Diğdem Muslu Aykutlu has over 20 years of legal experience, including extensive in-house practice in the media industry, advising leading Turkish and international clients on Media & Entertainment, Corporate and Commercial Law, Mergers & Acquisitions and Capital Markets.

Before joining BTS&Partners, she has served as off legal counsel to some of Türkiye’s leading media brands, including Habertürk, Show TV and Bloomberg HT, responsible for the legal management and negotiation of a broad portfolio of commercial agreements. Her experience encompasses the entire contract lifecycle, including drafting, negotiation, risk assessment and implementation of complex commercial arrangements involving broadcasting, content, production, advertising, sponsorship, licensing, intellectual property, technology and other media-related matters.

She also have significant experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, Capital Markets Law and Turkish Capital Markets Board (CMB/SPK) regulations, including advising publicly held companies on corporate governance, capital markets compliance, public offerings, corporate restructurings and transactions subject to capital markets legislation. In addition to her transactional and advisory work, she served as a member of Legal Boards to leading insurance companies including Quick, Corpus Sigorta operating under Maher Holding where she was actively involved in corporate governance matters and completed the preparation and structuring of key corporate documentation and internal directives, including documents relating to management, representation, delegation of authority and internal corporate procedures.

Earlier in her career, she also worked with Pekin & Bayar Law Firm and subsequently within the legal practice of PwC Istanbul, where she gained extensive experience in Mergers & Acquisitions, corporate transactions, legal due diligence, corporate restructurings and transaction documentation. This experience has enabled her to advise on transactions from both a legal and commercial perspective and to manage multidisciplinary processes involving financial, tax and corporate considerations.

Diğdem Muslu Aykutlu is a graduate of Marmara University Faculty of Law and obtained an LL.M. degree in International Commercial Law from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law in California, and further enhanced her expertise in commercial contracting through a Contract Management Certificate Program at the University of California, Irvine.

With an experience as an in-house lawyer in retail & fmcg industry in the past, I am a Partner at & BTS&Partners leading the industry practices around Retail & FMCG as well as Sustainability, which is one of our core practice areas.

I have worked as an in-house counsel for Alshaya Group for 15 years; having served as the Head of Legal, Ethics and Compliance Committee, Data Privacy Committee and the Disciplinary Committee in Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, she engaged in a wide range of legal areas including but not limited to Retail Law, E-Commerce Law, Property Law, Commercial Law, Corporate Law, Ethics and Corporate Compliance, Intellectual Law, Criminal Law.

During my service in Alshaya, I have led many multifunctional projects. i.e. legal structuring and business launch of e-commerce and mobile application digital platforms for Starbucks, The Body Shop, the Victoria’s Secrets and the Bath and Body Works in Turkey; implementation of the ethics and compliance program of the Company; the expansion of the business to Azerbaijan and Georgia, the structuring of the hospitality business.

Having a seat at the Company’s Executive Leadership Team,I had an effective role to guide the team in dealing with legal and regulatory issues that would have an impact on the Company’s operations and achievement of its business goals.

Prior to that, I was Attorney at Law for six years in a leading full service law office in Istanbul.

In 2015, I was listed on GC Powerlist Turkey as one of the most influential and innovative legal in-house counsels of Turkey by The Legal 500. 

I am currently based in London and continue to advise multinational clients on strategic legal, compliance and sustainability matters across multiple jurisdictions as a representative of BTS & Partners in UK.

I work as a professor in the civil law department at İstanbul Bilgi University, Faculty of Law. I focus primarily on dispute resolution, contract law, property law, family law, tort law, and comparative law (especially international sales law and construction contracts). In national and international disputes, I advise clients and provide legal opinions. Additionally, I draft expert reports to be used by commercial courts.

