Hakki is responsible for the firm’s presence in Turkey, and manages the Istanbul office. From there he is principally responsible for the origination of new forfaiting, trade finance and working capital financing transactions in Turkey. He covers a large corporate client base, and assists the London office in structuring financings that can then be placed by the London-based distribution team.

A Turkish citizen, born in Ankara, and fluent in English, Hakki graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Management and Engineering from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara. From there he moved to England, completing a Master’s degree in Operational Research at Sussex University.

His career has involved twenty years with Santral Holding Group in Istanbul, a long-established firm involved in textiles, metals and chemicals. Through a variety of roles, Hakki rose to be the Chief Financial Officer. In 1990, he branched out on his own, forming Hakki Üzel Danismanlik Limited in Istanbul, to provide advisory services in project finance, and short and medium-term general financial consultancy.

In mid-1998, he moved to GML. Married, and with a son that has now flown the nest, Hakki can almost always be seen in the company of his faithful hound Boris.