Secretariat

Berceste Elif DURANAY

Secretary General

e.duranay@arbitrationcenter.org

Elif obtained her LL.B. from Bilkent University and holds an LL.M in Comparative and International Dispute Resolution from the Queen Mary University of London. She is still an LL.M student of private law at Ankara University. After completing her undergraduate degree, she worked in law firms serving many local and foreign energy and mining companies. Afterwards, she served as the in-house legal counsel of one of the biggest conglomerates in Turkey, consisting of companies operating in petroleum (upstream) and gold mining sectors, among other industries. Elif, who has gained experience in international dispute resolution during her career, continues to provide comprehensive legal services with her own law firm to her clients from the energy and mining sectors. She is also the steering committee member of the Campaign for Greener Arbitrations and an ambassador of the Arbitrator Intelligence in Turkey.


Ece DAYIOĞLU

Vice Secretary General

e.dayioglu@arbitrationcenter.org

Ece Dayıoğlu is lawyer admitted to the Istanbul Bar Association and the Paris Bar Association. She is listed arbitrator of the CIArb (UK) at “Member” level and the SIArb (Singapore) at “Fellow” level. She is listed arbitrator of the SHAC (China), the RAC (Russia) and ISTA (Turkey). She is listed mediator of the IMI (Netherlands) and the SIMI (Singapore). She works internationally as partner at Dayıoğlu Law Firm and International ADR Center (under the leadership of the managing partner Attorney Cemal Sedat Dayıoğlu) which operates in more than fifty countries from Asia to Africa, from Europe to America. She is graduated from Galatasaray University Faculty of Law. She obtained her LL.M in Arbitration and International Commercial Law from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. She obtained her LL.M in International Dispute Resolution and Economics Law from Queen Mary University of London with Merit after completing her thesis on “The Enforceability of Arbitral Awards in International Arbitration Involving States/State-Owned Entities: How to Be Ensured by the Arbitral Tribunal and to Be Resisted by the Sovereigns?”. She obtained her LL.M in Business Law from Istanbul Bilgi University after completing her project on “Protection of Shareholders with Decreasing Share Ratio Against Malicious Capital Increase in Joint Stock Companies”. She did her internship at the ICC International Court of Arbitration Secretariat as the intern of the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) Case Management Team and the Special Counsel. She is sworn translator in English and French. She is Legal Advisor of the Board of Trustees of the Gülten Dayıoğlu Child and Adolescent Literature Foundation. She is member of Galatasaray Sports Club. She is member of ICC YAF, Young ISTAC, YIAG, Young ArbitralWomen Practitioners and Young ICCA.


Dr. Alper ENER

Vice Secretary General

a.ener@arbitrationcenter.org

Dr. Mustafa Alper ENER is a faculty member at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli (AHBV) University Faculty of Law, Private International Law Department. His academic studies focus on citizenship law, foreigners law, contract law, international trade law, mediation, arbitration and international investment law. He graduated from Başkent University Faculty of Law with full scholarship in 2010. In 2011 he completed his professional training and was an attorney at Ener Law Firm. He was also a researcher at Gazi University Faculty of Law. He successfully completed Columbia Law School Summer Program in American Law in 2012. In 2013 he received his LL.M. degree with the thesis on “Formation of Contract According to CISG” at Gazi University. Dr. ENER studied in Roma La Sapienza University with Erasmus Doctorate Exchange Programme in 2014. He worked as a Senior Non-Key Legal Expert in Ministry of EU Affairs “Services Project” in 2015-2016. Dr. ENER participated in the International Arbitration Training Course offered by Leiden Law School and Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2017. He was a visiting researcher and attended courses at Georgetown Law and School of Foreign Service in 2018-2019. In 2020 he received a PhD in Private Law, with his dissertation “Entry of Foreign Direct Investment in Turkey” at AHBV University. Dr. ENER took part in study visits by several organizations in Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, Sweden and in the UK. He is a board member of United Young Academics. He is a member of Young International Arbitration Group (YIAG), Young ICSID, ICC Young Arbitrators Forum (YAF).


Ömer Faruk KIRBIYIK

Vice Secretary General

o.kirbiyik@arbitrationcenter.org

Ömer Faruk Kırbıyık, the founder and managing partner of Kırbıyık Law Firm, graduated from Istanbul University Faculty of Law. He completed financial analysis, financial management and financial accounting courses at Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration. He is currently working on the master thesis as part of his master studies on Money, Capital Markets and Financial Institutions at Istanbul University and he holds the Corporate Governance Rating License issued by the Capital Markets Authority and the Capital Market Activities Level 3 License. He has taken active role in the preparation, negotiation, management and dispute resolution process of many contracts in the fields of commercial and corporate law, capital markets, energy law, mergers and acquisitions, investment processes and relations between partnerships.


