Turkey’s largest operator Turkcell has appointed Kaan Terzioglu (pictured) as its new CEO.

The operator has been searching for a new CEO since its previous boss Süreyya Ciliv resigned at the end of January after eight years at the helm. Terzioglu will begin his new role on April 1 and will replace acting CEO Ilker Kuruoz. Kuruoz will continue in his CTO role.

Terzioglu is a member of the board at Turkish bank Akbank and also has the same responsibility at insurance company Aksigorta, online electronic retailer Teknosa, and the Turkish unit of French hypermarket Carrefour (Carrefoursa).

According to GSMA Intelligence, Turkcell has a 48 per cent market share of the country’s 72 million connections. It also has operations in Belarus, Cyprus and Ukraine.

One of Terzioglu’s major objectives in 2015 will be to secure 4G spectrum in Turkey, with the country planning an auction later this year.