Aslı Özelli joined AmCham Türkiye in July 2018 as Executive Director. Before joining AmCham, Aslı was the Deputy Secretary General at DEIK (Foreign Economic Relations Board).
Aslı Özelli is elected as Member at Large to AmChams in Europe (ACE) Executive Committee for the terms 2022-2023 and 2024-2025. ACE is the AmCham Network covering 44 countries in Europe and Eurasia.
She also is nominated as a Million Women Mentorship Program Ambassador by U.S. Chamber, to support MWM’s goals between American companies in Turkey as part of STEM initiative.
During her career at DEIK for 18 years, Aslı was in charge of 27 different countries (United States, Albania, Argentina, Austria, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Montenegro, Peru, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela) Business Councils and Sectoral Business Councils (Health Tourism Business Council, Higher Education Business Council (studyinTurkey), Energy Business Council, Logistics Business Council and International Consultancy Business Council.)
After graduation, she worked as an advisor for the then NATO Parliamentarian Committee Turkish Chapter Chair and worked for Ericsson Marketing department in Ankara, respectively. During her university years, Aslı had internships as a legal officer at UNCHR Ankara and as a journalist at Deutche Presse Agentur (DPA) in Ankara.
Aslı earned both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ)International Relations. She graduted from Izmir Ozel Turk High School and was selected among few for the first American Intercultural Student Exchange (AISE) Scholarship program where she had her Junior High Year in Seattle, WA. She is married with 2 kids.
asli.ozelli(at)amchamturkey.com
Pınar Işlak is the Communications Director of AmCham Türkiye since March 2016, responsible for external relations covering media relations, social media management, event coordination, sponsorships, and content creation including written or digital materials and talking points for the Chair.
Pınar gained extensive communications experience at Citibank, one of the leading global banks, between 2006-2014 as the Communications and Public Affairs Executive. During her role at Citi, she was responsible for media relations, reputation and crisis management, internal communications, event management and corporate social responsibility. Pınar also contributed to the top management reporting to the Chief of Staff to the CEO for four consecutive years (2010-2014). Prior to joining AmCham Türkiye, Pinar also worked as a visiting Communications Associate in 2015 at AmCham UK, based in London.
During her professional career Pınar led numerous international and local projects including but not limited to: AmCham Awards (2019-present), AmCham Women Executive Mentorship Program (2016-present), Citi Micro-Entrepreneurship Awards (2006-2014), Citi Global Community Day (2006-2014), Citi Foundation Annual CSR Projects (2006-2014).
Pınar also organized and contributed to high-level events including: AmCham Awards Galas, AmCham Türkiye-U.S. Business Summit, Citi European Advisory Council Türkiye Summit, IMF 2009 Annual Meetings Istanbul, Citi 200 Years Events, FT Türkiye Summits, EuroFinance Annual Conferences.
Pinar gained her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Boğazici University. She holds an MBA degree from Galatasaray University and an MA degree in International Marketing from Cardiff Met University, UK.
pinar.islak(at)amchamturkey.com
Gözde Önal joined AmCham Türkiye as Government Affairs Director as of November 2025. In this role, she leads the Chamber’s government engagement and policy advocacy efforts, building strategic partnerships with public institutions, regulators, and industry stakeholders to support AmCham’s mission and initiatives.
Before joining AmCham Türkiye, Gözde Önal served at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara for more than a decade where she managed economic and regulatory engagement across key sectors including health, technology, trade, energy, and climate change. In this role, she acted as a primary liaison between U.S. and Turkish government institutions, business associations, and regulatory bodies, facilitating dialogue and cooperation on policy and investment priorities. Her work focused on supporting bilateral economic initiatives and conducting policy analysis to strengthen collaboration between the two countries.
Earlier in her career, she held senior business development positions at OnePIN Inc. and Erkunt Tractor, overseeing operations and partnerships across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. She also gained experience in banking and small business consulting in Türkiye and the United States.
She holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Iowa State University and a Bachelor of Science in Management from Bilkent University. She is a graduate of TED Ankara College. She has completed specialized training in Climate Diplomacy, and Oil & Gas Policy at the U.S. Foreign Service Institute. She is married with two kids.
gozde.onal(at)amchamturkey.com
Elif Soyer joined AmCham Türkiye as Member Relations Coordinator in August 2022, and has been assigned as Member Relations and Business Development Director in 2024. Elif has almost 30 years of professional experience, including 23 years experience of management, air express, OHSAS, advertising and NGO. She has intense expertise in all level of sales, people management, project management. Before joining AmCham Turkey, Elif has worked as project coordinator for the German‑Turkish Partnership Professional Skills Development Project. The project is funded and managed by the German Ministry of Federal Economic Co‑operation and Development (BMZ) by sequa.de. Elif gained her undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from Istanbul University. She completed her master’s degree at Uskudar University (Occupational Health and Safety) and Istanbul Medeniyet University (Management of Non-Governmental Organizations). She is married with a son.
elif.soyer(at)amchamturkey.com
Ayhan Yıldırım joined AmCham Türkiye as Director of Finance and Administration in August 2025. Prior to joining AmCham, he spent nearly 25 years at T. Garanti Bankası A.Ş. (BBVA), where he served as SME Banking Relationship Manager for the last 15 years.
Ayhan holds a degree in Banking and Insurance from Anadolu University. He holds Capital Markets (SPK) and Insurance Training Center (SEGEM) certifications.
ayhan.yildirim(at)amchamturkey.com
Dağlar Yaraşır joined AmCham Türkiye in 2024 as Project Manager. After graduating with honors degree from the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Istanbul University in 2019, she gained experience as a long-term intern at Sabancı University – Istanbul Policy Center.
Her master’s studies completed at Boğaziçi University equipped her with a wide range of skills in applying qualitative research methods for her master’s dissertation. During her student exchange program in the Netherlands at Maastricht University, she completed courses on EU Studies, while continuing her studies on the socioeconomic context and origins of sustainable development goals. Throughout her master’s education, she served as an assistant and advisor to women civil society leaders on various topics including gender equality, women’s economic empowerment, youth studies, entrepreneurship, and contemporary development and economic growth issues. Dağlar currently coordinates projects for diversity and inclusion, sustainability, and the food, agriculture, and livestock committees at AmCham.
Dağlar is the youngest member of the Turkish University Women’s Association, which is the branch of Graduate Women International (GWI) in Türkiye.
daglar.yarasir(at)amchamturkey.com