Board of Directors

He was born in Istanbul in 1971. He was admitted to Boğaziçi University’s Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and later graduated from Boğaziçi University with a degree in Business Administration.

He obtained a postgraduate diploma in Communication from RMIT Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

He began his career at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, working with Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a Public Relations and Promotion Specialist, Press Advisor, and Project Manager. He is one of the founders of the “Beyaz Masa” public relations system.

He has 30 years of experience in senior management, consultancy, and international relations in both the public and private sectors in Türkiye and Australia.

He entered public service in 2015 at the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT) after achieving an outstanding score (95 points) in the centralized civil service examination. He also served as Cultural Events Manager and Advisor to the General Manager at İstanbul Metropolitan Municipality Culture Inc. He has been a member of the Board of Auditors of the Press and Broadcasting Union and the Turkish Press and Broadcasting Association. Following his role as Advisor to the Minister at the Ministry of Family and Social Services, he served as Director General of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly.

Upon the recommendation of our Honorable President and appointment by our Honorable Minister, he was appointed President of Darülaceze on June 5, 2024.

He is the Chair of the Specialization Commission of the 12th Development Plan of the Republic of Türkiye, and a member of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Culture, Arts and Sports Specialized Committee; the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye Health Sector Assembly; the United Nations UNECE Open-ended Working Group on Ageing Bureau; and the OECD Social Policy Working Group.

Born in Istanbul in 1981, Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan graduated with honors from Kartal Anatolian Imam Hatip High School in 1999 and completed his studies at Indiana University in 2002 with distinction in political science and economics.

In 2004, he received his master's degree in public administration from Harvard University, Kennedy School of Government. Having worked as an expert at the World Bank, Erdoğan, in addition to his business activities, serves as the President of the World Ethnosport Confederation, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Prof. Dr. Fuat Sezgin Foundation for Islamic Science History Research, the Archers Foundation, a member of the Board of Directors of the Science Dissemination Foundation, and since 2015, as the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Ibn Haldun University, which he founded.

Necmettin Bilal Erdoğan has also served as a member of the Darülaceze Administrative Council since 2017.

Born in Erzurum in 1961, Fuat Kulaçoğlu completed his education at Erzurum Atatürk University, graduating with a degree in English Language Teaching. In addition to his political career, which he began in 2002 and in which he held numerous positions, Fuat Kulaçoğlu has served as chairman of the board in companies operating in the private sector for many years, including tourism, construction, real estate, automotive, food, and energy. Elected to the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce Assembly and Committee in 2013, Kulaçoğlu was later appointed as a delegate to the General Assembly of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey on behalf of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce.

Born in Trabzon in 1973, Hilmi Türkmen completed his undergraduate studies at Istanbul University Faculty of Law. He began his career as a freelance lawyer in Üsküdar in 1996 and has been actively involved in politics since 1992. Hilmi Türkmen served as Deputy Mayor of Üsküdar from 2004 to 2014 and as Mayor of Üsküdar from 2014 to 2024.

Born in Almelo, Netherlands in 1981, Azra Akın completed her education in the Netherlands, where she received training in various arts disciplines such as ballet, painting, and music. In 2002, she won the Miss Turkey beauty pageant and subsequently went on to win Miss World. Having worked as a model for many years, Azra Akın traveled to numerous countries including Germany, England, and the USA, participating in fashion shows, modeling for many fashion shoots, and appearing in commercials, television series, and films.

Born in Erzincan in 1950, Aziz Torun completed his education, graduating from Istanbul University Faculty of Economics in 1975. Between 1976 and 1982, he worked as a labor inspector at the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. In 1982, he left his position and decided to pursue a career in the private sector, establishing the Torunlar Group of Companies in the construction and real estate market. Aziz Torun currently serves as a Board Member in the companies within the Torunlar Group and as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Torun Yapı Sanayi ve Ticaret Anonim Şirketi (Torun Construction Industry and Trade Inc.).

