August 4, 2020; Washington, DC - The Middle East Institute is pleased to announce the formation of an International Advisory Board for the Turkish Studies Program comprising influential global business and policy leaders committed to promoting a better understanding, options and foresight between Turkey and the United States, as well as with the Middle East and other neighboring regions. 

The Board will advise the Turkish Studies Program in particular and MEI in general on its activities, promote its work, assist in the expansion of its network, and provide ad hoc advice to MEI leaders and scholars as required. 

“We are honored to be working with such a uniquely qualified group of advisors to further enhance MEI’s reach and scholarship,” said Gonul Tol, MEI Senior Fellow and Director of the Turkish Studies Program. “The Advisory Board members’ wisdom, experience and networks will be invaluable tools to advance our mission of highlighting and analyzing political, economic and social developments in Turkey and engaging with key stakeholders.”

See below for a full list of the Turkish Studies Program’s International Advisory Board members, and learn more about MEI’s Turkish Studies Program online. 

International Advisory Board Members

Mehmet Öğütçü is Chairman of the International Advisory board. He also currently chairs Global Resources Partnership, a UK strategic advisory group, The Bosphorus Energy Club and The London Energy Club, and Special Envoy of The International Energy Charter while serving as independent board member for several multinational groups. He was previously with diplomatic service, Prime Minister’s office, IEA, OECD, BG Group and Genel Energy.

Yaşar Yakış is a founding member of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). He held various appointments as ambassador to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the U.N. office in Vienna before becoming Foreign Affairs Minister of Turkey. From 2002 to 2011 he represented Düzce as an MP in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. He received the French Légion d'Honneur Officier Medal.

Sheikh Mohamed Ahmed J. Althani is a former Minister of Economy and Trade in the State of Qatar. He is currently Chairman of Qatar’s Mohajl Group and advisory board member of The London Energy Club. He is one of the main founders of QatarGas and RasGas. Sheikh Mohamed has authored two books; The Arab Spring and the Gulf States “Time to Embrace Change” and Jassim, the Leader Founder of Qatar.

Aldo Kaslowski is an Turkish-Italian businessman. He is founder and current chairman of Organik Holding. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Italiian Ferrero group, and former Chairman of TUSIAD International, representing the Turkish business community abroad

Namık Tan was former ambassador of Turkey to the United States from 2010 to 2014, prior to this appointment, as Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for bilateral political affairs and public diplomacy. He served as ambassador to Israel between 2007 and 2009.  He also worked in the United Arab Emirates and Russia as well as other senior positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Neslihan Tombul is a corporate leader and educator with over 35 years of international banking and senior management experience. She worked throughout the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia and helped to develop the banking industry in Turkey and the region. She is a specialist in international banking, capital markets, and risk management and founded a venture capital fund to support technology enabled start-ups in Turkey. She currently serves as an independent board member at Aktaş Holding, Vakifbank International (Vienna), TOFAS, PETKIM, and Alarko Holding. Ms. Tombul is also a specialist advisor to NZTE (New Zealand’s economic development agency), a lecturer at Koç University in Istanbul on management and best practices in family enterprise, a founder of the American Business Forum in Turkey (ABFT), and is involved with a number of NGOs including as a board member of The American Research Institute in Turkey (ARIT).
 

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Learn more about MEI’s Turkish Studies Program: https://www.mei.edu/programs/turkish-studies

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About the Middle East Institute

Founded in 1946, the Middle East Institute is the oldest Washington-based institution dedicated solely to the study of the Middle East. MEI has earned a reputation as an unbiased source of information and analysis on this critical region of the world, a reputation it has meticulously safeguarded since its creation. Today, MEI remains a respected, non-partisan voice in the field of Middle East studies.