President's Message

Recep Süleyman Özdil

President of the Management Board - President of the Foundation for Education and Culture "ÜSKÜP"

Mr. Özdil is the Chairman and Independent Member of the Board of Directors of Halk-bank A.Ş. Turkey. He was born in Istanbul in 1961.

 

He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Political Science, Department of Economics. After beginning his professional career as an Auditor at a private company in 1984, Ozdil served as a Specialist, Assistant Manager, and Branch Manager at Albaraka Turk Ozel Finans Kurumu A.S. in the years from 1986 to 1993. He worked as a Finance Coordinator at a private company between 1993 and 1995 before performing his duties as Assistant General Manager at İhlas Finans Kurumu A.S. from 1995 to 2001 and at Family Finans Kurumu A.S. from 2001 to 2005.

 

Ozdil served as a board member and General Manager at Birlesik Fon Bankasi A.S. from 2005 till 2011, and as a board member of the Savings Deposit Insurance Fund between 2011 and 2014. He has been serving as Chairman of Halkbank A.Ş. Turkey since August 28, 2015. On 29 January 2022, Mr. Özdil was elected as President of the Assembly of the Foundation for Education and Culture “ÜSKÜP” and President of the Management Board of the International Balkan University.

 

Valuable members of the great family of International Balkan University, It represents an extraordinary honour and privilege to address all of you with this letter as the new President of the Management Board of the International Balkan University and President of the Assembly of the Foundation for Education and Culture “ÜSKÜP”. I have been honored to this position relying on the vision, trust, and success that IBU represents today all over the Balkans, Türkiye, and further beyond. In the very beginning, allow me to share with you one of the leading principles of my life, and that is – “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”.

 

There have been countless important moments in my life, but let me confess, I have always spared a special place in my heart for IBU, since its foundation in 2006. I believed then and I believe much more today, that IBU is a prominent higher-education institution in the Balkans. With its multinational, multicultural, and multi-religious background, IBU plays a crucial role in building and fortifying bridges of cooperation, mutual support, and brotherhood between the peoples of the Balkans and Türkiye.