About Us

Vision, Mission & Strategy

Vision

To lead the way in the optimal use of Turkey’s geothermal resources through its natural synergies with sustainable agriculture and leveraging other renewable and clean energies

Mission

  • Develop unique applications energy, modern agriculture, and efficient land management to maximize returns with sustainable environmental practices
  • Apply state of the art technology to our agricultural business to ensure the highest standards are met in food quality, food safety and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices

Strategy & Implementation

  • Early stage project and site identification
  • Exceptional regulatory and legal diligence
  • Draw on extensive experience in land management and permitting across business lines for idea generation and development
  • Forge strategic partnerships with international and domestic operators, suppliers and customers

Our Team

Birol Atikol – Managing Partner

Birol enjoyed a long career in various international investment banks and financial institutions in London as a proprietary trader, hedge fund manager and Chief Investment Officer until 2006. During that time, Birol also set-up and ran regulated asset management and advisory companies in Europe. Since 1999, he has lead-managed various projects in the areas of finance, energy and real estate and is the principal & president in every company of the AIS Group and acts also as the controlling shareholder of the Group, which includes Buhar Enerji. Birol holds a BSc in Mathematics and Actuarial Science from Istanbul Bogazici University (1991). He is fluent in English and German and is married with one child.

Matthew Vogel – Partner

Matthew is Partner and Shareholder in the AIS Group since 2005, relocated from London to Istanbul while having worked from London and Istanbul.  Prior to moving to Istanbul in 2011, the American and British national was Head of the top-ranked Emerging Europe, Middle East, and Africa Research team at Barclays Capital, after a long and distinguished track record of work on the global emerging markets which began at the World Bank in 1990.  During a 20-year period in development and investment banking, Matthew worked extensively on Turkey, among other leading markets such as Russia and South Africa.  He has been a strong advocate of Turkey’s economic prospects for years. Matthew holds a BA in Latin American Studies and Economics from the University of Texas (1988) and an MA in Economics from the Instituto Torcuato diTella (Argentina, 1989). He is fluent in Spanish, struggles in Russian and is learning Turkish.  He and his Russian wife have two children. 


Corporate Social Responsibility

We operate with an eye for the future, the environment, our community and a long-term relationship with our stakeholders at home and abroad. We use the very latest technologies, renewable and clean energy and our accumulated expertise in order to achieve high quality, sustainable, cost-efficient projects.

Renewable & Clean Energy

Geothermal

Geothermal energy is a green and renewable energy. There are no emissions, and energy/heat source is renewable. A reinjection pump may be needed requiring some electric source, but this often can be fuelled by solar/battery power. Geothermal system management is very simple, self-contained and low maintenance.

Combined Heat & Power Plant

A CHP system generates electricity as well as the heat and CO₂ necessary for crop growth in a modern greenhouse. Such systems are very efficient, much more so than an ordinary power station. This is because the “waste products” of electricity production – heat (in the form of water used to cool the generators) and CO₂ -- will be fully used. The hot water is heating the greenhouses and the CO₂ fertilizes the tomatoes. 

Food Safety & Quality

Growing our tomatoes in a pristine, computer controlled, indoor environment ensures a product free of disease, contamination from tainted water runoff, animal bacteria, other unsavory external factors. The sophistication of the customer in Turkey and abroad implies more attention to food safety and quality issues, such as the use of pesticides and whether products are made in a sustainable manner, as well as the taste and appearance of the products they intend to consume. Our high tech greenhouse will produce a tomato that ticks the boxes.

Our Community

Unemployment and social advancement should be one of any society’s biggest concerns. In one of our project sites, in Konya, there is a very high rate of unemployment. Our investment of close to EUR100mn is expected to eliminate unemployment in the area over the coming four- to five-years. In general, we always have worked closely with local government authorities through all stages of project planning to ensure projects are understood, and that the local community and authorities feel that the project is of benefit to them.