Directors
We have a growing team of 25 people. Below are the Directors at Pragma:
Ömer Bilhan
Ömer Bilhan has nineteen year investment banking experience. Ömer has completed many cross border mergers & acquisitions transactions for international and Turkish companies in a variety of industries including power, banking, paper and packaging, steel, cement and construction materials. Prior to co-founding Pragma in 2002, he worked for Global Securities and Shell Oil Company. Ömer received his BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Middle East Technical University and MBA Degree from Purdue University, USA.
Değer Şahbaz
Değer Şahbaz has seventeen years of investment banking experience. Değer took key roles in a broad range of investment banking activities including financial advisory services, mergers & acquisitions transactions and capital markets projects. His industry experience covers food, beverage, retailing, tobacco, banking, telecommunication, textiles, paint, technology, media and insurance. Prior to co-founding Pragma in 2002, he worked for Global Securities. Değer received his BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boğazici University and MBA Degree from Koç University.
Şükrü Barlass
Şükrü Barlass has seventeen years of investment banking experience. He has been involved in a variety of transactions in the areas of privatization, mergers & acquisitions, capital markets advisory and other financial advisory. Şükrü has advised both private and public sector clients in a broad range of industries, including energy and utilities, natural resources and chemicals, metals and mining, food and retail, and financial institutions. Prior to joining Pragma in 2007, he worked for Global Securities and Finansbank. Şükrü holds an MBA degree from Koc University and a BS degree in Industrial Engineering from İstanbul Technical University.
Özlü Yalaza
Özlü Yalaza has sixteen years of experience in investment banking. Throughout his career in investment banking, he has contributed to numerous projects in mergers & acquisitions advisory, financial restructuring, privatization, floatation and various capital markets products. Özlü has extensive experience in various industries, mainly construction materials, logistics, energy, food, and chemicals. Prior to co-founding Pragma, he worked for Global Securities, Dundas, Ünlü & Co. and Finansbank. Özlü received his BS Degree in Chemical Engineering from Boğazici University and MBA Degree with a concentration in finance from University of Texas at Austin, USA.
Mustafa Akgün
Mustafa Akgün has fifteen years of experience in investment banking. Throughout his career in investment banking, he has contributed to numerous projects in mergers & acquisitions advisory, private placements, privatization, and structured equity products. Mustafa has extensive experience in various industries, mainly healthcare, pharmaceuticals, insurance, food, and construction materials. Prior to co-founding Pragma, he worked for Global Securities. Mustafa received his BS Degree in Industrial Engineering from Boğazici University, MBA Degree with a concentration in finance and MS Degree in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering from University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA.
Kerim Kotan
Kerim Kotan has fifteen years of investment banking experience in Turkey, focusing on mergers & acquisitions, divestments, privatizations, equity offerings, private placements, acquisition financings and restructurings. Throughout his career in investment banking, Kerim has advised numerous projects in a broad range of industries including telecommunication, power, chemicals, financial services, food, retail, pharmaceuticals and consumer durables. Prior to joining Pragma Corporate Finance in 2010, he worked for Standard Ünlü, ABN AMRO Bank, Global Securities and Republic National Bank of New York. Kerim received his BS Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University, USA and MBA Degree from Cornell University, USA.
Saltuk Buğra Akbulut
Saltuk Buğra Akbulut has thirteen years of experience in investment banking with a focus on mergers & acquisitions advisory. His industry experience covers electricity generation and distribution, packaging, paper, steel, chemical, mining, consumer products and banking. Prior to co-founding Pragma, he worked for Global Securities and Boğaziçi University. Saltuk received his BS Degree and MS Degree in Industrial Engineering from Boğaziçi University.