Arif Akdag, founder of EKA GLOBAL (a network of companies spanning a variety of businesses) is a serial entrepreneur and an experienced venture investor with a seemingly endless appetite for starting new businesses.
Mr. Akdag joined Arthur Andersen’s Moscow/Russia (and later Almaty/Kazakstan) offices in 1992 where he worked for six years. Mr. Akdag was a member of the team that built Arthur Andersen’s Russian Federation and Kazakstan audit, tax and legal services practice.
He has provided audit compilations, performed financial, operational and internal control reviews for Arthur Andersen’s multinational, Russian, Turkish and Kazakh clients active in the banking, construction, manufacturing, oil & gas and hospitality industries including Menatep Bank, Troika-Dialog Bank, Coca Cola Bottlers CIS, Kempinsky Hotels Russia, Dow Chemical, Nordica Energy, Occidental Petroleum and Newmont Mining. He was also involved in many Russian and international audits, restatements, evaluations, diagnostic studies and due diligence reviews. Mr. Akdag audited The National Bank of The Republic of Kazakstan for two consecutive years and also assisted the European Commission Defense Conversion Program for Moscow Area.
Mr. Akdag left Arthur Andersen and focused on coordinating family- run businesses and assets in real estate, manufacturing, foreign trade and maritime industries.
To build an influential community of business angels, Mr. Akdag became an active member in Galata Business Angels. Mr. Akdag not only invested in many innovative business start-ups but has also become one of the pioneering and leading business angels in Turkey focusing on technology-enabled services, mobile, internet, media, digital advertising, entertainment and advanced manufacturing industries.
Mr. Akdag received his B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College in Pennsylvania, USA in Business Administration (major), Economics (minor) and Russian (concentration). Mr. Akdag is also a graduate of Robert College in Istanbul with honors and outstanding achievements in student activities.
He is fluent in English, Russian and Turkish.