Born in Germany in 1975, Yücel Yılmaz completed his undergraduate studies at Eskişehir Anadolu University Faculty of Education and his graduate studies at Izmir University of Economics. A member of the Board of Directors of the United Cities and Local Governments World Organization (UCLG), Yücel Yılmaz also serves as Co-Chair of the United Cities and Local Governments Middle East and West Asia Regional Organization, one of the nine regional organizations. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the 2022-2025 term and is also the Chair of the UCLG-MEWA Culture and Tourism Committee and Co-Chair of the UCLG-MEWA Environment Committee.

Born in Trabzon, Mehmet Naci Topsakal entered the business world while still a student. Having worked for many years at Yeni Yapı İnşaat, founded by his father, Topsakal currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Haliç University and the contractor for the Haliç Congress Center.

Born in Istanbul in 1969, Ziya Altan Elmas completed his education at Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Architecture in 1992. In the same year he graduated, he founded Sur Yapı, a leading company in the sector, and is also among the founders of KONUTDER (Turkish Housing Developers Association). Currently, he serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of both Sur Yapı and KONUTDER. Having undertaken successful projects in many sectors, Ziya Altan Elmas is also a member of the Board of Trustees at Bezmiâlem Vakıf University.

Born in Ankara in 1967, Tamer Karadağlı completed his undergraduate studies at Bilkent University, Faculty of Performing Arts, Department of Theatre. He began his career in 1992 with the Turkish television series Ferhunde Hanımlar, which became a classic and ran for 1200 episodes. Following this, he has appeared in dozens of television series, films, commercials, theatre plays, and digital platform productions. Continuing his voice-over work, which he began during his university years, Karadağlı has participated in hundreds of voice-over projects, including dubbing many international stars. In August 2023, Tamer Karadağlı was appointed General Director of the State Theatres.

Tayyip Yaşar graduated from Marmara University, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Economics in 1983. He practices his profession at Sırdaş Certified Public Accounting Inc., which he co-founded. He earned the title of "Independent Auditor" in 2013 and "Responsible Auditor" in 2014. A founding member of the "Unity in the Profession Group" established under the Istanbul Unity Foundation, Tayyip Yaşar is the Chairman of the Audit Board of the Turkish Green Crescent Society and has been a member of the Board of Directors of Darülaceze (a charitable institution for the elderly and disabled) since 2012.

Namık Ayhan, born in Yozgat in 1962, completed his studies at Marmara University Faculty of Theology and then at Istanbul University Faculty of Law. He is the director of Ayhan Law Office, which he founded in 1988, and works as a freelance lawyer. Between 1999 and 2004, he served as a member of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Council and Chairman of the Legal Commission, and between 2004 and 2009, he served as the First Deputy Chairman of the Istanbul Provincial General Assembly. Namık Ayhan, who is a member of the High Advisory Board of the International Vuslat Association and a member of the Board of Trustees of Bezmiâlem University, has been serving as a member of the Darülaceze Administrative Council since 2016.

He is a fourth-generation descendant of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. His father was Harun Osmanoğlu Efendi. He is the first member of the royal family born in Turkey after the exile. Abdülhamid Kayıhan Osmanoğlu, who heads the family company in the textile sector, has been a member of the Darülaceze Administrative Board since 2012.

Born in Ankara in 1980, Sinan Aksu graduated from Gazi University's Department of History in 2002. He began his professional career at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and subsequently held positions as a Member of Parliament's Advisor, Head of the Private Office at the Ministry of Environment and Urbanization and the Ministry of Family and Social Policies, Deputy Director General of Youth Services at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Advisor to the Prime Minister, Director General of Youth Services, and Director General of the Higher Education Credit and Dormitories Institution. Between 2018 and 2023, he served as Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, and on February 2, 2023, he was appointed Director General of Foundations by a Presidential Decree.

He was born in Ankara in 1971. He graduated from the Department of Statistics at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Middle East Technical University. He completed his master’s degree in Business Administration at the Institute of Social Sciences of the same university.

