Meetıng of the BusIness World It's over Thank you

SPEAKERS

Mehmet Şimşek

Republic of Türkiye Minister of Treasury and Finance

Christian Wulff

10th President of the Federal Republic of Germany, President of German Turkish Business Council

Christian Wulff

10th President of the Federal Republic of Germany, President of German Turkish Business Council

Christian Wulff, the 10th President of the Federal Republic of Germany (2010-2012), works to integrate people of immigrant origin and to strengthen dialogue between people of different beliefs, in addition to his many duties. In 2011, the German Jewish Central Council honored him with the Leo Baeck Award. In 2014, the German-Turkish-Society was honoured with an award and received the Tolerance Award from the Protestant Academy in Tutzing.
Christian Wulff operates in the field of foreign policy as Honorary President of EMA (European-Mediterranean-Arab Union) and GASME (Global Alliance for Small and Medium Enterprises). He maintains close relations with Asia as an honorary doctor of Tongji University in Shanghai and Hefei University in China and Tokyo-Tsukuba and Osaka-Gakuin Universities in Japan. As the former President, he recently represented Federal Germany in the swearing-in ceremonies of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum in Mexico City in 2024, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta, and Ghanai President John Dramani Mahama in Accra in 2025. Christian Wulff served as the Prime Minister of the State of Lower Saxony between 2003-2010, Chairman of the CDU Parliamentary Group in the Province of Lower Saxony between 1994-2003 and Chairman of the CDU party between 1994-2008. He served as Vice President of the CDU during the Presidency of Wolfgang Schäuble between 1998-2010 and Angela Merkel since 2000.
After his resignation as the President of the Federal Republic of Germany and being acquitted of all charges against him, he published his book "Ganz oben Ganz unten", in which he also described the role of the media, politics and the judiciary.

Christian Wulff´ has many honorary duties: He is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Deutschlandstiftung Integration, the President of the German Multiple Sclerosis Association and the President of the German Association of Choirs. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Felix Nussbaum Foundation, the Board of Trustees of the Dieter Fuchs Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and the German-Japanese Forum.
Christian Wulff established the German-Turkish Business Council together with DEIK in 2024 and became the founding President.
Christian Wulff lives with his family in Burgwedel near Hannover. As a former President, he has an office in Berlin and works as a lawyer in the law firm of which he is a partner in Hamburg.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

Prime Minister of Spain (2004-2011)

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero

Prime Minister of Spain (2004-2011)

President Zapatero has a Law degree from the University of Leon (Spain) where he then taught Constitutional Law before being elected Member of Parliament in 1986.

He became PSOE Secretary General in 2000 and won his first general elections in 2004.

As President of the Spanish Government, he worked on the creation and extension of civic and social rights for all in Spain, dedicating his second term to working on reducing the effects of the financial and economic crisis in Spain. He also achieved that the terrorist group ETA declare a cease of violent activity in October 2011. Internationally he worked for peace and reducing poverty, with the creation of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, a Water Fund in Latin America and the Debt for Education swaps.

President Zapatero published “El Dilema. 600 días de vértigo” (Planeta) in 2013 and “No voy a traicionar a Borges” (Huso) in 2021.

Currently President Zapatero is President of Gate Center and Foundation Onuart Advisory Councils; President of the Foro de la Contratación Socialmente Responsable; patron of the Real Patronato sobre Discapacidad and of Fundación CERMI Mujeres. He is a Member of Club de Madrid and of the International Commission against the Death Penalty.

He has received Honorary Doctorates from the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, France (2015); the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, Bolivia (2015) and la Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (2017), a from the University of Leon, his alma mater, in February 2023.

As Prime Minister of Spain, President Zapatero welcomed President Nazarbayev to Madrid on 20 May 2004, less than a month after being sworn in. In 2011, during an official visit to Kazakhstan, President Zapatero was able to strengthen the political and economic relationships between Spain and Kazakhstan.

President Zapatero has travelled to Kazakhstan three times since leaving the government. In 2013 he visited Astana to attend a World Bank meeting; in September 2009 he participated in the Center of Political and Foreign Affairs “Kazakhstan Peace Talks” and in November 2019 he attended the V International Astana Club. During the pandemic, President Zapatero participated in the II Astana Economic Forum online in November 2020.

