BOARD OF DIRECTORS - BİLGÜN GÜRKAN

Bilgün Gürkan completed her high school education at Izmir American Girls’ High School and her undergraduate education at the Department of Business Administration, Boğaziçi University. She graduated from the INSEAD Executive MBA Program in 1998; in 2022, she completed the INSEAD Corporate Governance and Global Management certificate programs and was admitted to the INSEAD Alumni International Board Membership Program.

Throughout her more than 20 years of professional career, Gürkan has specialized in investment banking, syndicated loans, project finance, mergers and acquisitions advisory, and corporate governance, having worked at SAMBA, ABN AMRO Bank, Standard Bank, and Renoir Management Consultancy. Since 2016, Bilgün Gürkan has been serving as the Country Manager of the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) Turkey Representative Office. In recognition of her contributions to Strategy Committee and Sustainability initiatives at BBK, she was honoured with the 2022 CEO Leadership Award.

Motivated to contribute to the development of commercial relations between the Gulf Region and Türkiye, the growth of investments, and the creation of new projects, Gürkan serves as Chair of the DEİK Bahrain–Türkiye Business Council and Chair of the TÜSİAD Gulf Network. In addition, she supports various non-governmental organizations through her roles as a Board Member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), a Board Member of the 30% Club, and as a Member of the Board of Trustees and Board Member of the TEMA Foundation.

She continues her duties as an Independent Board Member and Chair of the Risk Committee at Smart Güneş Enerjisi Teknolojileri Araştırma Geliştirme Üretim Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. Bilgün Gürkan is married, a mother of two, and has advanced proficiency in English.