Ersel Göral

Ersel Göral (born April 12, 1972) is a Turkish businessperson and professional executive. Göral is currently Vice President of King Salman International Airport (KSIA).

Early years
Ersel Göral was born in Istanbul, Turkey, on 12 April 1972. He graduated from Kadıköy Maarif College and obtained his Business Administration degree from Istanbul University in 1998. He joined the aviation sector in 1993, and has held offices in Turkey and abroad.

Career
After taking charge as the Deputy General Manager-Operations at Istanbul Atatürk Airport, he worked as the General Manager at Tbilisi & Batumi International Airports in Georgia (2 years) and 4 years in Tunisia for Enfidha-Hammamet & Monastir Airports respectively, during the construction and operation periods of the airports. When Göral returned to Turkey in 2011, he was in charge of Antalya Airport as the General Manager until 2015. In 2016, he was appointed as the CAIO (Chief Airportwise Integration Officer) at the Istanbul New Airport project. Göral then took on the role of CEO of ISG & SGC Co's, operator of Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport in September 2017. As he ended up this role in April 2021, he was assigned as the CEO of the management company of Meridiam-Renaissance joint venture established to construct and operate the five city hospitals (in Bursa, Adana, Yozgat, Elazığ, and Gaziantep) for 25 years. In March 2024 Göral was assigned by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world, as the Vice President of King Salman International Airport (KSIA) to be constructed and operated in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

Awards and honors
Göral won a bronze prize at the Worldwide Transportation Executive of the Year category of 2019 Stevie Business Awards, and in 2020, he was selected as one of the 50 CEO’s steering Turkish business environments by Business Life magazine.