rising stars
Building on the tremendous success of last year, The Legal 500 is proud to present the GC Powerlist: Türkiye 2024. Once again, as we celebrate the most exceptional individuals who have elevated the in-house legal role to new heights, we are honoured to showcase Türkiye’s most dedicated corporate lawyers, highlighting their remarkable achievements over the past year.
This publication focuses on the outstanding contributions of an elite group of general counsel, legal heads, and other key in-house legal professionals, showcasing their expertise, leadership, and unwavering commitment to excellence. In this latest edition, we celebrate the outstanding achievements of these distinguished individuals as they skilfully navigate Türkiye’s legal landscape. They tackle challenges such as integrating legal tech innovations, adapting to evolving political and economic environments, promoting diversity and inclusion, and providing critical counsel to C-level management, significantly influencing executive decisions within their organisations.
As a very special debut, this edition becomes the first ever within the GC Powerlist series to encompass a Hall of Fame category – a prestigious recognition within the publication that honours, among the most accomplished and esteemed corporate lawyers in each jurisdiction, those who have left a profound mark through their long-standing commitment and invaluable contribution to the local in-house community, over the course of two decades. Being featured in the Hall of Fame is a testament to a lawyer’s outstanding track record, extensive experience, and significant impact on the country’s legal landscape. These individuals are highly respected for their strategic counsel and ability to navigate complex legal matters effectively. In all, this new section provides a platform to celebrate their enduring contributions and inspire the next generation of in-house lawyers.
Inside the GC Powerlist: Türkiye 2024, you’ll find detailed profiles and exclusive interviews with the country’s most influential and esteemed in-house lawyers across various industries. Their expertise in navigating legal strategies, mitigating risks, and offering strategic guidance to their companies is prominently featured. These achievements not only inspire the legal community but also highlight the significant impact that in-house lawyers have on their organisations’ business strategies and overall success.
The research and interviews conducted in the development of this publication reveal several key findings. First and foremost, the ongoing development and adoption of advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, have fundamentally transformed the work methodologies of numerous in-house legal departments across the country. Representing many in the field, Zeynep Derman Küçükönder, Vice President and General Counsel at Coca-Cola, expresses a strong desire to deepen their “understanding of digital technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, and explore how we can harness its potential to drive innovation and enhance productivity.” Moreover, Rüken Temel, head of legal at Softtech, underscores the importance of this issue, stating that “addressing the potential impacts of AI on the legal field, making predictions, and planning our actions accordingly are among our top priorities.”
Another significant revelation underscores the growing imperative of proactively embodying core values such as diversity, equity, and inclusion. An important perspective within the exclusive interviews is provided by esteemed Hall of Famer, Mustafa Yelligedik, president of legal affairs at Anadolu Grubu who emphasises the primacy of transparency, equity, diversity, and honesty in his leadership approach. He asserts that “[v]arious factors have contributed to my approach to leadership and decision-making, but I give priority to transparency, equity, diversity and honesty in the first place. These values and principles allowed me to strengthen the integration and common mind in my team which are of great importance given that, in my experience, productive and effective solutions emerge from common mind and teamwork.”
Similarly, a great testimony is provided by Gizem Zeynep Bölükbaşı Kömüryakan, vice president of legal and compliance at Türkiye Wealth Fund who declares her unwavering commitment “to promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and supporting initiatives that foster multicultural understanding and collaboration. As a firm believer in continuous learning and personal development, I am also passionate about promoting lifelong learning opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. This commitment aligns with our broader mission of fostering sustainable development and prosperity for all segments of society.”
In all, in this edition, we delve deeply into a multitude of significant topics and distinctive challenges, encouraging you to delve into The GC Powerlist: Türkiye 2024 and discover the captivating stories of these remarkable individuals. Through their diverse experiences and insights, our objective is to offer a comprehensive portrayal of the legal landscape within the country and underscore the indispensable role played by in-house legal teams. Make sure to check them.
We express our heartfelt gratitude and congratulations to all the featured in-house lawyers for their invaluable contributions and for generously sharing their journeys with us. It is with immense pleasure that we present to you this esteemed roster of Türkiye’s most outstanding, dedicated, and esteemed in-house legal professionals.
Francisco Faria e Castro | Senior Research Analyst | GC Powerlist series | Editorial Lead
