This forum will be conducted in English.

A great day to be in Istanbul!! – We are delighted to be back in Istanbul this September for the Türkiye & EMEA: 8th Annual International Arbitration & Corporate Crime Summit – ‘Through The Looking Glass’  on Thursday 1 September 2022 from 9:00am – 5:00pm (Türkiye local time – GMT+3).

Join us to learn the changes and new trends that has affected business during and after the pandemic as well as looking through the looking glass into the near future on how Arbitration, competition law and corporate crime effects your business now and in the future. Hot presentations on construction, energy, shareholders, funding litigation, M&A disputes and more on Competition Law, Digital Crime, mergers, investigations, and other important legal regional updates given to you by our local and international experts who will joining us to share their invaluable knowledge & experience.

It’s a great opportunity to ask questions, grill the speakers, network and create business opportunities and maybe make some new friends!

Registration is now open.  Contact us today or view the latest flyer for registration and program details. Download

Program
The organiser reserves the right to change the program without prior notice.

• Chairman’s Welcome Message and General Global Update in Arbitration & Current Issues in Energy Disputes
  Paul Key QC, Essex Court Chambers London
• Opening Keynote Address by ITOTAM Arbitration Court
  Prof. Dr. Ali Yeşilırmak, Member, ITOTAM Arbitration Court
• Legal Issues Regarding Interim Measures Obtained from the Local Courts Prior to the International Arbitral Proceedings
  Turgut Aycan Özcan, Head International Arbitration Practice, Lexist
• Construction Disputes: Differences Between Civil Code and Common Law
  Julian Cohen, Barrister & Arbitrator, Resolution Chambers International
• 1st Grand Panel: Managing Cross-border M&A Disputes & Transactions
  Moderator:  Gokce Uyar, Counsel, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre
  Panellist:
  • Aksit Berkay Noyan, General Counsel
  • Gizem Zeynep Bölükbaşı, Vice President, Türkiye Wealth Fund
• 2nd Grand Panel: Working with Experts in Construction Disputes — From Selection, Hearing and Expert Report — What Works & What Doesn’t!
  Moderator: Andrew Aglionby, Solicitor, Aglionby ADR
  Panellist:
  • Julian Cohen, Barrister & Arbitrator, Resolution Chambers International
  • Semih Sisman, Corporate Counsel, Smart Solar Technologies
  • Dr. Serhat Eskiyörük, Research Fellow, Ministry of Energy
  
• 3rd Grand Panel: Updates in Enforcement of Arbitral Awards for 2022
  Moderator: Jonathan W Blythe, Partner & Director, Şengüler & Şengüler
  Panellists:
  • Sıla Uysal, Senior Legal Counsel, Karadeniz Holding
  • Nazlı Dereli Oba, Founding Partner, Tunc Fırat Dereli Attorney Partnership
  • Noyan Göksu, Partner, Göksu Law
  
• Competition Law in Digital Markets
  Erdem Aktekin, Counsel, Actecon
• Updates in Competition Law Enforcement in Turkey
  Metin Pektaş, Partner, NAZALI Tax&Legal
• 4th Grand Panel: Competition Law: Dawn Raids, Data Protection & Compliance Issues For Local & Foreign Companies In Turkiye?
  Moderator: Sezin Elcin Cengiz, Senior Director – Competition, White & Case
  Panellists:
  • Özgür Çolpan, Senior General Counsel, Nestle
  • Ali Yilmaz, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, QNB Finansbank A.Ş.
  • Suleyman Cengiz, Competition Counsel, Allen & Overy
• Closing Remarks & Lucky Draw
  Lucky Draw sponsored by Paul Key QC, Essex Court Chambers
  

If you are interested to support this event, contact Jason at jason.sinclair@legalplus-asia.com for joining the Summit and for package details.  For registrations details, contact Bettina at legalpluseventsasia@legalplus-asia.com.  

