Born in 1955 in Bozdoğan, Aydın, Özkan Göksal completed his primary and secondary education in Bozdoğan. After graduating from Bursa İmam Hatip High School and Aydın High School, he received his bachelor's (1978) and master's (1980) degrees from the Faculty of Naval Architecture at Istanbul Technical University. Göksal began his professional career in 1982 as founding general manager of Ortadoğu Mühendislik Bürosu, and subsequently served as general manager of Ensar Mühendislik Bürosu (1983–1998), which he also founded. Having established Ensar Gemi ve Yan Sanayi Ltd. Şti. in 1998, Göksal went on to found Bilge Danışmanlık ve Yayımcılık Ltd. Şti. in 2001 and Merdiven İnşaat ve Turizm Ltd. Şti. in 2009, serving as chairman of the board of directors of both. He continues to run all three companies today. In addition to his business career, Göksal has served as a member of the Assembly of the Chamber of Maritime Commerce, a member of the Honor Board of the Chamber of Naval Engineers, and as a board member, auditor, and council chairman at the Association of Shipbuilders. He is also a founding member of the İlim Yayma Vakfı and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University. Elected Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University in 2021, Özkan Göksal is married with four children.
"My Dear Young Friends,
Our University was established so that one can look at the world from a universal perspective, know what one wants, plan where one is going, and understand what purpose one will serve.
İZÜ is the name of a race for civilization. The will and accumulated experience of our half-century-old founding foundation, which emerged as a product of our country's being at a crossroads in science, art, and intellectual life, transformed into a university in 2011.
Setting out on a journey to raise well-equipped, virtuous, and leading individuals who embrace the values of our civilization, produce science, serve humanity, and shape the future, İZÜ has, in a short time, reached the point of becoming an international research university.
In addition to the education provided, İZÜ contributes to your ability, as young people, to shape the life you desire in the fields of culture, art, and sports. In order to become strong individuals capable of making your own decisions, you will be able to bring student activities to life on this unique campus to develop and mature yourselves.
Preparing our students for life by organizing internship, career, and development programs for them before graduation, so that they are a step ahead, is a matter we care about as much as education. Since growing up detached from life and the conditions of the country, as if inside a bubble within the campus, would not yield positive results, we carry out collaborative efforts to overcome this.
Elevating the education you have received to a higher level through our master's and doctoral programs is also important for your post-graduation life.
We carry the ideal of raising a youth that acts on the principle that 'a person shall have nothing but what they strive for,' that loves people and fights for the principles it believes in, at a university where young people who blend science with wisdom, are open to the world, questioning, and familiar with the idea of innovation, receive their education.
Are you ready to share this excitement together?"
Özkan Göksal
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Özkan Göksal
Chairman of the Board of Trustees
Mustafa Büyükabacı graduated from the Department of Industrial Engineering at Boğaziçi University in 1984 and completed his master's degree in the same department. After continuing his academic work for a time as a research assistant, Büyükabacı worked as an executive in capital markets and investment companies from 1989 onward. Concentrating his career on asset and portfolio management and investment, Büyükabacı joined Yıldız Holding in 1993 as founding general manager and board member of Taç Yatırım Ortaklığı. Serving as Capital Markets and Finance Advisor for the Holding's money, capital and commodity markets, Büyükabacı also served as a board member at Family Finans and various group companies. Having also founded Bizim Menkul Değerler, where he served as founding general manager and board member, Büyükabacı pioneered the establishment of Yıldız Holding's real estate group, leading the institutionalization of activities in this field, and served as Head of the Real Estate Group. Having left Yıldız Holding at the end of 2010, Büyükabacı continues to pursue real estate and capital market investments through his own investment company.
Born on 10 March 1959 in Şavşat, Artvin, İsrafil Kışla graduated from the Faculty of Theology at Marmara University. He completed his master's and doctoral studies in the Department of Labor Economics and Industrial Relations at Istanbul University. Having served as general manager and deputy general chairman at the İlim Yayma Cemiyeti, Kışla served as AK Party Member of Parliament for Artvin in the 24th term of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. During this period, he served as Chairman of the Kuwait Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group and as a member of the National Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Commission. Currently serving as Deputy Chairman of Civil Society and Public Relations at the AK Party Headquarters and Chief Advisor to the President, Kışla speaks English, Georgian and Arabic. He is married with five children.
Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük graduated with honors from the Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science, at Istanbul University in 1991. He completed his master's degree at Ohio State University (Columbus, OH) in 1996 and his doctorate at the University of Utah (SLC, UT) in 2001. Joining the academic staff of the American University of Sharjah in 2002, Küçük served as assistant professor from 2002 to 2008 and associate professor from 2008 to 2014 at the same institution, and was appointed professor in 2014. He served as Director of the Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences at Yıldız Technical University from 2014 to 2016, and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Yıldız Technical University Foundation from 2016 to 2019. Joining the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University in 2017, Küçük was subsequently appointed dean of the faculty. In 2018, he was elected to the Board of Directors of Zaim Teknopark. Having assumed the role of Vice Rector in 2022, Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük was appointed Rector of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University by Presidential Decree dated 18 March 2026.
Mustafa Latif Topbaş was born in Istanbul in 1944. He began his business career in 1961 as a partner and manager at Bahariye Mensucat A.Ş., a company operating in the textile sector. In subsequent years, Topbaş served as founder and manager at various companies operating in industry and trade, and continues his activities, which he has extended into different sectors.
Born in 1965 in Erzurum, Bekir Sakıb Şahinoğlu completed his primary and secondary education in Erzurum. He graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Istanbul University in 1987. Between 1985 and 2006, he operated in the field of ready-to-wear garment production and export through Tay Tekstil Sanayi ve Dış Ticaret A.Ş. and Yıldızlar Sanayi ve Dış Ticaret Ltd., companies he founded and managed. During the same period, he carried out wholesale and retail ready-to-wear sales through stores he opened in various cities across Türkiye. Entering the food sector in 2002, Şahinoğlu reduced his activities in the ready-to-wear and food sectors in 2005 and turned to real estate valuation, development, investment and construction. Since 2009, Şahinoğlu has realized various residential and commercial real estate projects through construction companies he founded together with his partners, and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the İlim Yayma Vakfı since 2014. He is married with three children.
Born in 1988 in Istanbul, Ebubekir Tivnikli graduated from the Department of Business Administration at Marmara University. Following language education in the United States, he completed his master's degree in the Executive MBA program at Istanbul Şehir University. Tivnikli began his business career as procurement manager at Tayga İnşaat, and later worked as a commercial banking sales specialist at Kuveyt Türk Participation Bank. Joining Eksim Holding as Deputy Procurement Director in 2013, Tivnikli currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Eksim Holding. Having served as President of the University Students Community Initiative (MUNBIT) during his education, Tivnikli serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University as well as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Abdullah Tivnikli İSAR Foundation. Proficient in English and Arabic, Tivnikli is married with two children.
Born in 1974 in Istanbul, Mehmet Avni Kiğılı is a third-generation member of the Kiğılı family. Having undertaken various duties and responsibilities within Hayat Kimya in the early years of his business career, Kiğılı took over the management of personal care investments in 1997. He was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hayat Temizlik ve Sağlık Ürünleri A.Ş. in 2002, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hayat Kimya in 2009, and Chairman of the Executive Board of Hayat Holding in 2013. He currently serves as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors at Hayat Holding A.Ş., which operates in the fields of wood and forest products, home and personal care products, port operations, pulp and paper industry, retail and construction. Mehmet Avni Kiğılı is married with three children.
Born in 1953 in Tekirdağ, Yusuf Tülün graduated from Istanbul İmam Hatip High School and studied Journalism and Public Relations at Istanbul University. Tülün began his political career with roles as Şişli District Secretary (1984), Sarıyer District Chairman (1985) and Istanbul Provincial Deputy Chairman (1992) of the Welfare Party, and went on to serve as Bağcılar Deputy Mayor and Metropolitan Municipal Council Member (1992–1994), Mayor of Sarıyer (1994–1999), and Advisor to the Metropolitan Mayor (1999–2002). A founder of the AK Party's Istanbul organization, Tülün served as Istanbul Provincial Deputy Chairman. Following his advisory role at the National Palaces Department of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye, Tülün served as Mayor of Sarıyer and as Local Administrations Coordinator of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, and has served as General Chairman of the İlim Yayma Cemiyeti since 2012. Fluent in French and Arabic, Yusuf Tülün is married with four children.
