She starts on October 2, 2023, and will be based in Almaty. Prior to this, from December 2018, Başak was Vice President of franchise operations of The Coca-Cola Company in Türkiye.
Başak Karaca has extensive experience in business administration, international relations, marketing, branding, strategy, and innovation. She graduated from Bosphorus University in Istanbul in two majors – business administration, and political science and international relations. She is also an alumnus of INSEAD leadership program.
Başak began her career in the marketing department of Procter & Gamble, worked in many countries, including the company’s headquarters in the USA. After 13 years at P&G, holding the role of Marketing Director for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East, and Africa she returned to Turkey to join Ülker (part of Yildiz Holding) as General Manager of Marketing. She led multiple categories, joint ventures, and strategy at Yildiz Holding, as well as served on multiple boards.
Having gained extensive experience in global businesses, in 2017 Başak founded her own consulting firm, assisting many companies in branding, strategy, business development, entering new markets, and improving efficiency, before she was invited to work for The Coca-Cola Company in Istanbul.
Başak is Vice President of YASED Türkiye (International Investor Association), member of boards of directors of AmCham Türkiye, the Global Network of Entrepreneurs (GEN Türkiye) and, until recently, also the Turkish leading sport club Galatasaray.