Speakers

Paul Key QC, Conference Chairman,

Essex Court Chambers London

Paul Key Q.C. is recognised as one of the leading QCs at the English Commercial Bar. He has particular expertise and specialism in arbitration, both international commercial arbitration and investment treaty arbitration (including ICSID). He also regularly appears in arbitration-related Court matters, including appearing in the English Supreme Court in Jivraj v Hashwani. He has been ranked in the top-tier (band 1) rankings for arbitration for over 10 years and has consistently been identified as one of the leading figures in that field (“a real arbitration expert”, “few can rival his expertise, ability and knowledge in the field of arbitration”, “the first port of call for important arbitration disputes”, “an arbitration guru”). He has appeared as advocate in over 300 major international arbitrations worldwide, as well as appearing regularly before the English Courts (at all levels) and foreign Courts on arbitration matters. In addition to his extensive experience in international commercial arbitration, he is one of the very few English QCs to have real expertise in investment arbitration. He has been lead counsel in a very large number of BIT / investment arbitrations, acting both for and against States. He is Visiting Professor in international arbitration law at King’s College, London, and has lectured and published widely in this field. He has been a longstanding representative of the UK on the ILA International Commercial Arbitration Committee and is also a delegate for the UNCITRAL Working Group on Arbitration.

Biography

Prof. Dr. Ali Yeşilırmak, Keynote Speaker

Member, ITOTAM Arbitration Court

Ali Yesilirmak is an independent arbitrator, mediator, a vice president and a professor at Ibn Haldun University Law Faculty, and a visiting lecturer at the School of International Arbitration, CCLS, Queen Mary College, University of London. He acts as advisor to the Finance Office of the Turkish President. He has served as an arbitrator and counsel in several ad hoc and institutional arbitrations. He is listed as arbitrator in the Permanent Court of Arbitration and of the Chinese International Economic and Trade Arbitration Centre. He is a member of the Court of Arbitration and Mediation at the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITOTAM) He was an of counsel to Baker & McKenzie Istanbul (2011-2014); and work as a lawyer in Istanbul in between 2001-2008. He was seconded to Herbert Smith London (2000-2001). Ali holds an LLB from Dokuz Eylul University, an LLM from the University of Texas at Austin and a PhD from CCLS, Queen Mary, University of London. He has published extensively on national and international arbitration, litigation, mediation, international commercial and investment laws. Some of his books on arbitration is entitled “ICC Arbitration Rules and Practice (İstanbul 2018)” “Arbitration in Turkey (Kluwer 2014)”, Provisional Measures in International Commercial Arbitration (Kluwer 2005)”.

Biography

Gokce Uyar, Moderator -1st Grand Panel

Counsel, Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre

Gökçe is Counsel in HKIAC’s arbitration team. She administers arbitrations and regularly acts as a tribunal secretary. Prior to joining HKIAC, Gökçe worked for four years at leading international arbitration offices in Istanbul and Washington, DC. She was involved in investment and commercial arbitrations, and gained experience in mining, construction and post-M&A disputes. She also interned at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes and International Chamber of Commerce, Paris.

Biography

Andrew Aglionby, Moderator - 2nd Grand Panel

Solicitor, Aglionby ADR

Andrew Aglionby acts as a lawyer and advisor to parties in arbitrations. He is appointed as an arbitrator (presiding, party-appointed and sole) by major arbitration institutions and parties. He is included in the panels of arbitrators held by many major arbitration institutions. Andrew has over 35 years of legal practice in the areas of construction, energy and real estate, commercial contracts, technology and media. He has been involved in many complicated technical issues. Andrew has experience of many common law and civil law countries and legal systems, including having lived in Asia Pacific for many years. He is now based in London, with a professional practice involving many different regions and countries, including Turkey, Central Europe, Northern Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Gulf States. Andrew practices from the law firm Aglionby ADR. He and his colleagues work as co-counsel with firms in other jurisdictions.

