Turkish Airlines appoints new board chair & CEO

Turkish Airlines has implemented changes in its executive management structure.

Prof. Murat Şeker, who has served for many years in critical roles such as finance, treasury, and investor relations positions as CFO at the national flag carrier, has been appointed as chairman of the board of directors and the executive committee of Turkish Airlines.

Şeker, who earned his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering from Marmara University in 2000, received his Master’s Degree in Economics from Sabancı University and his PhD in Economics from the University of Minnesota.

Continuing his career with key roles in the international arena, Şeker participated in various operational projects and was responsible for the production of policy reports and academic studies on innovation, entrepreneurship, international trade, and growth in developing countries during his tenure as an Economist at the World Bank from 2008 to 2013.

Prof. Şeker was assigned as the chief financial officer of Turkish Airlines in July 2016, where he was responsible for financing, treasury operations, accounting, procurement and investor relations.

He has served as Member of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines from March 2021. He also serves as a Board Member of Turkish Technic and SunExpress.

Meanwhile, Ahmet Olmuştur, who has been responsible for the company’s strategic sales and marketing operations for many years as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), has been appointed as chief executive officer.

Born in Istanbul in 1980, Olmuştur completed his undergraduate studies in Business Administration at Marmara University and received his MBA through an international program conducted in collaboration with Long Island University (New York), European Business School (London), and Pôle Universitaire Léonard de Vinci (Paris).

Olmuştur’s career journey began in 2000 as a part-time employee at Turkish Airlines Call Center. Building on his experience at one of the airline’s key contact points, he achieved exemplary success, culminating in his rise to the executive management position.

He continued his career at the airline as a flight analyst in the Directorate of Revenue Management.

In the following years, Olmuştur held various critical positions within the same department.

Since 2014, Olmuştur served as chief marketing and sales officer, and since 2024 he has led the company's commercial operations as chief commercial officer.

Throughout his career, Olmuştur has made significant contributions in many strategic areas at Turkish Airlines; including route network planning, revenue management and pricing strategies, sales and marketing operations, customer experience, and the Miles&Smiles loyalty program.