An interview with Ceyda Akbal Oztarhan, General Counsel at TAV Airports Holding in Turkiye.
What are the biggest external forces or trends currently shaping your role as General Counsel and how are you responding to them?
The most significant external forces are the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape (especially around ESG, data privacy, and AI), regulatory changes particularly important in Turkiye and the growing expectation for legal departments to enable – not just protect – business operations. In response, we are also focusing on proactive compliance strategies, embedding legal considerations earlier in decision-making processes. As a GC of an international growing company like TAV we also have to ensure that my team has both the legal and commercial point of view to partner effectively with the business.
How are you balancing the increasing demands of legal risk management with the expectation to drive business value and strategic insight?
This balance is probably the hardest part of the role. I try to focus on managing the real, material risks – not getting lost in theoretical ones – and keeping a practical, business-focused approach. I also spend time explaining to business leaders that legal’s role isn’t to block progress, but to help find the safest and most efficient way forward. Working in an international corporate culture is also another challenge so we must consider corporate cultural differences, too.
What’s one lesson or insight from your in-house journey that you wish you’d known earlier and would share with a fellow GC today?
I’ve learned that being a good in-house lawyer isn’t just about knowing technically the law and regulations – it’s about understanding the business and building trust. Also working closely with other departments, especially finance, HR and commercial teams makes a big difference. Legal cannot work separately in a silo. Building good, cooperative relationships helps solve problems faster and makes legal advice more relevant to the business. If I could go back, I’d focus earlier on being seen as a business partner, not just the lawyer. If people trust you, they’ll come to you earlier and listen to your advice.