A. Burak Dağlıoğlu

President of the Investment Office of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye

Prof. Dr. Adil Mardinoğlu

Professor of Systems Biology, King’s College London & KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Ahmet Akyol

ASELSAN CEO

Ahmet Akyol

ASELSAN CEO

Born in İzmit in 1982, Ahmet Akyol graduated from Kocaeli University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Computer Engineering in 2005. Akyol, who received “Innovation Leadership” training at Stanford University, attended trainings on Electro-Optics and Communication at Cranfield University. Akyol, who completed his Master's Degree in Public Administration at Yıldırım Beyazıt University, is currently continuing his thesis work in the same department.
Akyol served as an Engineer, Manager, Consultant, Board Member and Vice President at the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology, Ministry of National Defense, TÜBİTAK, HAVELSAN, HTR and Quantum3D. Akyol was appointed as the Head of Communications Electronics and Information Systems (MEBS) Department of the Presidency of Defense Industries in 2018 and continued his duty for three years. In 2021-2022, Akyol served as the Head of the Electronic Warfare and Radar Systems (EHRS) Department at the Presidency of Defense Industries.
Having assumed responsibility for numerous critical defense industry projects, Akyol was appointed as ASELSAN Deputy General Manager and Head of Microelectronics, Guidance and Electro-Optics (MGEO) Sector by the decision of the ASELSAN Board of Directors in June 2022 following his duties at the Presidency of Defense Industries. Akyol was appointed as ASELSAN CEO by the decision of the Board of Directors as of June 22, 2023. Akyol also continues to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors of TÜBİTAK-SAGE and as a Member of the NATO Science and Technology Organization (STO) Sensor and Electronics Panel on behalf of our country. Married with three children, Akyol speaks English.

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kasım Han

Vice-Rector of Beykoz University in Istanbul and Vice President of the Board of Trustees of TED University in Ankara

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kasım Han

Vice-Rector of Beykoz University in Istanbul and Vice President of the Board of Trustees of TED University in Ankara

Prof. Dr. Ahmet Kasım Han is an academic, policy expert, and media figure acclaimed for his contributions to the fields of strategic thought, geopolitics, and international relations. He serves as Vice-Rector of Beykoz University in Istanbul and Vice President of the Board of Trustees of TED University in Ankara. With a proven track record in academic leadership, he has held key roles, including Vice-Rector, at Istanbul, Bilgi, Kadir Has, Altınbaş, and Aydın Universities. His extensive teaching portfolio includes strategic thought and negotiations at the Turkish Armed Forces War Academy and National Defense University, where he also served as Chief Advisor for the Armed Forces Higher Command and Control College. A prominent voice in media, Prof. Han is a frequently sought-after commentator on Turkish and Middle Eastern politics, economics, and systemic transformation in international relations. He appears regularly on NTV's "Political Affairs" and co-hosts "Nereden Nereye?" on TarihTV. His insights have been featured in prestigious outlets including The New York Times, The Economist, as well as Turkish media platforms. Prof. Han has played a pivotal role in public policy and leadership development and leads the Political Leadership Excellence Program of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. Additionally, he serves as Vice President of the Turkish Democracy Foundation and is a board member at EDAM. As an internationally recognized expert on Prof. Han has delivered speeches at over 300 conferences worldwide and testified before the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in 2014. He served as a NATO observer in Afghanistan in 2005 and 2010. His expertise spans Middle Eastern politics, energy geopolitics, and strategic risk management, making him a trusted advisor in high-level diplomacy initiatives across the MENA region, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.Prof. Han's academic background includes studies at Istanbul, Boğaziçi, Koç, and Harvard universities, as well as visiting fellowships at the University of St. Andrews and Tel Aviv University and the U.S. State Department recognized him as one of the "Fifteen Young Leaders of Europe”. He possesses robust hands-on professional experience in executive and board-level leadership roles as well as comprehensive experience consulting for organizations extending across multiple industries. He has advised corporate leaders on strategy, planning, and leadership while supporting decision-making processes on challenges concerning political and economic risk management. His strategic insights have supported organizations in the processes of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and complex intercultural negotiations. Prof. Han has also advised key organizations such as the Turkish Exporters Assembly and the Turkish-American Business Council.

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