EFTA00577737.pdf

Ahmet M. Oren Ahmet M. Oren is the CEO of the Istanbul-based Ihlas Holding, a Turkish conglomerate with major operations and investments in Europe and in the Middle East. As the Chairman of Ihlas's media group, Mr. Oren has more than ten years of experience in building media and communication companies with global prominence. The key business philosophy of Mr. Oren has been to grow promising businesses by internationalizing their focus. Mr. Oren established the Istanbul-based TGRT-TV in 1993 as a pioneering private broadcaster in a sector dominated by state monopoly until that time. As Turkish television industry grew, Mr. Oren repositioned TGRT in 1998 as a young and dynamic channel, delivering superior business results by putting into action international concepts and expertise. TGRT's success in Turkey and abroad culminated in the establishment of TGRT-EU in 2004. Mr. Oren designed TGRT-EU as a Turkish and German bilingual channel contributing to the integration of the European Turks with the wider European society, and providing a unique communication platform for European advertisers. Ihlas News Agency is another notable example of Mr. Oren's international achievements. Under his leadership, the agency was transformed from a local wire service to the largest regional newsgathering operation in the Middle East / Near East area. Focusing on the needs of the global media and the viewer has made the agency an indispensable link in the value chain of international newsgathering from Baghdad to Kabul, from Gaza to Istanbul. The communication arm of the group, Ihlas.Net, was established by Mr. Oren as one of the earliest connectivity providers in Turkey. After the liberalization of the Turkish telecommunications market in 2004, Mr. Oren enlisted the participation of international partners, converting Ihlas.Net into a long- distance telecommunications services provider. Mr. Oren oversees Ihlas operations in food and construction sectors as well. Built on Ihlas's extensive experience in the construction of some 10,000 apartment flats, Mr. Oren is focused on developing with international partners such business models that will tap into the opportunities presented by Turkey's growing need for quality residential housing. Mr. Oren serves on the board of the International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences that awards the prestigious International Emmy for excellence in television. He is a member of such organizations as the World Economic Forum (WEF), the American-Turkish Council, the Turkish- German Businessmen's Cultural Foundation and the Turkish Association of Journalists. Mr. Oren frequently contributes to international business summits including the WEF. At the regional WEF Summit held in Jordan in June 2003, Mr. Oren called for direct investment in Middle Eastern small businesses as a way to transform the socio-economic fabric of the region. Speaking at the World Summit on the Information Society held in Geneva in December 2003, Mr. Oren set out his vision of a closely cooperating international media to tackle the growing volume and complexity of information flow. Mr. Oren is an economist by education and a computer systems specialist by training. Born in 1972 in Istanbul, Mr. Oren is a citizen of United States and Turkey. He is married to Meryem Oren, a native of New York. EFTA00577737