The Aksan Law Firm has advised SuperGears Games on its recent investment round led by The TMRW Foundation.
Istanbul’s Supergears Games focuses on developing games in the mobile racing genre.
Luxembourg-based The TMRW Foundation is a hybrid tech company that focuses on technologies, products, and services that combine communication, gamification, digitalization, and urbanization.
The Aksan team included Partner Alper Onar and Associate Oguz Madran.
Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling have announced the appointment of David Foster as the new Regional Managing Partner for the Middle East, Turkiye, and Africa for the combined A&O Shearman firm, starting May 1, 2024. He will serve an initial term of two years.
According to the firm, “David’s appointment follows the recent election of Khalid Garousha as Senior Partner of A&O Shearman. Khalid, who will take up his role on May 1, has led A&O’s Middle East and Turkiye operation since 2020.”
Foster has been with Allen & Overy since 2004 when he joined as a Trainee. He became an Associate in 2006, a Senior Associate in 2011, and a Partner in 2014.
“I am delighted that David has agreed to take on this role,” Garousha commented. “He epitomizes the unrivaled quality and excellence of A&O Shearman in the region and will no doubt lead our combined regional practice to even greater success. From May 1, the Middle East and Turkiye region will also be joined by our colleagues in Morocco and South Africa, and David will assume responsibility as the managing partner of this region.”
“I would like to thank Khalid for his leadership and commitment to deepening relationships with our clients and for helping to build our Middle East and Turkey practice to the formidable position it is in today,” Foster added. “I have always felt privileged to be part of the A&O regional team and am extremely excited to have the opportunity to lead one of the region’s most highly regarded full-service legal practices.”
Former Senior Legal Counsel Can Aksoy has been appointed as Delivery Hero’s Principal Legal Counsel M&A.
Aksoy has been with Delivery Hero for over three years, joining the Berlin team back in 2021. He previously spent seven years with Paksoy, between 2014 and 2021, starting as a Legal Intern and departing as a Senior Associate.
Delivery Hero describes itself as the world’s leading local delivery platform, operating in 70+ countries worldwide.
Originally published in CEE In-House Matters.
Former Turkiye Finans Katilim Bankasi Head of Legal Advisory Mehmet Tekergul has moved to the Alternatif Bank as Head of Legal.
Before the move, Tekergul spent almost two years with Turkiye Finans Katilim Bankasi. Earlier, he spent seven years as the Head of Legal and Compliance at Volkswagen Dogus Finansman, seven and a half years in-house with HSBC, and two and a half years as a Legal Advisor with Sekerbank.
Alternatif Bank, which joined the Turkish banking sector in 1991, became a 100% subsidiary of The Commercial Bank at the end of 2016. Founded in 1975 as Qatar’s first private bank, The Commercial Bank claims to be among the leading financial institutions in the Qatari economy.
Originally published in CEE In-House Matters.
The Aksan Law Firm has advised Founder One on its investment in VerdantWave.
VerdantWave produces plastics enriched with agricultural waste to reduce carbon emissions and petrol use.
Founder One is an Istanbul-headquartered venture capital fund that specializes in early-stage technology-focused investments.
The Aksan team included Partner Alper Onar and Associate Semiha Kose.
Aksan did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.
Tunca has advised AC Cimento on its acquisition of Tracim Cimento in Turkiye.
AC Cimento is a subsidiary of the Caba Insaat Enerji Turizm construction company.
Tracim Cimento is a cement company in Turkiye’s Thrace region with an annual production capacity of 2 million tons.
The Tunca team included Partners Sidar Tunca and Ahmet Ilker Dogan and Associate Ezgi Alimci.
Tunca did not respond to our inquiry on the matter.
Dentons’ Turkish affiliate Balcioglu Selcuk Ardiyok Keki has advised Ikas on its USD 20 million Series A funding round led by the IFC and the Re-Pie Asset Management Company. Clifford Chance Turkish affiliate Ciftci Attorney Partnership advised the IFC. Unsal advised Re-Pie.
