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Leyla Orak Çelikboya

"I was truly motivated to apply to the VIAC CAN programme for numerous reasons. VIAC was among the first arbitration institutions where I got the chance to experience arbitration proceedings. Planning a career with an aim to advance in arbitration, VIAC was an institution I looked up to. Becoming a VIAC ambassador would mean having the chance to learn about the institution on a deeper level and be part of a broad alternative dispute resolution network, both of which were very enticing for me. Moreover, Türkiye and especially Istanbul is becoming a hub for international arbitration. Cooperation among arbitration practitioners is key in promoting alternative dispute resolution. VIAC CAN, in strengthening this cooperation and dialogue, will certainly serve to this purpose. The opportunity to now be engaged in VIAC CAN as one of the Ambassadors for Türkiye is therefore very rewarding and exciting."

Leyla Orak Çelikboya is a Turkish qualified lawyer, currently acts as in-house counsel at Pegasus Airlines as head of legal compliance and dispute resolution. Leyla focuses her work on commercial arbitration, dispute resolution, legal compliance and corporate law.

After earning her law degree from Galatasaray University Faculty of Law in 2010, she worked at numerous international and local law firms in Istanbul and temporarily worked as foreign associate at Brödermann Jahn Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft in Hamburg. Between 2023 and 2025 she established her solo practice based on two pillars: commercial arbitration and corporate consultancy. Leyla now is head of legal compliance and dispute resolution at Pegasus Airlines, the leading low-cost airline in Türkiye.​

Throughout her career, she acted as party counsel in complex international and national commercial arbitration proceedings before renowned arbitration institutions, including Swiss Arbitration Centre, Vienna International Arbitration Centre (VIAC), Istanbul Arbitration Centre (ISTAC), Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITOTAM) and the ICC. She also assisted arbitral tribunals either as a supporting lawyer or as arbitral secretary in arbitration proceedings. As of the end of 2025, she sat as sole arbitrator and chair in four commercial arbitration disputes, national and international.

​Leyla’s passion for arbitration led her to actively take part in organizations and events held in Türkiye and abroad. She sat as a member of the foreign affairs commission of Young ISTAC from 2016 to 2021. Leyla also engaged with Young ICCA, participating in cross-examination workshops and the mentoring program. She is now honored to act as a VIAC CAN co-ambassador of Türkiye.​

Alongside her professional career, she pursued her master’s studies in corporate law at Bilgi University and completed her thesis on the squeeze-out of minority shareholders in group companies which she later published as a book. She is fluent in English, proficient in French, and speaks Bosnian and German.