Born in 1949 in the Kemah district of Erzincan, İdris Turan İlter graduated from the Faculty of Chemistry at Istanbul University. İlter began his professional career as a manager at Laksen A.Ş. between 1978 and 1984, and served as manager and deputy general manager at Kuveyt Türk Participation Bank A.Ş. between 1989 and 2001. Serving as a member of the Executive Board at Family Finans between 2002 and 2005, İlter worked as a manager at Türkiye Finans Participation Bank A.Ş. between 2006 and 2011, and served as a member of the audit board at the same institution between 2011 and 2013. He retired after an active banking and finance career spanning a total of 28 years.
Born in 1963 in Trabzon, İbrahim Taşkın graduated from the Faculty of Law at Istanbul University. Beginning his professional career as an independent attorney, Taşkın has undertaken important roles over a career spanning nearly 40 years, including as a founder and member of the Istanbul Bar Association No. 2. Also teaching law courses at the General Directorate of Security's Florya Police Training Center, Taşkın has served as founder and manager at institutions such as the Sabri Ülker Food Research Institute Foundation, the Consumer and Environmental Education Foundation, and the İlim Yayma Vakfı. Having also served as a board member of Yıldız Holding A.Ş. and Ülker Bisküvi A.Ş., Taşkın has served as Legal Counsel and General Manager of Legal Affairs at Yıldız Holding since 2004, and as Head of Global Legal Affairs since 2016. Fluent in English, Taşkın is married with four children.
Born in 1956 in Rize, Ali Zeki Saruhan completed his primary, secondary and high school education in Rize. A graduate of the Faculty of Business Administration at Marmara University, Saruhan entered business life in 1979. Beginning his career in the trade of low- and high-voltage electrical equipment, Saruhan took on the distributorship of the German brands Fakir Hausgeräte and Nilco Reinigungsmaschine in 1985. In 1996, he established the first machinery factory producing electrical appliances in Çorlu and began export activities. In 2000, he began production at a chemical raw materials, powder and liquid detergent manufacturing facility with an annual capacity of 150,000 tons, also in Çorlu. In 2005, he acquired the Fakir Hausgeräte GmbH and Nilco GmbH cleaning machinery factories in Stuttgart, Germany, incorporating them into Saruhan Holding. Currently serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the group companies operating in the chemical, machinery and construction sectors under Saruhan Holding, Ali Zeki Saruhan is married with three children.
Born in 1966 in Fatih, Istanbul, Affan Murat Kırkan graduated from the Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, at Marmara University in 1987. He subsequently completed the Master's Program in Banking and Finance at the Marmara University Institute of Social Sciences. Affan Murat Kırkan is married and the father of a daughter.
Born in 1970 in Istanbul, Muhammed Hasan Topbaş began his business career in the textile sector in 1989. Having served as General Manager at Kadifeteks Mensucat, Topbaş serves as founder and manager at various civil society organizations, in addition to his activities in trade, industry and education.
Born in 1956, Ahmet Akça graduated from the Department of Economics at the Bursa Academy of Economic and Commercial Sciences in 1980. Beginning his professional career as Foreign Trade Manager in the glass and food sectors between 1981 and 1988, Akça served as General Manager at an international foreign trade company between 1988 and 1992. He subsequently founded his own enterprise and currently serves as Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Akca Lojistik Hizmetleri ve Ticaret A.Ş., which provides logistics services. Having become a member of the Board of Trustees of Bezmialem Vakıf University in 2010 and serving as Chairman of its Board of Trustees between 2011 and 2022, Akça has held board membership and chairmanship positions at institutions such as Turkcell, Lifecell Ukraine, Global Tower, Enerjicell and TOGG. Serving as an Independent Board Member and Chairman of the Audit Committee at BİM since 2018, Ahmet Akça is also a member of the İlim Yayma Cemiyeti and a founding member of the İlim Yayma Vakfı.