Ikas is an e-commerce platform designed for small businesses.
The BASEAK team included Partners Okan Arican, Sahin Ardiyok, and Bora Ikiler, Senior Consultant Zeynep Sengoren Ozcan, Senior Associate Gediz Cinar, and Associates Dilruba Guldogan and Efe Ozen.
The Ciftci Attorney Partnership team included Counsel Deniz Gocuk and Associate Aysu Gurbuz.
The Unsal team included Managing Partner Furkan Unsal, Partner Sait Baha Erol, Senior Associate Ahmet Erturk, and Associate Berrak Cosar.
Turunc has advised Wellbees on its bridge financing round led by Sabanci Ventures and including 212, Enocta, and angel investors.
Wellbees is a Turkish-US corporate well-being platform.
“The increase in the stress of employees with the multiple crises around the world increases the investments of companies in the field of well-being,” Wellbees CEO Melis Abacioglu said. “With the investment round, we will continue to increase our technology investments, contribute to the analysis of the data of companies, and thus take actions that will increase employee happiness and loyalty.”
The Turunc team included Managing Partner Kerem Turunc and Associates Beste Yildizili Ergul and Canberk Taze.
Turunc could not provide additional information on the matter.
The Ergun Law Firm has advised Koc Holding on its acquisition of 80% of the shares in the Kemer Medical Center Ozel Saglik Hizmetleri. The Akol Law Firm reportedly advised the sellers, including CEECAT Capital.
The Kemer Medical Center Ozel Saglik Hizmetleri is a private healthcare provider operating a network of seven hospitals in Antalya under the Anatolia Hospitals brand.
Koc Holding is the largest industrial conglomerate in Turkey, and the only company in the country to be listed on the Fortune Global 500 (2023).
The Ergun team included Partner Lara Sezerler, Senior Associate Irmak Yensel Nergiz, Associates Serra Nur Celik, Irem Delen, Begum Sen, Melis Kaim, and Naz Cercioglu, and Legal Interns Betul Mirik and Derya Goktas.
CORE Consulting and Onal Attorneys at Law have merged to form a new law firm in Turkiye: CoPartners Competition & Regulation.
CoPartners is led by Onal Attorneys at Law founder Emre Onal and CORE Consulting founder Sezin Elcin Cengiz. While Onal Attorneys at Law was established in January 2022, CEE Legal Matters reported on CORE Consulting’s launch back on August 4, 2023.
According to the new firm, the merger aims to create “Turkiye’s go-to firm in competition law and regulation, drawing on Sezin’s and Emre’s extensive experience delivering top-tier services at international law firms, all within an independent framework.”
Cengiz, who has been practicing law for 23 years, has been helming her own firm since 2023. Before that, she spent 12 years with White & Case, the first ten as a Senior Advisor and the final two as a Senior Director for Competition, leading the firm’s Competition practice group. Before that, she spent ten years with the Turkish Competition Authority as an Antitrust Expert and Case Handler, between 2001 and 2011.
Onal has 21 years of experience in private practice. Before establishing Onal Attorneys at Law at the start of 2022, he served as the head of Competition/Antitrust practice with Allen & Overy for eight years. Earlier, he spent a year with Arikan as a Partner and, earlier still, four and a half years with Aslan as a Senior Associate. He began his career in 2004 as an Associate with the Actecon Competition & Regulation Consultancy, where he spent three years.
In addition to Cengiz and Onal, the CoPartners team includes Partner Adnan Akgun and Associates Zeynep Ozgultekin, Umut Bakanogullari, Bahadır Bektas, Merve Demirkaya, and Ilayda Akca.
“This is an exciting new chapter for me and Emre,” Cengiz commented. “Our backgrounds are remarkably similar, and this merger will enable us to leverage our collective strengths and resources to better serve our clients while achieving shared success.”
“I am confident that Sezin and I will make this firm the powerhouse for competition and regulation advisory services in Turkey and the Middle East region,” Onal added. “This merger will bolster our capabilities and broaden our scope, enabling us to provide outstanding legal services that surpass client expectations.”