Ali Sabancı is Member of the Board of Pegasus Airlines and vice chairperson of Mars Sportif which are part of the Esas Private Equity portfolio. He also serves on the board of Esas Properties.

Ali is one of the co-founders of Esas Social, which was established to facilitate sustainable social investment. He focuses on increasing awareness of entrepreneurship in Turkey. As the president of the Young Entrepreneurs Board in the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), he has led successful projects including Angel Investing Legislation, Global Entrepreneurship Congress, G3 Forum, Global Entrepreneurship Week and TIM Innovation Week - Born Global. He is also an angel investor in more than 25 start-up companies.

Ali is a member of the Turkish American Business Association and the Turkish Family Business Association. In 2018 he was awarded the Légion d'Honneur by the French government for his contributions to economic relations between Turkey and France.

Ali Sabancı earned his M.B.A. degree with a major in International Finance from Columbia Business School and B.A. degree in Politics and Economics from Tufts University.

Kazım Köseoğlu is the Managing Partner of Esas Real Estate and serves on its investment committee. Also a board member at Esas Holding.

He currently chairs UK network group of Tüsiad (Turkish Industry & Business Association).

Previously, Kazım worked as an investment analyst at F&C REIT Asset Management.

Kazım Köseoğlu earned his M.S. degree in International Finance and Banking from Cass Business School and B.S. degree in Business Economics from Brown University.

Çağatay Özdoğru oversees all of Esas’ business segments including real estate, private equity, venture capital and wealth management, and serves on their investment committees. He is a board member of Esas Properties and various private equity portfolio companies including Pegasus Airlines, Mars Athletic, Korozo and Ayakkabı Dünyası.

Çağatay joined Esas Holding in 2005 as an executive board member. He played a major role in establishing Esas Private Equity where he served as CEO since 2010, until transitioning to his current role in 2019. He led a number of Esas’ private equity investments and exits of various portfolio companies including UN Ro-Ro, Mars Cinema Group and Peyman.

Previously, Çağatay was the president of IT & Telecommunications Investments at Sabancı Holding. Prior to that, he held various positions at France Telecom Group, where he last served as the executive vice president of the REEMEA region. He was also a member of the Global Operating Committee.

In 2020, Çağatay was appointed as the chairman of Turkey - France Business Council at DEIK (Foreign Economic Relations Council) and Independent Board Member of Fenerbahçe Football A.S in 2021. Çağatay is also a member of the Board of Directors at Tüsiad, Turkish Business & Industry Association as of April 2022. Previously, he served as the chairman of Turkey - Sweden Business Council and Turkey - Croatia Business Council, and board member of TBV (Turkey IT Foundation) and TUBISAD (Turkey IT Industry Association).

Çağatay Özdoğru earned his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University, where he received the Hall of Fame Award for Alumni in 2016, and B.S. degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from Istanbul Technical University.

Ernest Boles has enjoyed an international career in investment, finance and law spanning more than three decades. 

For the past 12 years, Ernest has been a senior executive within the Harald Quandt Group, a leading German investment firm established by the heirs of Harald Quandt, a prominent German industrial family.  During his tenure in the Group, Ernest has served in various senior roles, including CEO of HQ Capital, the Group’s private equity and real estate investment business, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of HQ Trust, the Group’s multi-family office and investment management business and Co-managing Director of Harald Quandt Holding, the Group’s dedicated single-family office.

Ernest currently acts as Vice Chairman of HQ Capital and serves as a standing member of the investment committees of the private equity and real estate investment businesses.  Ernest also acts on various non-affiliated boards, including as a member of the Board of Directors for esas Holding, as a member of the Investment Committee of Beiersdorf AG and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Frankfurt International School Foundation. 

Prior to joining the Harald Quandt Group in 2007, Ernest held senior positions in leading global financial institutions, including serving as CEO of Bank Morgan Stanley AG, Zurich, as the MD responsible for the non-discretionary investment program within Morgan Stanley’s London-based Wealth Management Division for EMEA and as CIO for Citi’s London-based Wealth Management Business in Europe.  Prior to his career in banking, Ernest practiced international tax law with Milbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy in New York, where he is admitted to the bar.  A former Fulbright Scholar, Ernest earned a Dr. jur degree from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and a JD from the University of Kansas, where he was a member of the Law Review.  Ernest is a frequent speaker at global conferences and events focusing on investments in alternative assets.

Robert Orr is a seasoned senior adviser and non-executive director with experience from a variety of roles in the public and private real estate sectors, including Chair and NED roles.

29 years with JLL Inc., the leading global property services firm, including 7 years as CEO EMEA and 4 years as MD of JLL’s International Capital Group, a client-facing, global business team with 12 employees located in the 5 key regions of the world, tasked to develop cross-border relationships with key investors.

Corporate Finance experience developed through 6 years as Senior Adviser with Canaccord Genuity’s Investment Banking practice and a leadership role in a complex, multi-cultural merger of a European partnership with a US firm and serving on the Main Board of the resultant NYSE-listed company, JLL Inc. 40 years of international general management and client relationship experience, including 11 years based in Germany and four years in France.

Principal external appointments

• Chairman of Tritax Eurobox Plc
• Non-Executive Director of M&G European Property Fund SICAV
• Non-Executive Manager of M&G Real Estate Funds Management S.a.r.l.
• Non-Executive Director of the Advisory Board of APCOA Parking Holdings GmbH
• Member of the Investment Advisory Committees of EQT Real Estate
• Senior Adviser to Blue Coast Capital (Lewis Trust Group)

Significant previous external experience

• JLL Inc.’s European Chief Executive Officer
• Non-Executive Director of RDI REIT P.L.C.
• Non-Executive Director of Tishman Speyer Properties UK Limited
• Senior Advisor to Canaccord Genuity Limited

Kazım Köseoğlu is the Managing Partner of Esas Real Estate and serves on its investment committee. Also a board member at Esas Holding.

He currently chairs UK network group of Tüsiad (Turkish Industry & Business Association).

Previously, Kazım worked as an investment analyst at F&C REIT Asset Management.

Kazım Köseoğlu earned his M.S. degree in International Finance and Banking from Cass Business School and B.S. degree in Business Economics from Brown University.

Fehmi Duruay is a Senior Manager in the Turkish Private Equity team.

Since joining Esas in 2011 as an Investment Analyst, Fehmi has worked on real estate investments in Turkey, Europe and the USA, as well as Turkish PE investments. Previously, he worked for Türkiye Sinai Kalkınma Bankası as a Financial Analyst, where he focused on project finance and M&A transactions.

Mr. Duruay received his B.A. degree in Business Administration from Boğaziçi University and holds an M.S. degree in Finance from Koç University.

Fehmi Duruay served on the UN Ro-Ro deal team until exit and is part of the Ayakkabı Dünyası deal team.

Çağlar is a Senior Associate in Esas Real Estate team.

Prior to joining Esas in 2019, Çağlar started his career as a Management Trainee at the private equity arm of Ünlü & Co, where he later became an Investment Banking Analyst and worked on M&A projects.

Çağlar received his B.A. degree in Business Administration from Boğaziçi University.

Yekta is an Associate in Esas Real Estate team.

Prior to joining Esas in 2022, Yekta started his career as a Project Finance Analyst at Zorlu Energy.

Yekta received his B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Boğaziçi University.