Turkish bankers’ star shines in the Gulf region
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Kerim Ülker - Vatan
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Ocak 20, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL - Demand for top Turkish bankers have been increasing in Dubai. Currently there are nearly 100 Turkish bankers, mostly working at top-level executive positions. And that is simply because of their expertise in crisis management
With more and more Dubai banks choosing to hire Turkish bankers for their experience in weathering economic crisis, the number of Turkish bankers working there has recently doubled and reached 100.
As the impact of the global economic crisis continues to spread around the word, Dubai, considered the financial capital of the Middle East, has become a very popular destination for many bankers. And Dubai’s financial establishments seem to be leaning toward hiring Turkish bankers, due to their experience on how to survive in an environment of crisis.
While there were only 40 Turkish bankers in Dubai, that number has increased to 100 this year. Nearly 70 percent of these top-level executives are employed in key locations.
In charge
The National Bank of Abu Dhabi, or NBAD, which is considered to be the number one bank in the United Arab Emirates, has five Turkish employees. "Turkish bankers are hired for key executive jobs. Currently there are five Turkish bankers working for NBAD. Turkish bankers are in change of departments such treasury and asset management, where the decisions on how to manage money in the mist of crisis are made," Giyas Gökkent, the bank’s chief economist said.
"The bank hired two more Turkish executives within the last month. Zeki Müderrisoğlu and Ali Soner Günay were hired for the assets management department.
Two or three years ago Dubai was rarely favored by bankers, however everything has changed ever since the global turmoil started, said Gökkent. "We receive hundreds of CVs everyday. This place is now among the world’s top financial centers. Dubai has also managed to quite rapidly come a long way in salaries and social rights. It opened a new employment door for the western world," he said, and added, "Now many bankers from Europe and the United States show great interest in job opportunities in Dubai.
"Turkish bankers are already well known in the international market for their capabilities. Adding the crisis experience on top of thatÉ there is no wonder they are the few selected ones for executive level jobs."
Many Turkish bankers have top-level jobs all around the world. For example, Tevfik Akdağ is the director of investment banking at National Bank of Abu Dhabi, while Hulusi Horozoğlu is the group leader of the Citi Islamic Investment Bank. İzzet Güven is also a top level executive in Millenium bank. Alper Yüksel was hired by Barkleys Bank to serve as the bank’s deputy director general last year, while Semih Özkan was hired by Standar Chartered.
As the number of Turkish bankers working in Dubai has increased, they have been holding monthly gatherings to reflect on the latest developments of the crisis.
As the impact of the global economic crisis continues to spread around the word, Dubai, considered the financial capital of the Middle East, has become a very popular destination for many bankers. And Dubai’s financial establishments seem to be leaning toward hiring Turkish bankers, due to their experience on how to survive in an environment of crisis.
While there were only 40 Turkish bankers in Dubai, that number has increased to 100 this year. Nearly 70 percent of these top-level executives are employed in key locations.
In charge
The National Bank of Abu Dhabi, or NBAD, which is considered to be the number one bank in the United Arab Emirates, has five Turkish employees. "Turkish bankers are hired for key executive jobs. Currently there are five Turkish bankers working for NBAD. Turkish bankers are in change of departments such treasury and asset management, where the decisions on how to manage money in the mist of crisis are made," Giyas Gökkent, the bank’s chief economist said.
"The bank hired two more Turkish executives within the last month. Zeki Müderrisoğlu and Ali Soner Günay were hired for the assets management department.
Two or three years ago Dubai was rarely favored by bankers, however everything has changed ever since the global turmoil started, said Gökkent. "We receive hundreds of CVs everyday. This place is now among the world’s top financial centers. Dubai has also managed to quite rapidly come a long way in salaries and social rights. It opened a new employment door for the western world," he said, and added, "Now many bankers from Europe and the United States show great interest in job opportunities in Dubai.
"Turkish bankers are already well known in the international market for their capabilities. Adding the crisis experience on top of thatÉ there is no wonder they are the few selected ones for executive level jobs."
Many Turkish bankers have top-level jobs all around the world. For example, Tevfik Akdağ is the director of investment banking at National Bank of Abu Dhabi, while Hulusi Horozoğlu is the group leader of the Citi Islamic Investment Bank. İzzet Güven is also a top level executive in Millenium bank. Alper Yüksel was hired by Barkleys Bank to serve as the bank’s deputy director general last year, while Semih Özkan was hired by Standar Chartered.
As the number of Turkish bankers working in Dubai has increased, they have been holding monthly gatherings to reflect on the latest developments of the crisis.