A first in finance excellence: Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF)

Sabancı University and Akbank make a groundbreaking move in finance excellence: “Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF)”

Sabancı University established the "Center of Excellence in Finance" (CEF) with the founding sponsorship of Akbank for achieving excellence in finance. The center will bring significant value to Turkey in finance, and act as a bridge between the manufacturing industry and financial institutions, market regulators, academics and students.

Nihat Berker - Suzan Sabancı Dinçer - Özgür Demirtaş

Sabancı University established the "Center of Excellence in Finance" (CEF) with the founding sponsorship of Akbank for achieving excellence in finance. The launch event for the center was held on Tuesday, March 8 at the Sabancı Center. Attending the press conference were Akbank Board of Directors Chair Suzan Sabancı Dinçer, Sabancı University President Professor Nihat Berker and Sabancı University Finance Chair and CEF Founding President Professor Özgür Demirtaş.

Sabancı University Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) aims to bring academics, industry leaders, public bodies and investors together to transform fundamental knowledge into applications with real-life relevance. The advisory board of the Center is composed of globally-renowned individuals in each of the above sectors. Sabancı University CEF Advisory Board includes Akbank Board of Directors Chair Suzan Sabancı Dinçer, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Economics Professor Daron Acemoğlu, Former Deutsche Bank CEO Josef Ackermann, Former Minister of State for UK Trade and Investment Lord Stephen Green, Harvard Business School Management Professor Dante Roscini, Former US Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin, and Former US Secretary of the Treasury and former Harvard University President Larry Summers.

Akbank Board of Directors Chair Suzan Sabancı Dinçer pointed out that education, entrepreneurship and culture and arts were priorities in their social responsibility efforts to create a better future for Turkey, continuing “We believe that such sustainable projects will be our greatest legacy. Implemented with Sabancı University as Turkey's first finance center of excellence, the Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) brings us much excitement already."

CEF will ensure an excellent finance workforce

“Our intention with CEF is to build bridges between the university, finance industry and manufacturing industry. This bridge will ensure an excellent finance workforce. CEF will bring academics, industry leaders, public bodies and investors together to transform fundamental knowledge into applications with real-life relevance. CEF will become an academic powerhouse that generates survey reports, articles and analyses needed by the finance sector and banks in particular. CEF will launch with a conference and certificate program this year, and evolve into an international platform that complements the knowledge of finance professionals in Turkey, raising more valuable individuals in 5 years.”

Sabancı University will provide world-class education with CEF

Speaking at the press conference, Sabancı University President Professor Nihat Berker said that they took another step in quality and difference with CEF, continuing, “Sabancı University has been at the forefront of education and public service since established. The Center of Excellence in Finance (CEF) in our university will be an innovative initiative in finance thanks to our vision to create and disseminate groundbreaking original knowledge, and our confidence in creativity in research and education. Through this center, Sabancı University will provide world-class education and issue survey reports that will generate the knowledge needed in the finance sector, becoming an instrument of education in this area.”

Sabancı University Finance Chair and CEF Founding President Professor Özgür Demirtaş said, “Quality has been the top priority for all events designed by CEF right from the beginning. The names on the advisory board of CEF is proof that quality matters to us above all. We will seek quality in our international conference that will begin on June 3, and in our certificate programs that will begin in October, where we will host the most distinguished figures in finance. CEF will be a groundbreaking center in high-quality finance education, make great contributions to Turkey's aspiration to become a financial hub, and help the international recognition of the country and the region."

CEF Objectives:

• Educate manufacturing industry leaders, finance executives, university students and young professionals in certificate programs led by renowned instructors whose       teaching skills are recognized worldwide;
• Host series of seminars by well-known foreign academics and workshops with the leaders of the finance sector in Turkey to enable exchange of opinions and current survey findings;
• Conduct high-quality research in various areas of finance, including asset valuation, asset allocation, investments, corporate finance, corporate governance and company valuation;
• Contribute to financial literacy and access to capital and risk management instruments for individual investors.
  

CEF trainings are planned in the following categories:

• University students and young professionals will be eligible to attend 4-day Basics of Finance courses.
• Finance executives and manufacturing industry leaders will be able to attend 2- to 4-day courses on Corporate Finance, Company Valuation, Project Appraisal, Corporate Governance, Risk Management, Asset Valuation, Investments, and Asset Allocation. Corporate investors will be offered seminars, workshops and quarterly survey reports.
• CEF’s official website and events will share survey data for small investors and other market followers. In addition, CEF will hold an annual international conference where the leaders of the world's finance sector will come together with academics, practitioners of finance, industry leaders and market regulators. CEF also intends to generate and disseminate high-quality research output in financial economics. The CEF website will publish this research data as well as research papers and articles published by faculty members in academic journals.