Partners & Associates

Sinan ÜLGEN

Sinan Ülgen graduated in 1987 from the University of Virginia with a double major in computer sciences and economics. He undertook graduate studies at the College of Europe in Brugge, Belgium where he received, in 1990,   a master’s degree in European economic integration. He then joined the Turkish Foreign Service as a career diplomat and worked for two years at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Ankara at the United Nations desk. In 1992, he was posted to the Turkish Permanent Delegation to the European Union in Brussels where he became a member of the Turkish negotiations team for the Turkey-EU Customs Union.  In 1996, Ülgen was posted to the Turkish Embassy in Tripoli where he spent the rest of the year.  Upon his return to Ankara , Mr. Ülgen resigned from the Foreign Service and started his consultancy practice. He is the author of numerous publications including a book entitled “The European transformation of modern Turkey ” co-authored with Kemal Dervis in 2004 and a recent book entitled “Handbook of EU negotiations”. He is a regular contributor to Turkish dailies and his opinion pieces have also been published by international media such as The International Herald Tribune, Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, European Voice and Le Figaro as well as think tanks such as the World Economic Forum, Center for European Reform, Center for European Policy Studies and the Atlantic Council of the US. A founding partner of Istanbul Economics, he is also the chairman of the think tank Center for  Economics and Foreign Policy Studies  (www.edam.org.tr).  

Mithat Özbek

Mithat Özbek graduated in 1988 from the economics department of the Hacettepe University in Ankara. He then attended the University of Indiana and received his MBA in 2000 from the joint program of the Istanbul Technical University and Exeter University. He started his professional career at Sogut ceramics in the export department of the company. He became a Deputy Director General at Puccinelli, a company operating in the food and beverage industry and then the managing director of the UK based paper and packaging company David S. Smith in Turkey. He worked for 10 years for David S. Smith in this capacity. Following the acquisition of the local branch of the company by Sabanci/International Paper owned Olmuksa, he joined the senior management of Olmuksa. He is a member of several NGOs. He is the managing partner of Istanbul Ekonomi.

İzak ATİYAS

Izak Atiyas (Academic Adviser) obtained his PhD from the Economics department of the New York University in 1989 following a bachelors degree from the University of Bogaziçi in 1982. He worked at the World Bank’s Private Sector Development department on the regulatory framework of private sector activities and economic and fiscal reforms from 1988 till 1995. He then became a visiting fellow at the Bilkent University. He has been a member of the faculty at the Sabanci University Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences since 1998. He has given regular lectures on industrial economics and competition to the assistant experts of the Competition Authority. He also worked as an advisor to the Telecommunications Authority between March 2003-March 2004. His area of expertise includes competition economics, telecommunications regulation and electricity sector regulation.

Murat ÜÇER

Murat Üçer (Academic Advisor) received his B.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Bogazici University and Boston College, respectively. He then held economist positions at several international institutions. He was an economist at the Institute of International Finance, Credit Suisse First Boston, and the International Monetary Fund. Mr. Ucer has also worked as an advisor to the Minister of Economy at the Turkish Treasury in 2001, to the Governor of the Central Bank of Turkey in 1997, and to the Chief Executive Officer of Yapi Kredi Bank in 1998. He has taught at Suffolk University, at Bogazici University, and lectured at the World Bank's EDI seminars. Murat Ucer serves as EuroSource's consultant in Turkey and adjunct faculty at Koc University. As a consultant, he provides financial and economic expertise to commercial banks, multinational corporations and public sector organizations.