Born in Trabzon in 1975, Selen Zorlu Melik graduated from the Business Administration Department of Uludağ University’s Faculty of Economic and Administrative Science. Stepping into the business life at the Bursa branch of Denizbank, a Zorlu Holding company, in 1998, Selen Zorlu Melik filled various posts at the General Directorate of Denizbank. She attended the Marketing Degree Program at the University of California in 2001.
In 2002, she continued her career at Korteks Yarn Factory. Selen Zorlu Melik currently serves as a Member of the Advisory Board at Zorlu Holding and as a Member of the Board of Management at Zorlu Enerji. She also serves as a Member of the Sustainability Committee at Zorlu Holding. In addition, she is a Member of the Advisory Board of the Yeniden Biz Association.
1976, İstanbul) After graduating from Feyziye Schools Foundation Işık High School, Şule Zorlu pursued her undergraduate studies in the USA. Completing the first two years of her university education at Pepperdine University in Los Angeles, Zorlu studied business administration at Silberman College FDU, one of the world’s most important universities in the field of business administration, for the next two years. During her education at Silberman College FDU, Zorlu worked in sales and marketing strategies and customer relations at Zorlu USA, Zorlu Holding’s company in America, and returned to Turkey in 1999 and joined the Management Trainee (MT) program at Denizbank. For two years, she worked in the bank’s various branches and headquarters, at corporate loans and risk management units. She then assumed the duty of Executive Board Member at Anadolu Kredi Kartları A.Ş., which merged with Denizbank in early 2002.
Zorlu served as General Manager for Marketing at Linens under Zorlu Textiles Group between 2003 and 2007, and worked in various fields such as R&D and P&D studies, expansion of the merchandising network and customer experience management, in order to strengthen the brand’s access to the end consumer and to fortify the retail network. In 2008, she served as Board Member at Zorlu Gayrimenkul Geliştirme ve Yatırım A.Ş. and Zorlu Yapı Yatırım A.Ş. Taking on different responsibilities at the Council of Shopping Centers and the Corporate Governance Association, Şule Zorlu brought the Eataly brand, one of Italy’s most important market and restaurant chains located in different cities of the world, to Turkey and introduced the Eataly kitchen and retail experience to İstanbul customers for the first time. Between 2012-2019, she also served as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Z Gurme Restaurant. Şule Zorlu served as a member of the Board of Management at Vestel Beyaz Eşya Sanayi and Vestel Ticaret AŞ between 2003–2006 and 2012–2023. Zorlu, currently continues to serve as a Member of the Advisory Board at Zorlu Holding.
Ayşegül İldeniz is a global technology leader driving innovation, technology, and future vision in Silicon Valley. İldeniz, who was recognized as one of the world’s top 100 most creative people by Fast Company (2015), has shaped the roadmap for many of the smart technologies we use today, working with international teams driven by a passion for achieving the impossible. As the World Vice President of the New Technologies Group at global microprocessor giant Intel, İldeniz developed numerous award-winning products in smart technologies featuring artificial intelligence. Before this role, İldeniz served as the President of Intel’s 67-country Türkiye, Middle East, and Africa Region and was also a member of the European Board of Directors. In 2016, İldeniz became the COO of Silver Spring Networks, a New York-listed company that dominated half of the U.S. smart energy market. During her tenure, she implemented smart city programs in cities like Chicago, Singapore, Paris, Copenhagen, and Dubai, before successfully completing the exit of the company in 2018. İldeniz is a trailblazer in driving technology transformation, smart future initiatives, and innovation policies within civil society. She serves as the President of the TÜSİAD Silicon Valley Network, is a 2010 Eisenhower Fellow, and sits on the Board of Directors of Turkish Philanthropy Funds. She serves as an independent board member at Vestel, Doğan Holding, and Pegasus Airlines, and is also an entrepreneur and consultant based in Silicon Valley. İldeniz, currently serves as a Member of the Advisory Board at Zorlu Holding.
A graduate of Robert College, Melih Araz received his bachelor’s degree from Ankara University, Faculty of Political Sciences, in 1972. He completed his MBA at Kelley School of Business, Indiana University in 1975, where he was a USAID/TEV scholar. He also attended an “Executive Management Program” at Harvard Business School in 1988. Starting his career in finance and banking at Citibank N.A.’s office in Türkiye in 1977, Mr. Araz served in executive positions at the bank’s Istanbul, Bahrain, Athens and New York offices and assumed key responsibilities in the establishment and expansion of Citibank’s operations in Türkiye. Melih Araz later served as the CEO/General Manager at Interbank AŞ, a Çukurova Holding affiliate, for eight years where he played a leading role in elevating Interbank to a respected and pioneering position in corporate and investment banking in Türkiye. After leaving Interbank, Mr. Araz worked as a consultant in various major projects and served as an Independent Board Member at a number of companies including Zorlu Enerji Elektrik Üretim AŞ (2008-2013 and 2018-2020), Enka İnşaat ve Sanayi AŞ (2012-2018), Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ (2018-2024) and Vestel Beyaz Eşya Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ (2018-2024). Mr. Araz still assumes important duties at Ata Group. Mr. Araz also sits on the Boards of Ata Yatırım Menkul Kıymetler AŞ, Ata Gayrimenkul Yatırım Ortaklığı AŞ, TFI Gıda Yatırımları AŞ, Burger King China JV Ltd., İzmir Enternasyonel Otelcilik AŞ and Entegre Harç Sanayi ve Ticaret AŞ. Melih Araz currently serves as a Member of the Advisory Board at Zorlu Holding.