Aybike KARAHAN GÖKDERE

Vice Secretary General

a.gokdere@arbitrationcenter.org

Aybike Karahan Gökdere is an academician at Inonu University, Faculty of Law, Department of Commercial Law. She graduated from Kırıkkale University Faculty of Law. She provided legal consultancy on “Joint Venture” and “Consortium” during her law internship and continuation process. She received her LL. M. degree at Ankara University with the thesis on “Concerted Practices in Competition Law”. Aybike Karahan Gökdere, who is doing doctorate at Ankara University, continues her studies on the thesis on “General Conditions of Insurance”. She works in the fields of Commercial Law, Insurance Law, Competition Law, Intellectual Property Law and Energy Law. She is fluent in English, Russian and German.


Bünyamin KARTAL

Vice Secretary General

b.kartal@arbitrationcenter.org

Bünyamin Kartal was born in Hatay in 1991. He completed his undergraduate education at Ankara University Faculty of Law and graduated in 2013. He worked as a freelance lawyer until the middle of 2015. Kartal, who is closely interested in energy law, completed his master’s degree in Gazi University Institute of Social Sciences with his thesis on “Resolution of Disputes within the Framework of Energy Charter Agreement and Arbitration of Stockholm Chamber of Commerce”. He wrote articles on Expertise Practices in Energy Law and Jurisdiction Problems in Requests Regarding Energy Charter Agreement. Working on his doctoral thesis on “The Effect of Concordat on Continuous Debt Relations” at Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University Institute of Social Sciences, Kartal is currently working as a research assistant in the Department of Civil Procedure and Enforcement-Bankruptcy Law at İnönü University Faculty of Law.


Gökberk Kağan ÖZDEMİR

Vice Secretary General

g.ozdemir@arbitrationcenter.org

He graduated from Bilkent University Faculty of Law. He completed his master’s degree on Energy and Arbitration Law at SOAS University of London. He is the founding partner of Özdemir & Özcan Law Firm to continue his career as a self-employed lawyer registered in Ankara Bar Association. He works in the fields of Energy Law, M&A, Contract Law, Sports Law, commercial disputes and national and international arbitration. He is a member of the disciplinary board of Turkey Boxing Federation and a board member in a high-level energy company.


Mustafa Mert DİCLE

Vice Secretary General

By being among the top 1000 candidates in the university entrance exam, Mustafa Mert Dicle did his LL.B. at Istanbul University Faculty of Law and graduated in 2017 Summa Cum Laude. At the university, he founded the Dispute Resolution Club and organized many seminars on arbitration and mediation as the founding president of the club for 2 years. He has done summer internships at Clifford Chance and ICBC Bank and upon his graduation did his legal internship in the dispute resolution department at Paksoy Law Firm. He was admitted to the Istanbul Bar Association in 2018. After that, he worked in the dispute resolution department at Hergüner Bilgen Üçer Attorney Partnership for 4 years. His English level is C2, and he is also a sworn translator. Mert received a Chevening Scholarship in 2022 and as a Chevening Scholar, he graduated from the Comparative and International Dispute Resolution LL.M. program of Queen Mary University of London, School of International Arbitration with distinction. His dissertation titled “Making Türkiye More Arbitration Friendly with Respect to the Existence and Validity of Arbitration Agreements” also got a distinction. At the same time, he is BIICL’s Ambassador for Queen Mary University of London. Also, he is a contributing editor at the “E-Mails to a Young Lawyer” project. He acted as an arbitrator in many moot court competitions. He also has memberships in ICC YAAF, LCIA YIAG, CIARB, Young ICCA, ASA Below 40, Arbi.City, Young ISTAC, and Young ITOTAM. Mert also participates in the activities of the Istanbul Bar Association’s Arbitration Center as a member. He has speaking engagements on several topics related to international arbitration before ICC YAAF, ISTAC – Arbitration School, ASA Below 40, and Istanbul Bar Association’s Arbitration Center.  He also gained different perspectives, and got international experience as a visiting lawyer in London respectively at Bench Walk Advisors, White & Case LLP, CANDEY, and Alaco. Currently, he is working as a senior associate in the dispute resolution department of Pekin Bayar Mizrahi (in alliance with Norton Rose Fulbright).