Featured Speaker

Levent
Erden

Akademisyen ve Reklamcı

Biography

Levent Erden is a graduate of Bogazici University, where he studied his undergrad and MBA. However, he prefers to call himself as a member of “Galatasaray” graduates. He started his career as an advertiser, he worked for McCan for 3 years. To initiate L’Oreal’s Turkey operations, he traveled between France and Turkey. During the last market leadership of Pepsi Co., he was the International brand manager. Since that, we can say that he took almost all executive roles. He consistantly works on emphasizing the relation between marketing and finance. He was the CEO of Euro RSCC Turkey and the Presindent of Interactive Advertising Bureau of Turkey. He gives lectures about Marketing, Integrated Marketing Communications, Advertising and Consumer Behavior at Bilgi University MBA and e-MBA programs. For the last 10 years, he has been trying to create a book out of his speeches at different conferences.

Haluk Gürgen

Haluk
Gürgen

Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Bahçesehir University

Biography

“Communication calls for an insight into society whereas marketing requires an understanding of the dynamics of change in the society. Keeping pace with the change is the first prerequisite of successful marketing.”

The pace of life

Prof. Haluk Gürgen is a communications professional who has long carried out communication campaigns for a large number of private and public institutions. Prof. Gürgen describes the qualities of contemporary marketing as follows: “the pace of life is a key factor in triggering social change. We strive to exist within this fast cycle of life, identifying and fulfilling our needs faster every day, and consuming more rapidly to discover and consume new needs, again rapidly. Therefore, the key to successful marketing is to create brands that can cope with this dizzying speed. This means creating strong brands. Corporate brands are created through the correct management of corporate communication and reputation. The need to feed off the strength of corporate brands they belong to becomes more and more important in the creation and development of strong product brands.”

Who is Haluk Gürgen?

Prof. Haluk Gürgen has been serving as the dean of the Faculty of Communications at Bahçesehir University since 2006. Gürgen has conducted communication projects for the Ministry of the Environment, the Ministry of Customs, the Directorate General for the Status of Woman, Vakıfbank, Mesa, Coskunöz Holding and Erciyas Biracılık. He also offers training sessions to multinationals, Turkish organisations and banks.

Speech Topics

• Corporate Communications

• Crisis Communication

• Reputation Management

• Interpersonal Communication

• Existence and Communication

• Sharing, Responsibility and Communication

Şebnem K. Özcan

Şebnem Kalemli
Özcan

Professor of Economics and Finance at University of Maryland, Research Associate, “Center for Economic Policy Research” and “National Bureau of Economic Research”

Biography

Şebnem Kalemli Özcan is one of the world’s leading names in economics. Having worked for many years in the world’s leading economics research institutions and universities, she has a wealth of experience and knowledge at her disposal. Nowadays, she explains economic issues in lay terms and with her distinct energy.

Şebnem Kalemli Özcan is highly sought-after across the world for her opinions on economics. She served as the chief economist for The World Bank’s Middle East and North Africa Region. Teaching international finance at Harvard University as a visiting professor, she became one of the three academics elected to the IMF Authority in 2012, where she works in cooperation with all the teams of the IMF and, in particular, the research department. She is an economist whose articles have been published in many of the leading international economy magazines. She has given speeches in many different parts of the world.

Kalemli Özcan is a senior researcher at the National Bureau of Economic Research and Center of Economic Policy Research, one of the most highly esteemed centres in the world for economic research. She is also a member of the European Central Bank’s Duisenberg Academy.

Şebnem Kalemli Özcan lectures on international finance at Koç University as a visiting professor. She is one of the most sought-after economists for her opinions on the global economy. At the same time, she is one of the most successful researchers and analysts at Kahin Roubini’s research company.

In addition, she is the first Turkish social scientist to have been awarded the European Commission’s Marie Curie International Reintegration Award for her study on European Financial Integration in 2008.

Kalemli Özcan believes wholeheartedly in the value of the studies and projects that she carries out. She believes that interdisciplinary studies of social science will reinforce each other and analysis of the economy will become easier and more useful.

Who is Şebnem Kalemli Özcan?

She received her Bachelor’s from The Middle East Technical University’s Department of Economics, and received a Master’s and then a doctorate in Economics from the University of Brown, USA.

