Board of Directors
Serdar Mutlu
Founder, Chair, Board of Directors, Board of Governors
Serdar graduated from University of Istanbul in 1981 with Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree. He received his MSc and PhD from Bristol University and worked there as a lecturer. During his time at Bristol, he published a range of articles and received numerous research grants, receiving the Colgate Research Award in 1992. Returning to Istanbul, to take on the position of Vice-Dean at Istanbul University’s Faculty of Dentistry. He established the Newsletter of the International Academy of Periodontology and served as its editor for 5 years.
In 1996, Serdar co-founded Istanbul Bilgi University. He served there in a variety of administrative positions, including as Vice President of Board of Governors. Bilgi has become part of the Laureate Universities Network and now has more than 30.000 students.
Serdar co-founded Kemer Schools and developed its high school programme in conjunction with the Ministry of Education in the province of Manitoba. Upon his arrival in Canada in 2012, he has devoted himself to International Business University. After several years shaping IBU’s distinctive mission and vision, he gathered together IBU’s multifaceted team who have helped him bring his dream of an independent university based in Canada to fruition.
Nurhan Aycan
Member Of Board Of Directors
Nurhan Aycan is a partner in Dentons’ Toronto office and a member of its Corporate group with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, capital markets and private equity.
Nurhan has more than 25 years of experience dealing with Canadian and international corporate and commercial matters, with a particular focus on assisting high-growth companies. His experience as a former general counsel of a high-growth multinational plastic products company (and as a managing director for an international private equity fund focused on distressed turnaround situations) gives him a unique set of credentials to act for multinational clients as their outside general counsel in a diverse range of industry sectors.
Nurhan is a sought-after speaker, frequently lecturing on Canadian securities law, public and private mergers and acquisitions, and resource sector matters at international conferences. Nurhan also sits on the board of various client companies and three nonprofit Canadian charities. He has been recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory for several years as a Top 50 lawyer in the mining, energy, and infrastructure sectors.
Prior to joining Dentons, Nurhan was a partner at a leading Canadian law firm in their mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and private equity practices.
Yves Brodeur
Member Of Board Of Directors
Ambassador Brodeur was born in Montréal in 1953. He joined the Department of External Affairs and International Trade (now Global Affairs Canada) in 1982 after graduating from Université Laval in Québec City.
Mr. Brodeur served abroad as Second Secretary and Vice-Consul in Ankara from 1983 to 1985; First Secretary at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris from 1989 to 1993; Counsellor (political) and Head of the Political Affairs Section at the Permanent Mission of Canada to the European Union in Brussels from 1996 to 2000; and Director of Communications and Spokesperson at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) from 2001 to 2003. He served as Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey with accreditation to the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Georgia and the Republic of Turkmenistan from 2005 to 2007. Ambassador Brodeur was appointed Permanent Representative of Canada to the North Atlantic Council (NATO) in August 2011. In Ottawa, Mr. Brodeur served in the Media Relations Office from 1982 to 1983, as an analyst in the Political and Strategic Analysis Secretariat from 1985 to 1987, as well as in the South, South-East Asia Relations Division in 1987.
From 1993 to 1995, he served at the Privy Council Office as Policy Advisor, Foreign Affairs and Defence. He was Chief of Staff to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1988 to 1989 and Departmental Spokesperson and Press Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996. He also served as Director of the Media Relations Office and from 2003 to 2005 was Director General of the Communications Bureau. He then served as Assistant Deputy Minister for the Afghanistan Task Force from October, 2007 to July 2009. Mr. Brodeur served as Assistant Deputy Minister of the International Security Branch and Political Director from August 2009 until his appointment to NATO in 2011. As such he coordinated the G8 political and security agenda during the 2010 Canadien Presidency of the G8. Ambassador Brodeur retired from the Canadian Foreign Service in October 2015.
Ambassador Brodeur has been a regular speaker and participant to different forum including l’Université Laval, the Canadian Forces College, Forum Saint-Laurent, the Halifax Forum. He also, contributed to various media activities on Canadian national television as well as to various written media outlets. In 2018, Mr. Brodeur contributed as an international expert to the implementation of NATO’s functional review.