Head of Finance & Commercial
Ilker Aracı is the Head of Finance and Commercial at Sabancı Renewables, where he leads the company’s finance and commercial strategy to support its growth in the U.S. renewable energy market. Since assuming this role in 2025, he has been responsible for establishing efficient capital structures, originating project finance and tax equity agreements, and negotiating long-term power sale arrangements for utility-scale renewable energy assets. He has led approximately more than $1.5 billion in combined financing and energy commercial agreements for large-scale solar projects in Texas.
Prior to his current position, Mr. Aracı served as Business Development and M&A Manager at Sabancı Renewables between 2022 and 2025, where he played a key role in expanding the company’s renewable energy platform in the United States. During this period, he led the acquisition, financing, and commercial structuring of major solar projects, including the successful acquisition and financing of Cutlass Solar II and Oriana Solar, contributing significantly to Sabancı Group’s U.S. renewable energy investment strategy.
Before joining Sabancı Renewables, Mr. Aracı worked at Enerjisa Üretim in portfolio management roles covering both renewable and thermal power generation assets. Between 2018 and 2022, he managed commercial optimization, hedging strategies, and long-term portfolio value creation for power generation assets with multi-hundred-million-dollar asset values. His work included electricity and commodity hedging, reservoir and generation forecasting, and the development of analytical tools supporting EBITDA and risk management strategies.
Mr. Aracı holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Finance from Boğaziçi University and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Boğaziçi University. He further specialized in mergers and acquisitions through the Institute for Mergers, Acquisitions & Alliances and successfully passed the CFA Level II examination, ranking within the top decile globally.
Beyond his corporate responsibilities, Mr. Aracı actively participates in organizations supporting sustainable energy development, including the American Solar Energy Society, Texas Solar Energy Society, and NorthEast Sustainable Energy Association. He is also a member of CFA Society Istanbul.
With a background combining engineering, finance, energy markets, and strategic investments, Mr. Aracı has developed expertise across renewable energy development, project finance, M&A, portfolio optimization, and energy transition, with a particular focus on advancing large-scale renewable investments in the United States.
