M. lker Ayci , born in Istanbul in 1971, is a 1994 alumni of Bilkent University’s Department of Political Science and Public Administration. After completing a research stay on political science at Leeds University in the U.K. in 1995, Mr. Ayci completed International Relations Master’s program at the Marmara University in Istanbul in 1997.

In his professional career which started in 1994, Mr. Aycı held a variety of positions at Kurtsan Medicine, Universal International Trade, and the Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul, where, as an advisor to the then Mayor of Istanbul, H.E. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, he took part in a number of development projects realized in Turkey’s largest city. In the insurance sector, Mr. Aycı became the General Manager of Başak Sigorta in 2005.

After the company’s successful privatization, Mr. Aycı took over the management of Güneş Sigorta, one of the largest insurance companies in Turkey, in 2006. As the General Manager until 2011, he considerably increased both the value and size of the company.

In 2011, Mr. Aycı became the President of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey, the only official national body to promote Turkey’s investment environment globally and to assist international investors in their investment projects. Between 2013 and 2015, Mr. Aycı also held first the Vice Presidency and then, the Presidency of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies ( WAIPA), the umbrella organization of over 170 investment promotion agencies from 130 countries.

Since 2015, Mr. Aycı is the Chairman of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines. Currently, Mr. Aycı is also the Chairman of the Service Exporters’ Association of Turkey and serves as a board and audit committee member of the Turkish Football Federation, the chair of the board of Turkish Airlines Sports Club.
Mr. Aycı is also the Turkish Airlines representative of the Turkey-U.S.A., Turkey-Brazil and Turkey-U.K. Business Councils, as well as an Executive Board member of the Turkey-U.S.A. and Turkey-U.K. Business Councils under the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey (DEİK).

Previously, Mr. Aycı held positions at different capacities in several organizations including the Insurance Association of Turkey, Turkey-Canada and Turkey-China Business Councils, Vakıf Emeklilik, and Güneş Sigorta Sports Club. Mr. Aycı speaks English and Russian.