Bbiography

Jonathan W Blythe, Moderator - 3rd Grand Panel

Partner & Director, Şengüler & Şengüler

Jonathan is a partner with Senguler & Senguler and has over 25 years’ experience in the Turkish legal market. He is also one of the founder members of the British Turkish Lawyers Association and is currently adviser to the board. He is a qualified Scottish and English solicitor, but for the majority of his professional life he has been located in Turkey. Having completed an MA (Law) at Istanbul University, in 1995 he set up and ran the Istanbul office of the Scottish oil and gas law firm Ledingham Chalmers. A veteran of the BTC pipeline deal, he has acted for a number of State and Private Entities. Following an MBO in 2004 he has been part of Senguler & Senguler where he oversees their work with mainly foreign investors operating in Turkey across a range of sectors. These include industrial, IT telecoms, banking, retail and service industry household name clients. The firm has a number of relationships with global law firms. Being fluent in Turkish but having a common law background he and his team are well placed to assist clients as they seek to navigate the sometimes uncertain waters of the Turkish regulatory environment. Jonathan has a significant arbitration practice acting as counsel in a number of ICC cases and currently co-counselling on an ICSID investment arbitration claim for Turkish clients. Jonathan is a qualified arbitrator, being a member of the CIArb and ICCA. He has sat as chairman, co-chair and sole arbitrator in a number of ICC cases involving multinational parties under both Turkish and English law, conducted in both Turkish and English.

Biography

Sezin Elçin Cengiz, Moderator — 4th Grand Panel

Senior Director — Competition, White & Case

Sezin leads the Competition/Antitrust practice group at the White & Case Istanbul Office. Based on 21 years of dedicated competition law experience, Sezin guides clients through competition law aspects of mergers and acquisitions, counsels them on antitrust compliance matters, and helps them navigate preliminary investigations, investigations and other proceedings before the Turkish Competition Authority. She advises clients on managing risk resulting from antitrust rules on their day-to day operations; designing and implementation of competition compliance programmes, including tailored competition law trainings to board members and employees. Prior to joining White & Case, she worked for the Turkish Competition Authority for more than 10 years. During her time at the Turkish Competition Authority as a senior case handler, she managed investigations, led on the spot inspection (dawn raid) teams, and performed numerous M&A and exemption/negative clearance assessments as well as privatization cases. Along with her professional activities, Sezin has represented Turkey in the EUTurkey Bilateral Meeting on Competition Policy, as a delegate responsible for conducting negotiations with EU officials. She has also conducted joint studies with the World Bank, attended the US Antitrust Policy Training program arranged by the US Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, participated in a number of EU competition law workshops organized by the EU Commission and attended or submitted papers on numerous national/international seminars and workshops.

Biography

Julian Cohen

Barrister & Arbitrator, Resolution Chambers International

Julian has 30 years of specialist experience of heavyweight international, and domestic, disputes. Sums in dispute in his cases vary from small to in excess of USD 2 billion. In addition to acting as counsel, he also regularly sits as an arbitrator. Julian has over 10 years’ experience in the MENA region, including 2 years based full time in Dubai, and an ongoing long-term commitment to the region. Julian has been involved in projects and disputes in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Benin, Sierra Leone and Mali. Julian was called to the Bar in England & Wales in 1990. He was with Pinsent Masons’ Construction Disputes practice in London and Hong Kong from 1993 to 2009. He left Pinsent Masons as a partner in 2009, and was called to the Bar in Hong Kong in 2010. Julian is particularly well known for his heavy weight practice in relation to the Construction and Engineering sectors; the Energy, Oil and Gas sectors; and International and domestic arbitrations.

Biography

Metin Pektaş

Partner, NAZALI Tax&Legal

Metin Pektaş worked in Turkish Competition Authority (TCA) as a competition law/policy specialist and case handler for 12 years. He was involved in many cartel and dominant situation investigations and merger and acquisition files at various levels in numerous service sectors such as energy, cement, iron and steel, chemistry, mining, banking-finance, health, agriculture, and served as a team leader in the in the last five years. He took part in the review processes of energy privatizations and worked on the preparation of the Electricity Sector Report published by the Competition Authority in 2015. During his time at the Competition Authority, Pektaş also took part in many legislative studies, especially the Mergers and Acquisitions Communiqué, the Communiqué on File Entry and Trade Secrets. In addition, he coordinated the vocational training of Competition Authority experts and carried out institutional capacity building activities for Cyprus, Pakistan, and Azerbaijan Competition Authorities. Metin Pektaş participated in and contributed to many international meetings on competition law and policy, including OECD, ABA (American Bar Association), ERA (Academy of European Law), and ICF (International Competition Law Forum) while he was working for the Competition Authority. In 2017, he served as the Advisor to the President of the Competition Authority for nearly three years. In addition, he was with the FTC (Federal Trade Commission), one of the American competition authorities, for 3 months in 2012 and worked on a natural gas merger case in Alaska.