She worked as an assistant professor, an associate professor and a full professor at Houston University. She has given courses at Bilkent University and Koç University. She has lectured as a professor at Harvard University. She held the position of chief economist for the Middle East and North Africa Region for The World Bank. Kalemli Ozcan is a member of the Duisenberg Academy of the European Central Bank, and works as a senior researcher for the National Bureau of Economic Research, Koc-TÜSİAD Economic Research Fund, and the Center of Economic Policy Research.

Speech Topics

• International Economy and Development

• The Impact of Population and Living Conditions on the Economy

• Financial Uncertainty and Financial Integration: Crisis

• The Impact of Banks’ Risk Management Activities on the National Economy

• Ways of Gaining the Biggest Advantage in International Financial Markets

• Long Term Investment Strategies of Different Countries

Emre Alkin

Emre
Alkin

Economist, Consultant, TV commentator, Vice Rector at Altınbaş University

Biography

The era of making money by selling goods and services is over. Today’s winners are those who properly apply the concept of time.

With his unique style, Dr. Emre Alkin brings a fresh approach to his analyses of the economy. Alkin is able to explain economic developments (e.g., critical data, fluctuating foreign exchange rates and stock markets, hot money, etc.) that can occur on any given day in a lucid manner without boring or tiring the audience. He can convey his views about the economy and politics in an objective manner which he bases on reliable sources.

One might be tempted to think of Alkin as a classical “professor,” but this is far from the truth of the matter. He is a very energetic and open-minded person, always eager to learn, and is capable of making unexpected connections. In short, many people wait to hear his unique commentary before making decisions about the economy.

Alkin says that, in order to understand and predict what will happen tomorrow, one needs to understand the past correctly. He emphasises the importance of history when interpreting economic developments. According to Alkin, the era of making money by selling goods and services is over. Today, the only way to acquire a position of global leadership is to apply the concept of time correctly. This successful economist says that in order to gain power in the global market, strategies need to be developed where telecommunication, Internet, media and entertainment are applied together. He uses his academic knowledge and his business experience to promote the correct strategies for uncertain environments.

In addition to his academic work, Emre Alkin is also a TV commentator. Being a member of the board of directors in different sectors and providing consultancy to various companies, he always has his finger on the pulse of the worlds of business, academia and the media. The versatility of his commentary and his ability to understand different perspectives is possible thanks to the variety of his business experience.

There is an unknown side to Emre Alkin’s story: he is also a musician. He gives highly entertaining and informative speeches on the newest developments in music, the economy, politics or cultural history, where he compares different sectors.

Who is Emre Alkin?

He graduated from İstanbul University’s Faculty of Economics in 1991 and completed his postgraduate education in 1993 at the same university. He became an associate professor in 1997 and a professor in 2002. Between 1999 and 2003 he served as the advisor to the President of the İstanbul Stock Exchange, as the Secretary General of the Turkish Exporters Assembly, and as a member of the Tax Council in 2003. He also worked for Çukurova Holding, Doğan Holding and Altınbaş Holding. He is a member of the board of directors of Yatırım Menkul Kıymetler and has been a member of the board of trustees of the Anadolu Foundation since 2000. He worked as a columnist for various newspapers and has appeared on numerous TV channels to give his analysis of the economy. He is a Vice Rector at Altınbaş University and Secretary General of the Turkish Football Federation.

Speech Topics

• What to expect from tomorrow’s economy

• The new economic order and balance

• Crisis and risk management

• Nothing will ever be the same again!

Sinan Ülgen

Sinan
Ülgen

Risk Management Specialist, Chairman, EDAM (Centre for Economic and Foreign Policy Studies), Founding Member, Istanbul Economics Consultancy Firm

Biography

“Once the economic crisis is over, capitalism will be preserved as the main system. But there will be a transition to a form of capitalism where the former excesses will be reined in.”

A form of capitalism with the old excesses reined in

Sinan Ülgen is an experienced risk management specialist who has been intimately involved in deciding Turkey’s position at the negotiations surrounding the most heated episodes of its EU adventure. According to Ülgen, world leaders are obliged to guarantee their citizens that a crisis similar to the present one will not re-emerge in thee to five years’ time. For some time now, they have been spending their citizens’ money, all the while asking them to endure the hardships. Providing such a guarantee will ultimately require a re-formulation of the international system. This design will have to set a balance between efficiency and consistency, between risk and return differently. With this in mind, it might be possible that this crisis will represent a turning point on the part of the capitalist system as well. Capitalism will be maintained as the main system, but there will be a transition to a form of capitalism in which the excesses are reined in. Ülgen offers consultancy on the reforms Turkey is going to implement in the upcoming period as part of its accession process to the EU, the transformations expected in critical sectors such as banking and energy, and the action steps Turkey should take to attract a higher level of investment.