Publications:

• Mesafeli Sözleşmeler ve İş Yeri Dışında Kurulan Sözleşmeler [Distance Contracts and Off-Premises Contracts], August 2022, On İki Levha Publishing.
• Tatil Sözleşmeleri [Holiday Contracts], September 2019, On İki Levha Publishing.
• Gerçek Olmayan Vekâletsiz İş Görme ve Menfaat Devri, [False Agency Without Specific Authorization and Disgorgement of Profits], November 2015, On Iki Levha Publishing. (Ph.D. Thesis)
• Bina veya Yapı Eserlerinden Doğan Sorumluluk [Liability for Buildings and Structures], November 2011, On Iki Levha Publishing, XXIII + 205 (LL.M. Thesis)

I am a Senior Partner at BTS&Partners with a broad range of experience in consulting clients professionally in practice areas such as, Information and Communication Technology Law, Policies and Strategies, Regulatory Law Services and digital technology related legal and policy matters for nearly twenty years. I provide consultancy services to large business conglomerates and companies which lead the Turkish economy, as well as the largest technology and technology driven companies listed in the Fortune 500 List.

I am also leading the ProBono works of BTS&Partners where we help prestigious organizations in their philanthropic works/projects on a ProBono basis.

I have been also contributing to academic works and studies associated with digital economy, information society and information and communication technology law related issues since 2001, introducing regulations/policies and developments in EU, US and other jurisdictions to related stakeholders in Turkey and creating a bridge for know how transfer between Turkish academia – policy makers and esteemed academic and international organizations at an international level.

I am actively involved in local and international conferences, trainings, congresses, publications,  seminars, councils, panels, legislative commissions, workshops, and strategy workgroup. Besides these; I am also a part-time lecturer at Istanbul Bilgi  University and Sabancı University;  teaching “Information and Communication Law Policies and Strategies” in ICT Law LL.M. Program at Istanbul Bilgi University since 2007, and a course entitled “Legal Aspects of Data Driven Economy and Legal Ethics” in Data Analytics Master Program at Sabancı University since 2016. I am also a frequent contributor of academic works and studies, at Global Network of Internet and Society Research Centers representing İstanbul Bilgi University Information and Communication Technology Law Institute.

Along with my work & my academic approach; I am an active member of the following organizations:

• TBV (Turkish Informatics Foundation) – Member @ Executive and Execution Boards
• TUBISAD (Turkish Informatics Industry Association) – Chief Legal Advisor
• TÜSİAD (Turkish Industry and Business Association) – Member @ Information-Communication Technologies Committee
• ABFT (American Business Forum in Turkey) – Member @ Digital Economy Committee and Member @ Audit Committee
• US Chamber – Member @ Digital Economy Committee
• German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK) – Member @ Digital Economy Committee
• İstanbul Bilgi University Law Faculty – Member @ Advisory Board
• AITR (AI Turkey Platform) – Member @ Execution Board
• Blockchain Turkey Platform – Member @ Advisory Board
• International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw) – Member
• IBA (International Bar Association) – Member @ Technology Committee
• IAPP (International Association of Privacy Professionals) – Member

I am a Senior Partner at BTS&Partners and I specialize in complex IT and telecommunication contracts (development, licensing, integration, outsourcing), electronic commerce and internet legal issues, privacy law and complex IT litigation (Expert proceedings, alternative dispute resolution)

I assist our clients in the management of their Intellectual Property portfolios and the establishment of their market strategies on complex ICT projects and in negotiating and drafting complex IT contracts with strong Intellectual Property and regulatory content.

I also have strong capability in data privacy where I advise businesses on how to strategically manage their privacy, security, electronic workplace, and e-business legal risks both domestically and globally. I have assisted a wide range of business in a variety of industries by developing a privacy strategy that yields practical solutions in a rapidly evolving area and that weighs costs and benefits in a light of a company’s risk profile and culture.

I am the Managing Partner at BTS&Partners and working in Corporate and M&A and media & entertainment practice groups. Coming from a generalist background with experience in conventional law firms, it has been a challenging journey for me to adapt myself to the innovative environment of BTS. BTS helped me acknowledge the value of my generalist approach by convincing me to transform my experience to the innovative work. As part of my M&A practice, I am mostly guiding investors or entrepreneurs through their investment transactions, which usually include private takeovers, equity financing, or asset acquisitions. In our corporate practice group, I and my team support our clients with their corporate secretary needs, foreign direct investment, commercial contracts, and all corporate-related matters. As a part of my media&entertainment practice I guide my clients in compliance with social media, internet, and telecoms-related regulations in Turkey.