Board of Directors

Ali ERCAN

Chairman of the Board

Ali Ercan was born in 1986 in Konya, Turkey. He completed his high school education at TED Ankara College and earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from the University of Leicester, England.

Ali Ercan serves as General Manager, Board Member, Vice Chairman, and Chairman of the Board within the Ercan Group of Companies, which operates in sectors such as ceramics, tourism, and mining. He possesses advanced knowledge and experience, particularly in ceramics and granite production as well as financial management.

Having implemented numerous projects in the construction, tourism, and ceramics sectors, Ali Ercan also holds founding memberships in various non-governmental organizations.

Birkan KARATAŞ
Board Member

Birkan Karataş was born in 1988 in Istanbul, Türkiye. He earned his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Middle East Technical University in 2011 and completed his master's degree in Political Economy from Central European University, Department of Political Sciences, in 2012.

He worked as a Senior Dealer in ALM at Kuveyt Türk Katılım Bankası A.Ş. between 2012-2015, as a Fund Manager at Ziraat Portfolio Management A.Ş. between 2015-2018, and as a Strategy and Business Development Manager at Demirören Technology Investments A.Ş. from 2018 to 2020.

From 2020 to 2023, he served as Fund Management and Investor Relations Manager at Anadolu Sigorta Anonim Türk Sigorta A.Ş. Since 2023, he has been working as Fund Sales and Business Development Director at Allbatross Portfolio Management Inc.

Birkan Karataş holds SPL Level 3 and Derivatives licenses. He is married and has a daughter.

Uğur YÜCE

Board Member (Responsible for Internal Control)

Uğur Yüce was born in 1977 in Denizli, Turkey. He graduated from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences, Department of Finance, and completed his MBA at Emory University Goizueta Business School in the USA. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Banking at Istanbul Commerce University Finance Institute.

Between 2002-2004, Uğur Yüce served as an inspector at the Ministry of Finance. He joined the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) in 2004, where he held various positions including Banking Expert, Coordinator, Group President, and Head of Application I Department.

He is married to Özlem Yüce and has a daughter named Bilge.

Azra Deniz KIZILKAYA

Board Member

Deniz Kızılkaya was born in 1971 in Istanbul, Turkey. She completed her high school education at Beşiktaş Atatürk High School and graduated from Istanbul University, English Economics Department, in 1993. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in International Finance at Istanbul Bilgi University.

She began her career at Enka Holding A.Ş. and later worked as a management trainee in the marketing department at Aktif Finans Factoring A.Ş. (now Garanti Factoring A.Ş.), Turkey’s first factoring company.

She held managerial positions in factoring departments of banks and factoring companies, including İş Faktoring A.Ş. and Garanti Factoring A.Ş., where she established and led the International Factoring and Correspondent Relations departments.

In early 2021, she served as the founding General Manager of a fintech company and managed the group's international banking relationships.

Cihan KIRAN

Board Member

Cihan Kiran was born in 1981 in Zonguldak, Turkey. After completing his high school education at Aydın Adnan Menderes Anatolian High School, he graduated from the Economics Department of Selçuk University.

He started his career in 2007 as a service officer at T.C. Ziraat Bankası A.Ş. Kuyucak Branch. Through successive promotions, he served as a Customer Relations Officer at the Aydın Commercial Branch until May 2024.

Since May 2024, Cihan Kiran has been working as the Financial Operations Manager at Q Investment Bank A.Ş. He holds an SPL1 License and is married with two daughters.

Hayrettin BÜYÜKİZGİ

Board Member

Hayrettin Büyükizgi was born in 1979 in Istanbul, Turkey. He received his undergraduate degree from Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, English Economics Department, in 2001, and his master's degree in Banking from Marmara University, Institute of Banking and Insurance, in 2004.

Between 2001-2004, he worked as an Assistant Specialist, Specialist, and Assistant Manager in the Research Department at Strateji Menkul Değerler A.Ş. From 2004 to 2017, he served as Corporate Finance Manager at Nplus Daruma Financial Consulting Services Inc.

He then worked as Corporate Finance Manager at TEB Yatırım Menkul Değerler A.Ş. between 2017-2018. Since 2018, he has been the Director of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations at Qua Granite.

Hayrettin Büyükizgi is also Vice Chairman of the Board at Albatross Venture Capital Investment Trust Inc., Board Member at Gezinomi Travel Tourism Inc., and Board Member at Allbatross Portfolio Management Inc.