EXPERIENCE -Arzu Akkas, MD

As a well-rounded professional who has exhibited; Strategic Planning, Business Development, Leadership and Execution Competencies in Healthcare, Insurance and Assistance sectors in Turkey for global companies, Arzu Akkaş is now working as a consultant with large international and local health, life, travel A&H insurers, pension companies, brokers and reinsurers for their new and existing businesses.

Her experience on the operational site of both healthcare service providers and financing companies enables her to provide support and advice on operational excellence, customer engagement and digital transformation for healthcare financing companies and healthcare providers.

The business development through B2B, B2B2C and direct to customer projects she carried out is a result of deep market knowledge and stakeholder relations that is supported by marketing and research studies specific to each new project.

She is highly creative in designing innovative insurance and healthcare service products for existing customers’ loyalty/engagement and also for new affinity groups. She has led project teams on topics such as customer centricity, client retention, and loyalty improvement programs.

As a seasoned Executive Director with previous experience with American Chamber of Commerce, AIG and HSBC, as well own consultancy in the Middle Eastern countries and Turkey.

Under her leadership, the overall performance of the operations had been highly exceeding the expectations while the corporate membership portfolios grew.

She had spent most of her career with AIG’s life insurance operations ALICO (now Metlife) managing corporate Employee Benefits line including sales, operations, underwriting, reinsurance and financial management responsible for multiple countries. Stationed in Dubai, UAE, she was the Regional Manager for Product Development at Middle East Africa and South Asia Division covering 14 countries and Regional Manager for Credit Insurances covering Gulf Countries prior to joining HSBC as the Regional Manager – Insurance responsible for retail insurance business throughout the Middle East. She had line management and profit and loss responsibilities for all the positions she had held during her past career.

Ms. Menke earned a bachelor’s degree in foreign language education at Middle East Technical University and a post graduate degree in international business management at Bosporus University. She also attended Baruch College, City University of New York for master’s degree in financial management. She is a certified underwriter and holds a professional of customer service designation from Life Office Management Institute in USA and an Executive Certificate in Project Management from Georgetown University. She is also holding a post graduate certificate in Digital Marketing from Columbia Business School.