The new head office of Alternatif Bank, 100% owned by Qatar’s Commercial Bank, was formally opened at Vadistanbul in Istanbul yesterday.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Alternatif Bank chairman Omar Hussain Alfardan and Alternatif Bank CEO Kaan Gür and attended by senior executives from Commercial Bank and Alternatif Bank.
On the new head office opening, Alternatif Bank chairman and Commercial Bank managing director Omar Hussain Alfardan said, “As the first Qatari investor in the Turkish banking industry, we continue to expand our investments in the name of Alternatif Bank. Today, it is a great pleasure for me to launch our Vadistanbul head office building, which we reckon as a reflection of our confidence in Turkey and Alternatif Bank, with you.
“It is our highest priority in the coming period to increase our support and create new opportunities for the robust strategic collaboration between the allied and friendly nations of Turkey and Qatar and for contributing to the sustainable growth target of the Turkish economy. We are certain that our investments in Turkey will continue to grow and add value to the economies of both countries.”
Highlighting the dawn of a new era after the rebranding, Alternatif Bank CEO Kaan Gür remarked: “Our new head office building with over 11,000 m² area is located at Vadistanbul, a prestigious complex with extensive recreational and social areas. So, the area of our building will be larger than the area of our previous head office building and operations technology centre combined.
“At the heart of all efforts carried out by our bank lies an appreciation for ‘people’ and our people-oriented approach. And this approach is based on the happiness of our employees. For that matter, we made an effort to design our new building to be much more comfortable and modern, based on an innovative architectural approach and open-office concept in accordance with the needs and expectations of our employees.
“We aimed to create a head office building, which makes our team mates happy and proud. We allocated large recreational and social areas on each floor for the use of our employees. Our new building features environments which enable our employees to improve their personal competencies, training rooms, 450 m² gym, café and large terrace area, and is in compliance with Leed Certification, an internationally recognised green building certificate programme.
“I believe that as Alternatif Bank family, we will take our interaction with our subsidiaries, Alternatif Lease and Alternatif Menkul to a higher level, and undertake much more effective and creative projects in the future.
“After our relocation to the new head office, we hosted a significant number of representatives and analysts from Qatari and foreign financial institutions in our building. This event made us proud and enabled us to review new investment opportunities in Turkey with investors who have been impressed by our successful performance in these challenging market conditions. I hope that our new building, one of the transformations that represent our synergy with Commercial Bank and our strategic priorities, brings prosperity to the Turkish banking industry and Alternatif Bank.”
Alternatif Bank chairman and Commercial Bank managing director Omar Hussain Alfardan (left) and Alternatif Bank CEO Kaan Gu00fcr speaking at the opening ceremony of the new head office of Alternatif Bank at Vadistanbul in Istanbul yesterday.
