R/GA Istanbul Officially Opens Its Doors

R/GA is pleased to announce it is officially expanding its presence in Turkey with the opening of its 15th global office, in the one of the most innovative and dynamic cities in the world, Istanbul. The agency is also delighted to announce that Sertan Eratay, has been appointed as Managing Director, R/GA Middle East, joining from Turkey’s most iconic communications and technology company, Turkcell, where he previously held the role of Director of Digital Channels. R/GA Istanbul, which will be operationally, strategically and creatively supported by R/GA’s London office, will offer local clients senior strategic consultancy and the opportunity to build transformative business partnerships in the region.  Sertan will report into Matt Lodder, SVP Managing Director R/GA EMEA. 

For over three successful years, R/GA and Turkcell have been collaborating together on award winning work that has been globally recognised as best-in-class service design, and this close partnership between client and agency was a significant factor in opening this office. Another key strategic reason behind the decision to open R/GA Istanbul is the unique demographic of the region – with Turkey being a country rich in technology innovation, with a young mobile savvy population who are rapidly adopting mobile broadband. R/GA has long identified Istanbul as a region that shares the agency’s culture and DNA in innovation and the opening of this new office is aligned with the agencies global strategic vision. This announcement is also the first official step in R/GA exploring the huge potential for brands not just in Turkey, but the wider Middle Eastern region.

“Joining R/GA Istanbul represents a unique opportunity to help lead this exciting new chapter in the agency’s history,” said Sertan Eratay, Managing Director for R/GA in the Middle East.  “Given Turkey’s expanding role in the global economy, a rapidly evolving digital landscape in the Middle Eastern region and increased attention from both global and local clients, the time for R/GA in Istanbul has arrived. We aim to be the ‘Digital Transformation Partner’ for leading companies in their industries, helping them to differentiate themselves by digitalization. I’m extremely proud to be here and can’t wait to get started with this incredibly talented group of people.”

R/GA Istanbul has primarily opened to provide senior executive leadership, business transformation consultancy and thought leadership for local and regional clients who are looking the type of transformative partnerships that R/GA’s heritage is built on, while also being able to offer clients best in-class service design on a global stage delivered by R/GA’s London office.

“This announcement personifies the scale of the opportunity we see in Turkey, and is a key part of our long-term growth strategy for the region,” said Matt Lodder, SVP Managing Director, R/GA EMEA. “We’re privileged to be partners with two of Turkey’s most respected brands, Turkcell and Akbank, and we’re incredibly proud of the work we’ve collaborated with them on over the past three years.  Istanbul is an innovation hotbed and we see huge potential in the region for delivering transformative product and service design.  A formal presence in Istanbul under Sertan’s leadership will allow us grow our existing partnerships, while also forging new relationships with the region’s leading brands.”

Sertan Eratay has over 16 years’ experience of digital transformation in the Banking and Telecom industries, previously contributing to the foundation of Digital Banking at Garanti as the Delivery Channels Manager. After moving on from Garanti in 2005, he has achieved a proven track record as a senior manager for business or marketing teams, previously working as a 3G and Mobile Internet Manager at Turkcell. While in that role, he was responsible for ensuring the success of Turckell’s 3G Business Development and go-to-market, along with the launch of other high-profile mobile broadband services. Between 2010-2012 he worked as the Director of Business Development, establishing the online travel business bavul.com which was acquired by Paravion. Since 2012, he has been leading the Digital Channels Division, a centralized digital role at Turkcell. In that role he was responsible for developing ecommerce, overseeing digital sales & service channels and managing social media platforms and communities.