The hybrid
Hakan is a true hybrid in more than one way.
He’s born and bred in Turkey, a pivotal country in the Middle East, one of the fastest developing countries to do business with, and also one of the most difficult ones to understand and infiltrate as a non-native. As a native he has in-depth understanding and insider knowledge of the complex issues that are often the cause of the constantly changing climate in politics and business.
Hakan completed his education in the US however and continued working there for 18 years, his last position being Chief Marketing Officer of a hot-startup in California. During this extensive period he also gained invaluable experience and intelligence about the workings of Fortune 100 companies, how the board room of US-listed companies' functions, and all politics involved with high-value-at-stake decisions.
Because of his unique insider view of these different cultures, Hakan frequently appears on national and international TV and radio as a popular geopolitical expert.
Where Hakan can help
A key to being successful in international business is not just to understand the role of culture, but being able to adapt to it. Furthermore, truly understanding the differences and challenges will have a direct impact on the influence and therefore sustainability and profitability of any business.
Hakan’s unique insights into two profoundly different social, business and political cultures can give business and operations competitive advantage with commercial diplomacy, strategic planning, marketing strategy, mergers & acquisitions, PPPs, joint ventures and business development.
Hakan works both from Istanbul, Turkey and Washington, USA. His extensive and high-profile network in both countries, assures he has his finger on the pulse at all times.
What others say
Here's what some of Hakan's former colleagues, clients and partners had to say about him on Linkedin:
Hakan's exceptional visionary skills allowed him to be a key strategist making him instrumental in the shaping Xerox Global Services.
Hakan is a consummate strategist. He has his finger on the pulse of technology. He thinks far outside the box - and then puts the pieces back together in a unique and powerful package.
Hakan had tremendous insight and enthusiasm for the business and had exceptional leadership skills. He could make decisions quickly and he was a great colleague for collaboration as well.
Hakan is one of the "quickest minds" I ever had the pleasure to work with. He has a great analytical framework that he brings to bear on start-up businesses
Professional Background
Hakan is a Senior Advisor of Albright Stonebridge Group in Turkey and Founding Partner of Strategic Advisory Services in US. He has more than 30 years of progressively responsible, international experience directing as many as 5,000 employees with revenues in excess of $2.5 billion in Turkey, the US, Europe and China.
Based in Istanbul and Washington, DC, Hakan brings to clients operating experience in leading companies with commercial diplomacy, strategic planning, marketing strategy, mergers & acquisitions, PPPs, joint ventures and business development.
From 2006 to 2011, Hakan was the Executive Vice President of Corporate Strategy, Business Development, and Insurance Businesses of Sabanci Group. He also advised Güler Sabanci, chairperson of Sabanci Group and one of world’s top 3 most powerful women by Financial Times in 2012. Previously, Hakan was the co-founder and Managing Director of Business Development Operations for Xerox Global Services with sales of $10 billion.
He serves on the boards of several public and private companies. Hakan earned an MBA from the Simon Graduate School of Business at the University of Rochester in US, and a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from Boğaziçi University in Turkey. He graduated from Galatasaray Lycee, ranked first in class.
Hakan is married to Buse Bicer with 4 children.