The Leading Speakers Bureau

Economist, Author

Prof. Dr. Asaf Savaş Akat (1943-Ankara) received his Undergraduate degree in Economics in Istanbul University. He received Masters degree in East Anglia University in England. He became a Professor of Economics in 1980 in Istanbul University. He attended numerous trainings, internships and certificate programs with AFS, AIESEC, OECD and USA scholarships in different countries. He was Rector of Istanbul Bilgi University in 1996-1998. He is currently teaching in the same university.

[expand title=”In detail”] Asaf Savaş Akat also assumed important roles in professional life. He acted as Chief Adviser, Board Member and Chairman of many major companies in Turkey.

Akat has numerous articles published in newspapers and journals. He has attended many conferences, panels, TV and radio shows as a speaker.

He was one of the members of the popular economy program Ekodiyalog (Ecodialogs) on NTV channel. He is currently a columnist for daily Vatan newspaper.[/expand]
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Sociologist

Prof Nilüfer Göle (born 1953) is a prominent Turkish sociologist and a leading authority on the political movement of today’s educated, urbanized, religious Muslim women. From 1986 to 2001 a professor at the Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, she is currently Directrice d’études at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS), Centre d’Analyse et d’Intervention Sociologiques (CADIS), in Paris. Göle is the author of Interpénétrations: L’Islam et l’Europe and The Forbidden Modern: Civilization and Veiling.

[expand title=”In detail”] Through personal interviews, Göle has developed detailed case studies of young Turkish women who are turning to the tenets of fundamental Islamic gender codes. Her sociological approach has also produced a broader critique of Eurocentrism with regard to emerging Islamic identities at the close of the twentieth century. She has explored the specific topic of covering, as well as the complexities of living in a multicultural world.[/expand]
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Former CEO of Garanti Bank

Y. Akın Öngör is a graduate of Middle East Technical University, Faculty of Business Administration. He started his career as marketing executive in different industrial companies.Mr. Öngör joined the banking sector in 1981 as a top executive.

[expand title=”In detail”] In 1987, Mr. Öngör was appointed as Executive Vice President, Responsible for Marketing and External Relations in the Corporate and Commercial Banking Department of Garanti Bank. Between 1991-2000 he served as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Garanti Bank. In 1999, Mr. Öngör received the “Distinguished Services for Outstanding Contribution to Turkey and the University” Award from Middle East Technical University. Until 2002, he served as Executive Director in the Board of Garanti Bank. During the same period Mr. Öngör was also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Garanti Bank International, Garanti Bank Moscow, Garanti Insurance Company and Garanti Technology.

After his retirement from professional life, Mr. Öngör established a wine production facility in his vineyard in Akhisar, producing Chateau style wines under his “Selendi” brand. He also published two books: “ia orana” covering his memories during his sailing in the Pacific Ocean; and “Benden Sonra Devam” detailing successful transformation of Garanti Bank.

Mr. Akın Öngör is the Member of the Board of Trustees of WWF-Turkey. Other memberships include: Trustee – Bosphorus University Foundation; Trustee – WWF-Turkey and Trustee – TED Istanbul College[/expand]
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Turkish Novelist

Elif Shafak was born in Strasbourg, France, in 1971. She is an award-winning novelist and the most widely read woman writer in Turkey. Critics have named her as “one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Turkish and world literature”. Her books have been translated into more than thirty languages and she was awarded the honorary distinction of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters. Shafak has published eleven books, eight of which are novels. She writes fiction in both Turkish and English. Shafak blends Western and Eastern traditions of storytelling, bringing out the myriad stories of women, minorities, immigrants, subcultures, youth and global souls. Her work draws on diverse cultures and literary traditions, as well as deep interest in history, philosophy, Sufism, oral culture, and cultural politics. Shafak’s writing breaks down categories, clichés, and cultural ghettoes. She also has a keen eye for black humor. Shafak’s first novel, Pinhan (The Mystic) was awarded the “Rumi Prize” in 1998, which is given to the best work in mystical literature in Turkey. Her second novel, Şehrin Aynaları (Mirrors of the City), brings together Jewish and Islamic mysticism against a historical setting in the 17th century Mediterranean.

[expand title=”In detail”] Shafak greatly increased her readership with her novel Mahrem (The Gaze), which earned her the “Best Novel-Turkish Writers’ Union Prize” in 2000. Her next novel, Bit Palas (The Flea Palace), has been a bestseller in Turkey and was shortlisted for the independent Best Fiction Award. Shafak’ wrote her next novel in English. The Saint of Incipient Insanities was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Her second novel written in English is The Bastard of Istanbul, which was the bestselling book of 2006 in Turkey and was longlisted for the Orange prize. The novel, which tells the story of an Armenian and a Turkish family through the eyes of women, brought Shafak under prosecution but the charges were ultimately dismissed. Following the birth of her daughter in 2006 she suffered from post-natal depression, an experience she addressed in her first autobiographical book, Black Milk. In this book Shafak explored the beauties and difficulties of being a writer and a mother. The book was received with great interest and acclaim by critics and readers alike, being an instant bestseller. Shafak’s next novel focused on Love and love –East & West, past & present, spiritual & mundane, all in the light of Rumi and Shams of Tabriz. The Forty Rules of Love sold more than 600 000 copies, becoming an all time best-seller in Turkey and in France awarded with the Prix ALEF – Mention Spéciale Littérature Etrangère. Her next novel, Iskender (Honor), released in Turkey in July 2011, has topped the best-seller lists. Her latest novel Şemspare, was published in June 2012.[/expand]

[expand title=”What she offers you”]In addition to writing fiction, Shafak is also a political scientist, having graduated from the program in International Relations at Middle East Technical University. She holds a Masters degree in Gender and Women’s Studies and a Ph.D. in Political Science. Her thesis on “Islamic Mysticism and the Circular Understanding of Time” was awarded by the Social Scientists Institute. Today Shafak continues to write for Haberturk, a major newspaper in Turkey, as well as several international daily & weekly publications, including The Guardian website. She has been featured in major newspapers and periodicals, including the Washington Times, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, The Economist and The Guardian. Her nonfiction covers a wide range of topics, including belonging, identity, gender, mental ghettoes, daily life politics, multicultural literature and the art of coexistence. These essays have been collected in two books, Med-Cezir (2005) and Firarperest (2010). She also writes lyrics for rock musicians in her country.[/expand]
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