Hakan Akbas has more than 20 years of progressively responsible international experience directing as many as 5,000 employees domestically and in emerging markets with revenues in excess of $2.5 billion. Hakan has led these private and public companies through start-up, restructuring, turnaround and growth modes.

A man of diverse background, big picture focus, tough negotiation skills, sheer determination and perseverance, Hakan has successfully negotiated several multi-billion dollar deals including mergers & acquisitions, joint-ventures, strategic alliances and divestitures around the globe.

Akbas is a international deal maker with a unique approach to sourcing proprietary deals, a turnaround architect of the highest order, a visionary strategist who can spot global growth opportunities, maverick marketer who delivers sustainable growth, and possesses a remarkable cachet of mentorship and corporate governance with highest ethical standards.

Mr. Akbas has spent 20 years as a Chief Executive Officer, Group President, Chief Business Development Officer internationally in a variety of industries, including consumer, retail, high, financial services, cement and building materials, energy & power, renewables, venture capital, information technology and business process outsourcing services. He has broad operations and investment experience in USA, Europe, China, Turkey and the Middle East.

Among his significant positions, Hakan served as Executive Vice President in charge of several portfolio companies of  Sabanci Holding, one of Europe’s leading diversified firms with 53,000 employees and $15 billion in sales operating in energy, banking, insurance, retailing, and cement and automotive with world-class joint-venture partners: Citigroup, Aviva, Ageas, Carrefour, Dia, Verbund, Bridgestone, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Heidelberg Cement, Hilton International, Philip Morris, and International Paper.

Hakan was the youngest member of the Group’s Executive Committee as the President of Corporate Strategy & Business Development of Sabanci Group responsible for strategic planning, holding portfolio strategies,mergers & acquisitions, joint-ventures, divestitures, corporate IT and hands-on management of portfolio companies.

Mr. Akbas also advised Güler Sabanci, chairperson of Sabanci Group and one of world’s top 3 most powerful women by Financial Times in 2010.

Earlier, Mr. Akbas was Senior Corporate Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of US-listed Document Sciences Corporation, a $40 million market-leading global provider of enterprise software, solutions and China-based offshore services that was later acquired by EMC. Previously, Hakan headed new business development operations at Xerox Global Services as a co-founder of the division and instrumental in its acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) to transform a hardware business into a global enterprise services and solutions business – Xerox Global Services is today a $10 billion division of Xerox Corporation.

Akbas was also a strategy director at Accenture and Xerox Corporation’s high-profile start-up venture and previously served as trusted advisor to ex-CEOs of Xerox Corporation and his senior team on planning and implementing corporate initiatives.

Hakan Akbas holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from Bosphorus University in Turkey and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from University of Rochester – William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration in Rochester, NY.

Hakan completed executive programs at Northwestern University – Kellogg School, Center For Creative Leadership and University of Pennsylvania – The Wharton School.

Akbas is an active member of European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT) and World Economic Forum (WEF). He serves on the boards of Galatasaray Sports Club and Turkey’s first venture capital firm, Innovent.  He served on the European Advisory Board of CMO Council. He is a member of Association of Strategic Alliance Professionals (ASAP), Association for Corporate Growth (ACG), Endeavor Global, and Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD).