Turkish Airlines appoints new CEO and Chairman in executive management changes

Turkish Airlines announced it has implemented changes in its executive management structure. New appointments have resulted on the Board of Directors and the CEO position.

Prof. Murat Şeker, who has served for many years in critical roles such as finance, treasury, and investor relations positions as Chief Financial Officer at Turkish Airlines, has been appointed as Chairman of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines.

Prof. Şeker, who earned his Master’s Degree in Economics from Sabancı University and his PhD in Economics from the University of Minnesota. Continuing his career with key roles in the international arena, he participated in various operational projects and was responsible for the production of policy reports and academic studies in various fields during his tenure as an Economist at the World Bank from 2008-13. From 2013-16, Prof. Şeker worked at Ziraat Bank as Senior Vice President of Financial Institutions and Investor Relations Department. During this period, he also served as Board Member of Ziraat Investment, Ziraat Private Pension and Ziraat Insurance subsidiaries.

He was assigned as the Chief Financial Officer of Turkish Airlines in July 2016, where he was responsible from financing, treasury operations, accounting, procurement and investor relations. He has served as Member of the Board and the Executive Committee of Turkish Airlines from March 2021. He also serves as a Board Member of Turkish Technic and SunExpress. Prof. Şeker has been a member of the Financial Advisory Council established by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) since 2024 and has served as its Chair since 2025. This council advises the IATA Board of Directors and all related bodies on policy issues related to financial sector services.

Ahmet Olmuştur, who has been responsible for the company’s strategic sales and marketing operations for many years as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Turkish Airlines.

Born in Istanbul in 1980, Ahmet Olmuştur completed his undergraduate studies in Business Administration at Marmara University and received his MBA through an international program conducted in collaboration with Long Island University (New York), European Business School (London), and Pôle Universitaire Léonard de Vinci (Paris).

Ahmet Olmuştur’s career journey began in 2000 as a part-time employee at Turkish Airlines Call Center. Building on his experience at one of the airline’s key contact points, he has achieved success, culminating in his rise to the executive management position at the national flag carrier. He continued at the airline as a Flight Analyst in the Directorate of Revenue Management and in the following years held various critical positions within the same department, including Manager of Global Distribution Systems, Manager of Revenue Management and Pricing, and Senior Vice President of Revenue Management.

Since 2014, Ahmet Olmuştur served as Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, and since 2024 he has led the company’s commercial operations as Chief Commercial Officer.

Olmuştur has made significant contributions in many strategic areas at Turkish Airlines including route network planning, revenue management and pricing strategies, sales and marketing operations, customer experience, and the Miles&Smiles loyalty program, as per the statement. Simultaneously, he serves as a Board Member and Audit Committee Member of SunExpress, Board Member of Turkish Technic, and a member of the IATA Distribution Advisory Council.