Team size: 15-20

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Kazancı Holding is a global powerhouse with production facilities on four continents, more than 10,000 employees, and operations in 22 countries. We export goods to 178 countries around the world. Our subsidiaries are among the leading companies in their respective fields.

Among the companies operating under the Aksa brand, Aksa Natural Gas provides natural gas distribution services to a population of about 16 million and serves approximately five million subscribers. Aksa Energy, on the other hand, is a global energy company with business operations in seven countries, boasting 12 power plants. It manages all aspects of power plant installation – from project development and procurement to construction and installation – in-house, utilising its own competent technical teams.

Aksa Electricity, alongside Çoruh and Fırat electricity distribution companies, stands as one of the pioneering electricity enterprises in Türkiye. Furthermore, Aksa Power Generation ranks among Türkiye’s largest exporters in the Turkish generator market, shipping its products to 178 countries.

Furthermore, since 2005, Aksa Agriculture has emerged as one of the major companies engaged in cattle breeding, dairy farming, orchards, and arboriculture. Lastly, Aksa Tourism is a significant player in both summer tourism and convention tourism, boasting the five-star Mirada Del Mar Hotel in Göynük, Antalya. Additionally, the four-star Mirada Del Lago Hotel and the three-star Mirada Del Monte Hotel, located in Mount Erciyes, attract winter tourism.

We act as partners to all business units of Aksa Group Companies, operating across a diverse range of sectors. We advise them on a broad range of legal matters, encompassing investment projects, financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, corporate and employment law issues, data protection, and dispute resolution.

What strategic priorities are guiding you and your team in 2024?

Due to the evolving nature of the legal counsel role, lawyers are considered core team members in business projects. Therefore, they should understand the work performed at the same level as the business team members. The legal department should work collaboratively with the business teams as they strive towards common goals.

All levels of lawyers should attend and participate in multidisciplinary meetings and join key internal committees. Although this sometimes requires lawyers to step out of their comfort zone, to provide the level of service a corporation or business unit requires, the legal counsel must be fully synchronised with the business goals and activities of the company.

Furthermore, COVID-19 has impacted every aspect of our business and operating models, much like the rest of the world. A key example is the increased significance of technology and the rapid digital transformation that companies have undergone in recent months. I believe COVID-19 has accelerated such digital transformation in our businesses. Consequently, this digital transformation will affect the role of lawyers as well as the nature and scope of their work.

As such transformation may appear to threaten the existence of certain jobs, however I believe that lawyers will remain indispensable, albeit with new rules and regulations, emerging practice areas, and the integration of new digital technologies and artificial intelligence. However, it is evident that the key factor for success in this transforming world for us as lawyers will be the ability to adapt to changing standards and requirements. Therefore, my first strategic priority in our legal department shall be digital transformation.

Do you have a cause, business-related or otherwise, that you are passionate about?

The passion for becoming a lawyer began during grade school. The main reason for choosing this profession at that young age came from the idea of helping people defend their legal rights and uphold justice. Furthermore, I always found the respect and status that come with being a lawyer admirable. When I look at my profession now, I see that I am fulfilling such a purpose on behalf of legal entities.

I am a graduate of Bornova Anatolian High School in Izmir, Türkiye, and West Point High School in West Point, Virginia, USA. I received my law degree in 2002 and an LL.M. in 2006 from the Istanbul University Faculty of Law. My LL.M. thesis related to the “Granting of Injunction of Relief over Bank Letter of Guarantees.”

During my private practice, I was elected several times as a recommended lawyer by Legal 500. Furthermore, I am included in the GC Powerlist of Legal 500 Magazine, which highlights the most influential in-house lawyers driving legal business forward in Turkey.

I have been a member of the Istanbul Bar Association since November 2003. Moreover, I am also a graduate of the Mentee Program of Women on Board Association Türkiye (WOB Türkiye), which aims to promote social development by increasing female representation on boards of directors. One of my future business-related goals is to become an independent board member in a legal entity.