Elif Sözen-Kohl
Elif Sözen-Kohl | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 Turkey |
| Occupation | Banker |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Known for | Banking career, advising Russian government during transition to market economy, board member of Salzburg Global Seminar |
Elif Sözen-Kohl (born 1969) is a banker originally from Turkey, currently residing in both London and Switzerland. She is married to Peter Kohl, the son of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl.
She is the daughter of Kemal Sözen, an industrialist from Istanbul who leads the metal manufacturing firm Kale Kalip Makina Sanayii. Sözen-Kohl earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Master of Science in finance from the London Business School. Early in her professional journey, she was involved in shaping international macroeconomic policies at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and collaborated with economist Jeffrey Sachs to advise the Russian government during its transition to a market-based economy. Between 1993 and 1995, she was part of Goldman Sachs' debt capital markets division, followed by a role as vice president at JP Morgan in London from 1996 to 2000. In 2003, she was appointed by the World Bank as an advisor to Turkey's Treasury. Subsequently, she held positions as chief investment officer and director at Eagle Advisors in Geneva and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Salzburg Global Seminar.
During her time at MIT, she met Peter Kohl, with whom she formed a relationship lasting over ten years before their marriage in 2001. Their wedding in Istanbul was marked by ceremonies reflecting Catholic, Islamic, and Turkish civil traditions, garnering widespread international media coverage. The couple has one daughter named Leyla, born in 2002.