Sebnem Ipekci

Garanti BBVA International is established in Amsterdam, the Netherlands since 1990. We serve to retail, corporate and institutional clientele. We offer financial solutions to our customers and counterparties in the areas of trade and commodity finance, corporate banking and global markets. GBI also provides targeted retail banking services in the Netherlands and Germany. GBI is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Turkiye Garanti Bankasi A.S. (Garanti BBVA). Our ultimate parent is Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA). GBI operates in compliance with the Dutch and European Union laws and regulations, and is under the supervision of European Central Bank (ECB), De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) and De Autoriteit Financiële Markten (AFM).

As the Executive Vice President overseeing Strategy and Control at Garanti BBVA Teknoloji, I spearhead key initiatives to drive global engineering strategies and disciplines. My responsibilities include: Strategic Leadership: Developing and implementing global engineering strategies, aligning them with business objectives. Providing leadership in governance and control of the technology budget, ensuring optimal financial processes. Talent Management: Led comprehensive human resources activities, including cultural transformation and talent development. Nurtured a high-performance culture, emphasizing talent retention and professional growth. Project and Program Oversight: Pioneered and led the organization-wide Agile transformation, that significantly elevated agility and markedly improved operational efficiency. Managing the Project and Program Office, ensuring successful implementation of the portfolio. Directing strategic initiatives, overseeing the execution of projects to meet organizational goals. Process Optimization: Governing and automating internal business processes for enhanced efficiency. Implementing measures for the measurement and reporting of best-in-class IT metrics. Strategic Vision: Fueled by a commitment to excellence, I play a pivotal role in aligning technology initiatives with overarching business objectives. My strategic oversight ensure the successful execution of projects and programs while optimizing internal processes for peak performance.

As a pivotal member of the executive team, I played a strategic role in shaping the direction and overseeing operations of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) division, catering to 33 million mobile and 1 million fixed-line customers. Achievements: Elevated operational efficiency and customer satisfaction through strategic solutions delivery. Successfully transitioned the organization to Agile methodologies, enhancing adaptability. Led the development of critical in-house applications and integration of best in class global solutions. Implemented innovative marketing solutions, contributing to real-time personalized customer interactions.

Member of European executive team managing a multinational organization Responsible for leading the BIS business unit’s operational performance to attain/exceed targets for profitable growth in the region; Drive optimization of BIS performance and processes against measures, including forecasting, funnel management and overall financial discipline

Member of regional executive team managing a multinational organization Startup and grow the IM practice in MEMA (Middle East and Africa) region : Prepare and execute the business plan Lead the countries in the successful winning and delivery of the IM projects and achieve targeted profit Establish good alignment and agreements with global delivery Develop programs with global and local partners

Led the startup and growth of the consulting and integration business for HP Turkey, achieving double-digit million USD revenue. As the driving force behind all aspects of the business, responsibilities included: Revenue Growth Business Development and Sales Leadership Team Leadership Partnerships Management Key Achievements: Successfully executed largest systems integration projects, including Sales Force Automation, Master Data Management, Service Delivery Platform, Mobile Portal, and Campaign Management.

Led a multi-million dollar core banking implementation project for a major bank in Turkey. Oversaw a diverse team of 50+ individuals, including subcontractors, company resources, and bank employees, managing all project phases from requirements definition to software customization and deployment.

Started as a software developer and moved to project management role managing a team of software developers. Consilium Inc was developing MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems) software for semiconductor manufacturers.