Who is Sinan Ülgen?

After working as a technical consultant to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and completing his military service with the Turkish General Staff, he completed a graduate degree on European Union studies in 1990 at the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium. He joined the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked for two years at the United Nations Department in Ankara. From 1992 until 1996, he served on the Turkish Permanent Delegation to the EU in Brussels, where he was involved in deciding Turkey’s position in negotiations regarding the Customs Union. In 1996, he was posted to the Turkish Embassy in Tripoli.

Speech Topics

• Developments in Foreign Policy and Economics

• Risk management

• Relations with the EU

• Sustainable development for Turkey

• Global climate change, Kyoto protocol

• The social responsibility aspect of global climate change

Atilla Yeşilada

Atilla
Yeşilada

Journalist, Economist, TV Programmer

Biography

Who is Atilla Yesilada?

Atilla Yesilada is Turkey’s leading political analyst and commentator. He is known throughout the finance and political science world for his thorough and outspoken coverage of Turkey’s political and financial developments. In addition to his extensive writing schedule, he is often called upon to provide his political expertise on major radio and television networks such as CNBC-E and Turkey’s CEM-TV.

Atilla Yesilada

Atilla Yesilada is currently senior partner of a small and independent think tank called IstanbulAnalytics, with a multinational client portfolio of over 100 fund managers, FDIs and major Turkish corporates. He also advises GlobalSource Partners as Turkey country consultant on economic and political affairs. Yesilada is a regular contributor to international TV broadcasts on finance and economics, as well as Turkish politics, while writing regular columns for Turkey’s leading financial websites VATAN and www.paraanaliz.com. He has formerly contributed to financial daily Referans and liberal daily Radikal. He manages English language website www.istanbulanalytics.comand used to presents cable channel Cem TV’s popular morning show Wake Up daily, which is recently rated number one among FM listeners. He previously worked as morning show host at Habertürk and CNBC-E.

Mr. Yesilada is also active in the conference circuit, having addressed large audiences in Dubai, New York City, Copenhagen London, İstanbul and several other Turkish cities.

Atilla Yesilada previously served as Research Director for several leading Turkish brokerage firms, including, Global Securities, Eczacibası Securities and Egebank. His specialties are macroeconomics, finance and the banking sector, as well as energy and media. While serving in this capacity, Atilla and his teams received over 20 awards for excellence in research and he was selected to the 1997 All-Europe Research Team of the Institutional Investor Magazine.

Mr. Atilla Yesilada received his BA in Business Administration from Eastern Illinois University. He also holds MA and PhD degrees in economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara and Rennselear Polytechnic University, Troy-New York, respectively. During his studies in the United States, Mr. Yesilada taught economics and finance in various universities. He also held a research fellowship at the New York-based liberal think-tank Jerome Levy Institute, where he specialized on banking crisis.

Mr. Yesilada and his research partner Dr. Murat Ucer currently serve hedge funds, international investment banks, domestic banks and non-financial companies on yearly retainer basis.

Embassies, supra-national institutions and state agencies are also among our regular clients.

In addition to offering economic, market, strategy and political consulting services on a retainer basis, over the last three years, Mr. Atilla Yesilada has either conducted with his team, or co-operated with Dr. Murat Ucer and other experts on the following custom made research projects, among others:

A study on the real estate market and the possibility of bubbles in MENA

Nabucco Pipeline: Economic and Political Feasibility Assessment
Turkish Electricity Production and Distribution: Privatization Prospects and Strategy for Entrants
Turkish Agro-Industry: Prospects for Financial Investment Vehicles

Speech Topics

Economy
Current Affairs
Analysis of Daily Affairs

Alphan Manas

Alphan
Manas

Innovation and Entrepreneurship at TİM and İHKİB, Technologist, Futurist, Honorary President of the Turkish Futurists Association