Can Tolga Tezel

Local Partner, Istanbul

Biography

“Can Tolga Tezel is a very good lawyer; he is always very calm, and was always very reachable and extremely hard-working. It was very clear that Tolga was also very experienced in M&A transactions, and I was impressed with his legal capabilities and knowledge too.”

“Tolga is very experienced, and he is a great technical lawyer.”
The Legal 500 - Türkiye

Overview

Tolga is a local partner in our Mergers & Acquisitions practice in Istanbul. His practice focuses on advising major international and foreign corporations in their cross-border M&A deals, and general corporate and commercial law matters.

Tolga serves clients in many different sectors, including financial services, insurance, e-commerce, real estate, energy, healthcare and food/beverage, among others.

Bars and Courts
Istanbul Bar Association
Education
LLB
Galatasaray University

Faculty of Law

Languages
English
French
Turkish
For Turkish law matters, White & Case works with GKC Partners in Istanbul.

Experience

Representation of Zurich Yaşam ve Emeklilik A.Ş., a subsidiary of Zurich Insurance, in its acquisition of the shares representing the entire share capital of NN Hayat ve Emeklilik A.Ş., a subsidiary of NN Group providing pension, life insurance, and complementary health insurance products in Türkiye since 2009, from NN Continental Europe Holdings B.V.

Representation of Mid Europa Partners, a leading buyout investor focused on the growth markets of Central & Eastern Europe, in its sale of the shares representing 90% of the share capital of Özel Kent Sağlık Hizmetleri ve Malzemeleri Sanayi Ticaret A.Ş., to Acıbadem Sağlık Hizmetleri ve Ticaret A.Ş., one of the leading healthcare providers in Türkiye.

Representation of Wren House, a subsidiary of the Kuwait Investment Authority, in its acquisition of the shares representing (i) 12.34% of the share capital of Zorlu Enerji Elektrik Üretim A.Ş., an electricity production company listed on Borsa Istanbul, from Zorlu Holding; (ii) majority of the share capital of the company holding the ZES Group companies, the electric vehicle charging business of Zorlu Holding, from Zorlu Enerji Elektrik Üretim A.Ş. for approximately US$100 million.

Representation of ZIP International Holdings PTY LTD, an affiliate of Zip Co Limited, a global leader in digital retail finance and payment systems, in its acquisition of the shares representing 60% of the share capital of Hemenal Finansman A.Ş., a consumer financing company incorporated and operating in Türkiye, from OYAK Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş.

Representation of Yemeksepeti, the Turkish subsidiary of Delivery Hero, world’s leading local delivery platform operating in over 50 countries, in its acquisition of the shares representing the entire share capital of Marketyo Bilişim Teknoloji A.Ş., an online shopping platform providing local supermarkets with the opportunity to do their business online.

Representation of Softbank Vision Fund in its approximately US$400 million investment in Trendyol, one of Türkiye’s leading e-commerce platforms, whose majority shareholder is Alibaba Group. With the total funding of US$1.5 billion provided by other investors.

Representation of Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund of the Gulf state, in its acquisition of the shares representing 10% of Borsa Istanbul, Türkiye’s stock exchange, from Türkiye Wealth Fund, its majority shareholder.

Representation of Goldman Sachs International and EBRD, in their respective acquisitions of and subscriptions to the minority shares of Modanisa, the Turkish modest fashion e-commerce company, from a number of individual and corporate sellers; and their second round of subscription to the minority shares of Modanisa.

Representation of Mayhoola for Investments LCC, a private investment firm and parent company of fashion house Valentino and Balmain, in its acquisition of the shares representing 43.9% of the share capital of Boyner Perakende ve Tekstil Yatırımları A.Ş. ("Boyner Perakende"), a company listed on Borsa İstanbul, from Boyner Holding A.Ş, as well as Boyner Perakende’s sale of all its shares in three of its subsidiaries to Boyner Holding A.Ş.

Awards and Recognition

Next Generation Partners
in Commercial, corporate and M&A
Legal 500, 2025

Super 50 Lawyers in Middle East
Asian Legal Business, 2024

"Can Tolga Tezel is a very skilled legal advisor with significant experience and know-how in the field of M&A/corporate advice in various sectors and a very quick mindset. His calmness and hands-on approach make us feel we are in good hands."
Legal 500, 2025

"Can Tolga Tezel is a very good lawyer; he is always very calm, and was always very reachable and extremely hard-working. It was very clear that Tolga was also very experienced in M&A transactions, and I was impressed with his legal capabilities and knowledge too."
Legal 500, 2023