Professor M. M. Gülay Barbarosoğlu graduated from Robert College in 1974. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering in 1978 and her PhD in the same department at Boğaziçi University in 1985, before she became Professor of Industrial Engineering in 2000. She designed and delivered lectures on mathematical programming and optimization, logistic, operation and production planning, and decision-making theories.

Prof. M. M. Gülay Barbarosoğlu acted as Rector at Boğaziçi University from 2012 to 2016, and Vice Rector Responsible for Research at Boğaziçi University from 2008 to 2012. She took on various administrative roles at Boğaziçi University. Between 2002 and 2006, she worked as the Manager of Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KRDAE), as the Manager of Center of Disaster Management (CENDIM), and President of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Program of Financial Engineering.

Having taken on international duties, Prof. M. M. Gülay Barbarosoğlu acted as a Member of the Board of Directors at the European Universities Association between 2013 and 2017. During her duties as the Vice Chair of the Association of European Operational Research Societies (EURO) between 2003 and 2007, and the national representative at NATO Research and Technology Organization between 2002 and 2010, she worked in close collaboration with various European universities, governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Prof. Barbarosoğlu is a Founding Member of EURO Organizational Planning European Study Group and a Member of the Management Sciences Institute (INFORMS), American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) and International Industrial Engineering and Production Management (IEPM). Attaching great importance to civil society activities, Prof. Barbarosoğlu actively worked to establish Neighborhood Disaster Volunteers (MAG), and she acted as a Member and Chair of the Board of Directors. Prof. M. M. Gülay Barbarosoğlu retired from Boğaziçi University in December 2016. She serves as Founding Representative at Hisar Education Foundation schools and as Board of Trustees Member at Özyeğin University.

Levent Çakıroğlu graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences, Business Administration Department and received his master’s degree from University of Illinois. He started his career as an Assistant Auditor at the Ministry of Finance in 1988, where he worked as a Senior Auditor from 1991 to 1997. He was appointed as Assistant Manager of Financial Crimes Investigation Board in 1997 and 1998, meanwhile he taught as a Part Time Instructor at Bilkent University. Çakıroğlu, joined Koç Group in 1998 as Koç Holding Financial Group Coordinator. He was the General Manager of Koçtaş from 2002 until 2007 and the CEO of Migros from 2007 to 2008. He was assigned as the CEO of Arçelik in 2008 and also became the President of the Durable Goods Group of Koç Holding in April 2010. Çakıroğlu has been appointed as the CEO of Koç Holding in April 2015. He currently serves as the CEO and has also been Member of the Board of Directors of Koç Holding since April 2016. Levent Çakıroğlu is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Arçelik- LG and Türk Traktör as well as the Vice Chairman of Otokar and Yapı Kredi Boards of Directors, and Member of the Board of Directors at various Koç Holding companies. Çakıroğlu has served on the Aygaz Board of Directors since 2015.