Biography

Özgür Çolpan

Senior General Counsel, Nestle

Ozgur Colpan is an executive senior general counsel with over 24 years of experience in multiple industries including technology, telecommunications, energy, FMCG and tobacco. He is an expert in competition law, contract negotiation and management, public procurement, international trade and M&As, with extensive regional responsibility. Ozgur is experienced in leading and managing legal and compliance teams in matrix organisations and adding value as a board and executive leadership team member. He carries proven track record of leadership, business partnering, and stakeholder relationship management underpinned by a modern vision of how a legal function can work in constantly changing and growing environments

Biography

Erdem Aktekin

Counsel, Actecon

Erdem AKTEKİN, LL.M., is an economist with a vast knowledge of competition law and policy. Mr. AKTEKİN has worked for the Turkish Competition Authority for 12 years and acquired the “Senior Competition Expert” title. Throughout his career, Mr. AKTEKİN dealt with a great amount of competition law cases spanning over different topics, sectors, and companies. He actively took part in investigations conducted in sectors such as sale of FCMGs, steel, cement, glass, financial banking and mobile operating systems. Mr. AKTEKİN also identifies and carries out appropriate economic analysis for competition cases. He is actively involved in preparing economic analyses and integrating them with legal arguments in competition law investigations. As for his education, he graduated with an LLM degree in Law and Economics from Queen Mary University of London, UK and previously graduated from Middle East Technical University in 2006. He wrote a dissertation on the “Relevant Product Market Definition in Two-Sided Markets under EU Competition Law”. He is working in ACTECON since May 2020.

Biography

Ali Yilmaz

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, QNB Finansbank A.Ş.

Yılmaz graduated from İstanbul University, Faculty of Law in 1999. Active in business since 1996, Yılmaz received his finance education at University of Toronto between 2000-2002. With an MBA from Koç University, he started his banking career at Dışbank in 2003. Later, he served as Director of Legal Affairs at Fortisbank A.Ş. and as a member of the Board and Legal Counsel at Société Générale Turkey. Yılmaz joined QNB Finansbank A.Ş. in 2016. Appointed as Chief Legal Counsel in May 2018, Yilmaz has been serving as Executive Vice President since January 2020.

Biography

Turgut Aycan Özcan

Head International Arbitration Practice, Lexist

Turgut Aycan Özcan is Head of the international arbitration practice at Lexist. He has acted as counsel on seven ICSID arbitration cases and many commercial arbitration cases before several arbitration institutions such as ICC, SCAI and LCIA over the past 10 years. Aycan is known for his proficiency in international investment and commercial arbitration in particular, with a high degree of competence and understanding of public international law and energy law. On the international stage he has represented prominent Turkish investors in several ICSID arbitration cases against Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Oman. Currently he leads the arbitration team representing the Republic of Türkiye in multiple ICSID cases. Aycan also acts as counsel in international commercial arbitration cases before the various arbitration institutions, including the ICC, SCAI and LCIA and serves as an arbitrator in several international arbitration proceedings. Aycan is both Turkey (LL.B.) and UK educated (LL.M.)

Biography

Noyan Göksu

Partner, Göksu Law

Noyan Göksu is a leading Turkish arbitration attorney and arbitrator. A graduate of Galatasaray Law School and Yale Law School, he started his arbitration practice over 20 years ago. In 2013, e founded the specialist dispute resolution firm, Göksu Law. Noyan appears as arbitrator, counsel and legal expert in several high-stakes cases before a wide spectrum of tribunals worldwide. As a member of the Istanbul Bar and a registered foreign attorney of the English Bar, he has worked for two decades in Turkey, the US and France with global law firms and an international court. He combines credentials as an ICSID arbitration counsel in Washington D.C. (Senior Associate, White & Case), a commercial arbitration counsel in Turkey for many years (Partner, Pinsent Masons, among others), as well as a Legal Officer at the ECHR in Strasbourg. For over 10 years, Noyan has also been lecturing at law schools and other academic and professional institutions as a part time arbitration professor. His training credentials include instructions by the US Department of State as one of the three Middle-East arbitration experts to train high-ranking ministry officials and by the European Union to lecture Turkish Transportation Ministry officials on construction dispute resolution, FIDIC forms and legal aspects of contract management.

