Ahmet Ozkan was born in 1976 in Istanbul and graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1994. After graduating from the Department of Business Administration at Bogazici Univeristy, he started his professional career in 1999. He worked at the inspections departments of Arthur Andersen and Ernst&Young, before joining the family business Dempaş Demir Inc. in 2005. He is married with three children.
Alexander M. Julius is the founder and managing partner of macroMETAL Handelsgesellschaft mbH, which has been servicing mainly European steel consumers with quality products since 1996 as a mill-independent supplier. He is active as presidency member in EUROMETAL and various German committees linked to international trade & service. Since 2003 he has worked as a managing partner of the company Envitec Engineering GmbH with environmental technologies and regenerative energies as well as the construction of recycling plants.
Alexander Siryk, who has a PhD in economics and an MBA, is the CEO of Metals Consulting International (MCI). He has more than 20 years of experience in the steel industry, providing consultancy services to leading international players, focusing on their business development. He has expertise in marketing and sales strategies, merger and acquisition activities, and feasibility studies. He also has a comprehensive understanding of the macro trends impacting the steel industry and how these developments are shaping the industry's future.
Prof. Dr. Asaf Savas Akat (1943-Ankara) received his Undergraduate degree in Economics in Istanbul University. He received Masters degree in East Anglia University in England. He became a Professor of Economics in 1980 in Istanbul University. He attended numerous trainings, internships and certificate programs with AFS, AIESEC, OECD and USA scholarships in different countries. He was Rector of Istanbul Bilgi University in 1996-1998. He is currently teaching in the same university. Asaf Savas Akat also assumed important roles in professional life. He acted as Chief Adviser, Board Member and Chairman of many major companies in Turkey. Akat has numerous articles published in newspapers and journals. He has attended many conferences, panels, TV and radio shows as a speaker. He was one of the members of the popular economy program Ekodiyalog (Ecodialogs) on NTV channel. He was a columnist for daily Sabah and Vatan newspapers.
After graduating from the Faculty of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Middle East Technical University (METU), Ayhan Uçar obtained MSc and Ph.D. degrees in the same discipline respectively; and he started his professional career in 1996. Ayhan Uçar, who has more than 25 years of experience in the iron and steel industry, started his career in Process, R&D, and Quality Engineering departments; and continued at the senior management levels in CTS, Raw Material Planning and Market Research Strategies and Raw Material Purchasing departments. Uçar has been working as the Procurement Director at Tatmetal Çelik since 2018.
Born in Istanbul in 1971, Kerem Çakır is graduated from İstanbul (Erkek) High School, and then from Boğaziçi University Mechanical Engineering Faculty in 1994. After graduation, he started his business life and career in Borusan. In 2000, he completed his post-graduate study (Executive MBA) Koç University. Within Borusan Group of Companies, Kerem Çakır worked in Borusan Birleşik Boru Fabrikaları (currently named Borusan Mannesmann Boru), Borusan Elektronik, Borçelik and Kerim Çelik. After working as General Manager in Kerim Çelik between 2008 and 2015, Kerem Çakır is still working as Borçelik General Manager since January 2015.
Dr. Mahfi Egilmez graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences, Department of Economics and Finance. He has a PhD degree at Public Finance. Mahfi Egilmez started as a Deputy Inspector of Finance in public service in 1972. Furthermore he served as Auditor, Assistant General Manager of Revenues, Head of Public Institutions and Affiliates of the Treasury Department, Assistant General Manager of Treasury Public Finance, Economic and Commercial Counsellor of the Embassy of Washington, Director General of Public Finance of the Undersecretariat of Treasury and Foreign Trade, Deputy Undersecretary of Treasury and Foreign Trade, Economy and Trade Principal Consultant and Undersecretariat of Treasury Counsellor of the Embassy of Washington. He was appointed to the Undersecretariat of Treasury in 1997. He left the public service at the end of 1997. He served as a member and chairman of the board in various banks and financial sector organizations in private sector between 1997-2006. He resigned in 2006. He was a lecturer for economic policy at İstanbul Bilgi University and Kadir Has University. He is currently a lecturer at Altınbaş University. He writes regularly on his web site www.mahfiegilmez.com. He was a commentator with Servet Yıldırım for the program called “NTVPara” (NTVMoney) on NTV. He has a special interest in the history of Hittites and he published several books on this subject besides his articles and books on economy.
