Advisory Board

Güliz Öztürk started her career at Turkish Airlines. From 1990 to 2003, she served as Manager of International Relations and Agreements, Vice President of Marketing & Alliance Coordinator, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Turkish Airlines. During that time, she managed important projects such as launching the first code-share flights, execution of the alliance projects, launch of the airline’s loyalty and bank card programs and the first website as well as implementation of the online ticket sales. Between 2003 and 2005, she served as Aviation and Tourism Project Coordinator and Director of Human Resources at Ciner Holding. In 2005, she joined Pegasus Airlines as Head of Scheduled Flights to manage the launch of the airline’s scheduled services. In 2008, she was appointed as Sales Director. Güliz Öztürk assumed the role of Chief Commercial Officer in 2010 and was responsible for the commercial department, which includes Sales, Network Planning, Marketing, Revenue Management and Pricing, Cargo and Guest Experience. She held this role for 12 years and, in May 2022, was appointed CEO of Pegasus Airlines. Güliz Öztürk is a graduate of Kadıköy Anadolu High School and the department of psychology at Boğaziçi University, and completed the Advanced Management Program at Columbia Business School in 2018. A Member of the Board of Advisors of Özyeğin University’s Faculty of Aviation, Güliz Öztürk, is Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Global Compact Turkiye and is also Co-Chair of the Women in Sales Network (WiSN) social project, which works with the mission of ensuring the balance between men and women in the sales departments of companies, on the Sales Network platform.

Serkan Kaptan received his BA degree from Istanbul University, Department of Business Administration and his MBA from Marmara University in 2002. He joined TAV Airports in 1998 with the build-operate-transfer project of the Istanbul Ataturk Airport. Until 2001, he served as a consultant at Airport Consulting Vienna, a company owned by VIE which was a partner of TAV Airports. From 2002 on, he was responsible for business development, airline marketing, R&D and investments. Having 25 years of experience in airport and airline operations and public-private partnership infrastructure projects, Kaptan was appointed as Deputy CEO of TAV Airports in 2016 and served as a Board Member for all TAV Airports’ subsidiaries. In May 2022, he was appointed as the CEO of TAV Airports. Kaptan is also a Member of ADP Executive Board in charge of Central Asia, Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe and CIS. Serkan Kaptan, serves as a Board Member of the Service Exporters’ Association (HIB) and the Chairman of DEIK Turkey-Latvia Business Council. In 2021, he was elected to the Board of Directors of the European Region of the Airports Council International (ACI Europe). Kaptan is married with two daughters

Atilla Korkmazoğlu is a graduate of the Civil Aviation & Transportation Management program at Anadolu University and holds an MBA from Istanbul University. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. Korkmazoğlu joined Çelebi in 1993, where he held several operational and executive roles within the group. After serving as Managing Director of Çelebi Hungary, he became the President of Ground Handling and Business Development for the group in 2010. Currently, he serves as President of Ground Handling & Cargo (EMEA) and as an executive director for the group’s companies. Korkmazoğlu was the ASA Chairman from 2022 to 2024 and is also an active board member of the Airport Services Association (ASA).

He was born in 1956 in Muş, Turkey. After completing his primary and secondary education, he joined the Turkish Air Force in 1974, serving until 1996. In 1996, he took his first step into civil aviation with SunExpress Airlines. Until 2005, he worked as a senior captain pilot and held managerial positions in various airlines. Celal Cingöz, renowned for his extensive knowledge based on his education and experience, stood out in the civil aviation sector. In 2005, he contributed to the establishment of AYJET, playing a significant role in the development of one of Turkey's most successful flight schools. Under his leadership, AYJET became a prominent training institution not only in Turkey but also in countries such as Rwanda and Azerbaijan for both military and civil pilot training. Moreover, Celal Cingöz played a pioneering role in AYJET's strategic partnerships with Diamond Aircraft to enhance its training fleet. From 2005 to 2008, he served as the Chief Flight Instructor at AYJET Flight School, and since 2008, he has been the General Manager of AYJET Flight School. He is also the father of Captain Pilot Engin Cingöz and Captain Pilot Emre Cingöz, who share his passion for aviation.

Haydar YALÇIN was born in Ankara in 1965. He graduated from the Department of Aeronautical Engineering at Middle East Technical University in 1988. He started working as an Aeronautical Engineer at the Turkish DGCA in 1989. He served as Deputy Director General from Dec 2004 until his retirement from the DGCA in Sept 2021. Then, he worked as Senior Advisor to the Director General and Senior Expert at EUROCONTROL from Sept 2021 to May 2024. He has held many positions at the Turkish DGCA for over 32 years. He is the former;

• NCMC to ICAO.
• Member of the Safety Management Panel (SMP).
• Vice & Acting Chairman of the European North Atlantic Regional Safety Group (RASG).
• Member of the ICAO Global Aviation Safety Panel (GASP) Working Group.
• Member of the ICAO Global Aviation Safety Oversight System (GASOS) Working Group.
• Vice-President of the EUROCONTROL Provisional Council for 3 years.
• President of the Council for 4 years (2 terms) after elected unanimously.
• Member of the Board of Governors of the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF).

He is currently a Member of the Advisory Board of THE WORLD UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES FEDERATION. He is married with two children.

Ms. Karaagac completed her undergraduate education in Communication Design at Carnegie Mellon in 2002, and her post-graduate education in Interaction Design at Domus Academy in 2005. She holds certificates from INSEAD Business School in Business Strategy and Financial Performance, and from Oxford in Executive Leadership. She began her career in 2002 as a Graphic Designer Intern at Wunderman NYC, and later served as Art Director at On3 Creative Group from 2003 to 2004, and at Leo Burnett İstanbul in 2006. She joined Hitit as Creative Director in 2006; after holding positions as Brand Manager and Marketing Director, she was appointed Chief Officer of Sales and Marketing (CMO) in 2018. In this role, she achieved numerous successes in driving sales growth and expanding the company’s global market presence. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in key strategic initiatives, including overseeing the company's IPO process, enhancing brand recognition, and leading Hitit's digital transformation efforts. As of September 2024, Ms. Karaağaç has been serving as the CEO of the company. She is married with two children.