Biography

Nazlı Dereli Oba

Founding Partner, Tunc Fırat Dereli Attorney Partnership

Nazlı Dereli Oba is one of the founding partners of Tunc Fırat Dereli Attorney Partnership responsible for finance, maritime and arbitration practices. Nazlı focuses on international arbitration, both commercial and investment-related disputes. Nazli also advises clients on finance projects, including project finance, corporate finance, shipping finance, and restructurings. Nazlı started her career at Morgan Walker Solicitors in London. After working in various law firms and companies in Turkey, in 2012, she moved to Karadeniz Holding, a leading energy generation and shipping company, where she acted as the general counsel for more than eight years. Nazli is the Honorary Consul of Mexico and a member of Turkey-Mexico Business Council at Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), which she also chaired from 2020-2022. She is also a member of Istanbul Arbitration Center Energy Commission, and KORUNCUK board of trustees. She graduated from John Hopkins University with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and minor in German. She completed her post graduate diploma in law and legal practice course at College of Law, London. She also holds an LLM degree from Queen Mary University of London.

Biography

Aksit Berkay Noyan

General Counsel

Berkay is a seasoned attorney, in house counsel and executive, with an indepth expertise in a wide spectrum of legal fields including M&A, Corporate & Commercial, Capital Markets, Energy & Natural Resources, Banking & Finance, Arbitration & Dispute Resolution and Tax & Regulatory. Having obtained his bachelor and post graduate degrees respectively from Galatasaray University (Istanbul) and ULB (Brussels), he worked in top tier law firms leading their M&A, Corporate and Capital Markets teams, as well as Tax Practice Groups thereof. He has extensive experience in international arbitration and dispute resolution including commercial and investment disputes. Berkay previously held the position of Head of Legal / General Counsel at Karadeniz Holding A.S. During his career, Berkay and his teams closed several cross-border M&A, energy and infrastructure transactions involving various jurisdictions from US to Japan (W-E) and Russia to South Africa (N-S). He is also a member of the niche club of legal practitioners specialized in global LNG and FSRU operations. Berkay, as an independent legal counsel and business expert, continues assisting and representing key market players and international conglomerates in structuring their energy and infrastructure projects around the globe. He also advises boards of both local and global companies in structuring and implementing of their corporate governance and compliance programs as part of their pre & post JV, M&A and IPO transactions and restructuring programs. Berkay speaks English, French and Turkish.

Biography

Sila Uysal

Senior Legal Counsel, Karadeniz Holding

Sıla Uysal is a Senior Legal Counsel working in the Energy sector, admitted both in İstanbul and in England and Wales. Sıla has an international legal background and significant experience in the drafting and negotiation of international energy contracts and in international investment and commercial disputes. Sıla is currently an in-house lawyer at Karadeniz Holding where she focuses on Powership projects, project finance deals and disputes arising therefrom. She has previously worked in the International Arbitration practice group of Arnold and Porter LLP in London, where she worked in both International Commercial Arbitration and International Investment Arbitration cases. Sıla graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Strasbourg and earned two Master's degrees, the first from the same university and the second from City University of London, focusing on Business Law and on Maritime Law & Energy Law, with honours. Sıla also holds an equivalence degree in Turkish Law from Galatasaray University and was selected to represent her universities both at International Arbitration moot competitions in the UK and at the NATO.

