December 20, 2017

The American Turkish Society is pleased to announce the sixth class of “Young Society Leaders,” a group of 25 accomplished professionals with a demonstrated record of leadership ability and commitment to serve the U.S.-Turkish community at large.

“We welcome the new class of Young Society Leaders and are extremely pleased to have an opportunity to recognize and work with these outstanding young leaders who will help form the dialogue and ties between our two countries,” said Larry Kaye, Vice Chairman of The American Turkish Society who is overseeing the Young Society Leaders program.

The “Young Society Leaders” program’s goal is to cultivate the next generation of leaders and to positively impact issues that matter to the American-Turkish community at large. Young Society Leaders represent a diverse field of professions from business, law, science, academia and the arts and are elected by a nomination committee every year.

“Our aim is to facilitate the functioning of an open-platform of select, qualified, socially-engaged leaders who in turn bring their intellectual potential and capabilities to achieve an impact for better American-Turkish engagement,” said YSL Chairman Serkan Elden.

This year’s new Young Society Leaders are:

Onur Erzan, Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company
Meredith Walker, Global Economist at The East West Institute
Egemen Duzgoren, Vice President at Garrison Investment Group
Emine Nil Erbil, Owner of StyleMood
Cetin Amato, CEO of Elma Farms and Milas Foods
Atil Erken, General Partner at Collective Spark
Dr. Bahar Uslu, Medical Doctor at Society of Histologists and Embryologists (SOHE)
Selin Kurnaz, Co-Founder & CEO of Massive Bio
Petek Pekgoz, Global Head of Digital at Lazzard Asset Management
Goksin Ozkarahan, M.D. & Psychiatrist
Emrah Ercan, Director of Digital Strategy at General Electric
Arda Ocal, Broadcaster at MSG Networks, ESPN
Ege Maltepe, Founder & Director at Spolin-Ist Classical for All
Gokcen Aygenc, Senior Management Analyst at Statinmed Research
Dr. Tuna Ozyurekoglu, Assistant Professor & Hand Surgeon, The University of Louisville
Aydin Balka, Managing Consultant/Owner at Navigant Consulting/ Pataraconcept
Basak Ilhan Cekceoglu, Founder of Road Design Advertising Agency
Cem Altuntas, Vice President at Moelis & Company
Jimmy Cuneyt Gurkan, CEO of TOA Consulting
Ugur Korkmaz, CEO at La Vern Skincare
Hakki Akdeniz, CEO & Founder of Champion Pizza
Ozcan Cikmaz, CEO of Hospital on Mobile
Michael Ashmore, CEO & Founder of Sabah Shoes
Elif Demircan-Huttemann, Acting Executive Director of AmCham /ABFT Turkey, and
Aysun Demircan, Associate at McKinsey & Company

The American Turkish Society’s mission

The American Turkish Society’s mission is to enhance business, economic, and cultural ties between Turkey and the United States. The Society convenes leaders in government, business, and civil society to discuss and advance U.S.-Turkish relations; fosters understanding and cooperation between the two countries through education, cultural exchange, philanthropy, and networking; informs the American public about Turkey’s current affairs, economy, history, and society; presents and supports programs highlighting Turkish arts and culture; and nurtures the next generation of leaders through its Young Society Leaders program.

Founded in 1949 by a group of visionaries, The American Turkish Society is the oldest American institution dedicated to building bridges between the United States and Turkey in order to achieve common goals of peace and prosperity.The American Turkish Society is a 501(c) 3 charitable organization, registered in New York State. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

For further information, please contact:

E. Janset Batibay, Executive Director, The American Turkish Society
[email protected]

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Selin Kurnaz Part of Young Society Leaders