After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1980, Tayfun Bayazit received an MBA from Columbia University in Finance and International Business. Beginning his banking career at Citibank in 1983, he subsequently worked in senior executive positions within Cukurova Group for 13 years, including Yapi Kredi Bank (Senior Executive Vice President and Executive Committee Member), Interbank (CEO) and Banque de Commerce et de Placements S.A. Switzerland (President and CEO). In 1999, he was appointed as the Vice Chair of Dogan Holding and an Executive Director of Disbank. He assumed the CEO position at Disbank in 2001 and was appointed as the Chair of the Board of Directors in 2003. He became the CEO of Fortis Turkey and Member of the Executive Committee of Fortis Global after the acquisition of the majority shares of Disbank in July 2005. Tayfun Bayazit assumed the position of the Chair of the Board of Directors of Fortis Turkey after the General Assembly Meeting of Shareholders in 2006. In 2007, Mr. Bayazit returned to Yapi Kredi (a partnership of Unicredit and Koc Groups) as Managing Director and CEO, and was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors in 2009. Mr. Bayazit resigned from his duties at Yapi Kredi in August 2011 to establish Bayazit Management & Consulting Services, where he currently serves as President. In addition to being a member of the Boards of Directors of various companies, Mr. Bayazit is also actively engaged in the management of numerous civil society organizations including the Turkish Industry and Business Association (TUSIAD), Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey (TEGV), Corporate Governance Association of Turkey (TKYD), WRI Turkey, and Darussafaka