Biography

Semih Sisman

Corporate Counsel, Smart Solar Technologies

Semih is a persevering legal professional with 14 years of international legal experience with a proven record of managing corporate legal matters and contract management including but not limited to energy industry, services, renewable energy, expropriation, manifacturing, HR, construction, EPC, MOU's, NDA's, and LOI's. LL.M in Information Technology and Intellectual Property Law from University of East Anglia United Kingdom, admitted to the Turkish Bar Association. Contract Law for Common Law certificate holder from Harvard University and Introduction to English Common Law certificate holder from University of London. He wrote a dissertation on the “What are the current and prospective copyright infringements and other important legal issues at online streaming in the digital era?” Semih is expert on Contract Law and Contract Drafting, Reviewing and Negotiating at; Corporate Law, Energy Law, Renewable Energy and EPC, FIDIC, JV, Employment and Labour Law, Trade Law, Business Development, Commercial Law, Personal Data Protection Law, Project Management, Finance and Business Law, Law of Obligations. Also worked in areas of Compliance, Ethics, Legal Risk Mitigation, Legal Governance and Regulatory. Provided Business and day-to-day legal consulting in Commercial and Business manner and handled Litigation and Dispute Resolution. Worked in wool manifacturing, public industry (city council lawyer) and self-employed.

Biography

Gizem Zeynep Bölükbaşı

Vice President, Türkiye Wealth Fund

Gizem leads M&A projects (including deals with a cumulative value of more than USD 2 billion) as a senior member of TWF’s legal and compliance team and she is recognized as one of the most influential general counsels in the region. Before moving to TWF, she worked as a corporate and transactional lawyer in the best well-known law firms in Turkey focusing on corporate, commercial, M&A, banking, finance, and capital markets. During her career, she has been involved in numerous transactions in various sectors (financial services, telecommunication, insurance, transportation, etc.) and advised clients on all aspects of their investments, from entry to exit and any add-on investments, both in Turkey and abroad. She holds an LL.M. degree from Uppsala University specializing in arbitration, both international commercial arbitration and investment treaty arbitration, and previously graduated from Koç University with the highest honors.

Biograhy

Dr. Serhat Eskiyörük

Research Fellow, Ministry of Energy

Dr. Eskiyörük is an academic at ATU University and a Research Fellow at Ministry of Energy. He is a member of IDR Group UK, ILI Istanbul and Working Group of ICC National Committee on Arbitration; was Founding President of TBB Arbitration Center, Delegate of ICSID Arbitration Rules Reform, Sec Gen of ILA Turkey, Fellow of CIArb, National Board member of UIA and member of Institute of World Business Law. He has acted as an Arbitrator, Counsel and Legal Expert in ICSID, ISTAC, LCIA, ICC, TOBB, Czech and ICA arbitrations; listed as Arbitrator at EDAC, DIAC, TOBB, QICCA, SCCA, TIAC, ADGM, HKIAC and Mediator at Ministry of Justice. Education: PhD from University of London (IALS), LLB from Başkent University, Certificates from WTI, University of Bern, Cologne University. Dr. Eskiyörük was a visiting academic at Georgetown University, University of Cologne, did Legal Research at Harvard University and University of Oslo.

Biography

Suleyman Cengiz

Competition Counsel, Allen & Overy

Suleyman is leading the competition law practice of GedikEraksoy in Istanbul. He has 25 years of competition and antitrust experience in Turkey, with his first 14 years spent with the Turkish Competition Authority. As a senior case handler and competition expert of the Turkish Competition Authority, he actively led investigations and dawn raids as well as following procedures including the issuance of the investigation reports and preparation of the reasoned decisions of the Authority. After joining private practice at one of the foremost local law firms, Suleyman has been representing leading national and multi-national companies active in a broad array of sectors including energy, banking, insurance, transportation/infrastructure, healthcare and e-commerce. Besides his active involvement in the investigative procedures, he has been giving competition law advice and guidance to clients as to their commercial contracts and business applications to manage the risks resulting from antitrust rules on their day-to day operations

Biography

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If you would like to apply for an in-house counsel complimentary ticket, please click here and fill in your details. Complimentary seat is applicable to in-house counsel from non law / consultancy firm and based on first-come-first-served. Results are based on the organiser’s discretion and applicants will be notified by email.