Ersin Akarlilar holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Boğaziçi University and an MBA in finance and international business from New York University, Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He joined Mavi in 1991 and was elected as a member of Mavi’s Board of Directors in August 2018. Ersin Akarlilar, who has been the chairman of the Company since July 2017, currently serves as President at Mavi USA, which he established in 1996 in New York City.
Mr. Ashaboğlu holds a BSc degree from Tufts University and a Master of Science degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), both in Mechanical Engineering. He began his career as a Research Assistant at MIT in 1994, followed by various positions in capital markets within UBS Warburg, New York (1996-1999). After serving as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, New York (1999-2003), Ahmet Ashaboğlu moved back to Turkey and joined Koç Holding as Finance Group Coordinator in 2003. He has been serving as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at Koç Holding since 2006. Ahmet Ashaboğlu is a Board member of Mavi since July 2017.
Cüneyt Yavuz, who holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Boğaziçi University and a graduate degree in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, started his professional career in 1992 at Procter & Gamble where he held various senior sales and marketing management positions. During his tenure, he was appointed Country Manager for Poland in 2003 and lived in Warsaw for five years. Cüneyt Yavuz joined Mavi in 2008 as Chief Executive Officer and was elected to the Board of Directors as member in March 2017.
Elif Akarlılar, who holds an undergraduate degree in International Politics from the University of Vienna and an MA in Visual Culture and History of Design from New York University, joined Mavi in 1991 and prior to her appointment as global brand director, she held various product development and brand management positions within the Mavi organizations in Istanbul and New York City. Elif Akarlılar continues to serve as a member of the Board of Directors since August 2008.
Nevzat Aydın is the co-founder and CEO of yemeksepeti.com, the first and largest online food delivery portal in Turkey. Nevzat Aydın (born 1976), who holds a computer engineering degree from Boğaziçi University, attended University of San Francisco for an MBA in Silicon Valley and later returned to Turkey to launch his “yemeksepeti.com” project. In May 2015, yemeksepeti was acquired by the global industry leader Delivery Hero with the biggest valuation ever in Turkish Internet history. Nevzat Aydın was among the 150 entrepreneurs invited from all around the world to the Entrepreneurship Summit held by the US President Barack Obama in April 2010. He was named number one on Fortune’s “40 Under 40” list in 2013 and 2015. As an active angel investor, he currently has over 40 investments, worth a total of $20 million. Mr. Aydın is a currently the Chairman of GEN Turkey (Global Entrepreneurship Network), a Board member of Endeavor, TOBB (Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey) Young Entrepreneurs, and American Turkish Society, and a member on the Board of Trustees of Boğaziçi University. He is a founding member of Galata Business Angels and Wtech Women in Technology Association. He also serves as an independent Board member of Mavi.
After completing her high school education at Robert College in Istanbul, Zeynep Yalım Uzun graduated from Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, USA with degrees in Economics and Psychology.
Zeynep has a diverse career, the last 15 years of which was in C Level roles, spanning diverse geographies, including Latin America, USA, Asia Pacific, India, Europe, China, and Africa. In her most recent executive role, she led 14 brands across 150+ markets as Arcelik Chief Marketing Officer. In her previous role, she served at Unilever, where most recently she was the Global Vice President of the Omo brand, based in London, leading more than 80 countries on Unilever’s second largest brand.
Zeynep also has experience in the start-up ecosystem for the last 10 years, serving as a judge for Boston based accelerator, Mass Challenge. She currently leads her own business as Board Strategy and Marketing Advisor for numerous start-ups. She also serves as Non-Executive Director for the Dogtas Furniture Group.
Her non-profit board roles include Chair of the Independent Membership Committee for European Women on Boards, Board Member of the Futurists Society of Turkey, Member of Northwestern University’s Family Council and Trustee of Koruncuk Foundation working with underprivileged children.
Zeynep was recognized by Advertising Age as one of the 20 ‘Women to Watch’ in Europe in 2020.