After graduating from Industrial Engineering Department of Middle East Technical University, Mehmet Çakmur started his career in 1990. He took part in different roles in iron and steel trade until 2002. Between 2002 and 2011 he worked as the authorized representative for Turkey of Russian MMK Magnitogorsk. In 2011, he was appointed as export and sales director at MMK Metalurji plant, built by MMK Russia in Turkey. In 2017, he left MMK to found his own company M Steel Ltd., specializing in iron and steel trade, consultancy and agency. He is also an executive board member at Turkey’s Steel Foreign Trade Association and Association of Flat Steel Exporters and Manufacturers (YISAD).
Ömer Kayhan Seyhun is a senior specialist at the Data Governance and Statistics Department, Rating and Risk Analysis Division, of the Central Bank of the Republic of Turkey (CBRT). He has worked at various departments of the CBRT. He worked at Credit Registry, which was run by CBRT until the end of June 2013. He was responsible for monitoring financial data and risk center issues with the Banks Association of Turkey/KKB (Credit Bureau) and, later, he was responsible for transferring the related data and activities to those institutions. He is an active member of the World Bank International Committee on Credit Reporting (ICCR) since 2013, and of the International Finance Corporation - Statistics for Sustainable Finance Working Group since 2021. He is specialized in credit rating, risk analysis, Environmental-Social-Governance (ESG) rating, credit reporting systems, and their methodologies. He holds an MA degree in International Economics and Finance from Brandeis University (USA) - Esade University (Spain), and an MS degree in Economics from Hacettepe University (Turkey). He is currently pursuing his PhD studies in Başkent University (Turkey), School of Banking and Finance, focusing on ESG. He is fluent both in English and Spanish.
Metin Tayfun was born in Istanbul in 1955. He completed his high school education in Virginia, US. In 1977, received his mechanical engineering degree, followed by a master’s degree in industrial engineering, both from Texas A&M University. His work experience covers 3.5 years at Amoco Production in Texas, two years at Colakoglu Metalurji, then 26 years at companies including Borusan Group, Monroe Shockabsorbers, Caterpillar and Mannesmann Pipe. In 2010, he joined Colakoglu Metalurji as the company switched its production from long products to mainly flat products. He is a founding member of both the Thrace Industrialists Association and of Turkey’s Construction Machinery Industry Association, and is a board member of the Automotive Suppliers Association of Turkey (TAYSAD). He is also the chairman of Turkey’s Association of Flat Steel Exporters and Manufacturers (YISAD).
Umut Feyzioğlu graduated from the political science department of Ankara University before receiving his master’s degree in entrepreneurship and finance at the University of Udine. He started his banking career as a deputy inspector at the inspection board of İş Bankası and later held managerial positions in the Corporate Loans, Project Financing, and Corporate and Commercial Banking Marketing departments of the same bank. He also gave lectures at Kadir Has University on finance. He has been the general manager of Proemtia since October 2022, having also overseen the foundation of the company.
Born in 1960 in Canakkale, Vedat Yalcin graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Middle East Technical University in 1981 and received his master’s degree from the same faculty in 1983. Starting his career at Yuksel Insaat in 1981, Mr. Yalcin became the assistant general manager of Noksel Çelik Boru Sanayi Inc. and still acts as an executive board member at the company. He is also the vice chairman of Noksel Espaňa S.A., located in Spain, a subsidiary of Noksel Çelik Boru Sanayi Inc. Holding managerial positions in the pipe industry for the last 33 years, Vedat Yalcin is still a board member at the Central Anatolian Exporters’ Association and he is the chairman of the Turkish Steel Pipe Manufacturers Association (CEBID).
Mr. Yayan got B.A. degrees from Faculty of Political Sciences of Ankara University in 1977 and Faculty of Law of the Istanbul University in 1987. Then he got his PhD degree from the Istanbul University Faculty of Economics in 1997. Mr. Yayan has diplomas from University of Michigan on Economy of Development and Population; from the University of Sussex on Labor Market Information System and Japan Int. Coop. Agency on Development and improvement of Employment. Mr. Veysel Yayan started his career as Reporter at the Republic of Turkey, Ministry of Trade in 1976. Then he worked at State Planning Organization, as Expert and Undersecretariat of Defense Industries, as Head of Department, Deputy Undersecretary and Acting Undersecretary until he retired in 1998. After serving 22 years for government from expert to Undersecretary levels between 1976-1998, he was appointed as Secretary General to the Turkish Steel Producers Association in 1998. On 25 September 2017, Dr. Yayan was appointed as Undersecretary to Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology. In August 2018, Yayan retired from government and returned to his position as Secretary General of Turkish Steel Producers Association. In addition to this position, Dr. Yayan has been the President of TOBB Ferrous and Nonferrous Metals Assembly since 2007.
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