Arslan began his career at Ziraat Bank in 1995. Between 1998 and 2004, he held managerial positions at various private sector banks. From 2004 to 2012, he served at Türkiye Halk Bankası A.Ş. as Department Manager, Head of Department, and Deputy General Manager, and later as General Manager at Arab Turkish Bank.

From March 2012, he continued his duties at Ziraat Bank as Deputy General Manager responsible for Financial Management; from January 2013, as Deputy General Manager responsible for International Banking and Partnerships; and from August 2014, as Deputy General Manager responsible for Information Technology Management.

Osman Arslan served as the Founding General Manager of Ziraat Katılım Bankası A.Ş. between February 2015 and June 2017. Since June 8, 2017, he has been serving as General Manager and Member of the Board of Directors at Türkiye Halk Bankası A.Ş.

Born in Kilis in 1975, Ömür Akkor graduated from Uludağ University Faculty of Economics. Having dedicated the last 25 years to researching Turkish cuisine, he traveled to all 81 provinces of Turkey, uncovering hidden treasures of Turkish culinary traditions with his "250,000 km for Turkish Cuisine" project. He has authored 26 books and over 200 articles on Anatolian and Turkish cuisine. Some of these books have received awards such as the "Gastronomy Award" at the Presidential Culture and Arts Grand Awards and the "World's Best Culinary History Book" award at the world-renowned Gourmand Cookbook Awards. Ömür Akkor is the founding chef of the Zennup 1884 restaurant and also established a restaurant called Yeniden Hayat (Re-Life) for earthquake victims in Kahramanmaraş following the recent earthquake.

Dr. Bülent Katkak was born in Istanbul in 1953. Following his studies in the Department of Philosophy at the Faculty of Letters of Istanbul University, he earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology at the Department of Psychiatry of Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine.

Recognized since 1988 for his pioneering and innovative ideas in the culture, arts, and tourism sectors, Katkak is a co-founder of Eman Tourism. In 1994, he served as an auditor at the Foundation of Tourism and Travel Agencies. He is currently a member of Fenerbahçe Sports Club, a Board Member of the Foundation of Tourism and Travel Agencies, and has been serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Touring and Automobile Association since 2012.

Born in Istanbul on December 5, 1984, he completed his undergraduate studies in Interior Architecture at the Faculty of Fine Arts, International Cyprus University in 2008, and his graduate studies in Educational Institutions Management at Ibn Khaldun University.

Having served as the AK Party District Chairman in Arnavutköy during the congresses held in 2018 and 2020, Candaroğlu was elected as the Mayor of Arnavutköy from the AK Party in the March 31, 2024 Local Elections.

Öztürk Oran was born in Kars in 1956. He graduated from the Turkish Language (Turkish Language and Literature) Department of Erzurum Kazım Karabekir Education Institute. He also completed specialization programs in Budgeting and Standard Costs at the Banking and Commercial Law Research Institute and the Accounting Institute of the Faculty of Business Administration at Istanbul University.

He began his professional career in 1974 as a clerk at T. Vakıflar Bankası T.A.O. During this period, he completed a three-year training program at the Training Center of the Banks Association of Türkiye in Foreign Trade, English, Accounting, and Bank Management, earning his diploma with honors.

Throughout his 28-year banking career—12 years at Türkiye Vakıflar Bankası T.A.O. and 16 years at Faisal Finans Participation Bank—he served in nearly every position, from clerk to Member of the Board of Directors.

Since 2003, he has continued his professional life as Chairman of the Board of Directors at pharmaceutical companies in which he is a partner.

He has also served as Chairman of the Assembly of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Commerce University, and Member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye.

He currently serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Pharmaceutical Industry Employers’ Association and the KAI Foundation.

Appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vakıf Katılım Bankası A.Ş. in June 2015, Oran has been serving as a Member of the Board of Directors since June 7, 2024.