Aytaç Sönmez graduated from Istanbul University, Faculty of Business Administration, Department of Business Management in 1980. After starting his career in the Banking and Finance sector at Cyprus Commercial Bank between 1982-1984, he served as an inspector and supervisor in the Inspection and Review Board of the Central Bank of the TRNC between 1984-1994. During this period, he worked as a consultant in the establishment of the TRNC Development Bank with the assignment of the TRNC Central Bank in 1993.

He served as Akdeniz Garanti Bankası Ltd. for two terms, between 1994 and 1999-2001. He served as a member of the Board of Directors and in 2001, he served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of the TRNC.

Between 1994 and 2008, he continued to work as a manager in charge of personnel and accounting in a large-scale private sector firm. In this process, he also provided consultancy services to many independent audit firms.

Between 2008 and 2011, Cyprus Vakiflar Bankası Ltd. Working as the General Manager, Sönmez worked as Internal Audit-Internal Control and Risk Management Manager at Viyabank Ltd between 2011-2014.

In July 2014, Near East Bank Ltd. Sönmez, who was appointed as a member of the Board of Directors, has been serving as a Board Member responsible for Internal Systems since the date of his appointment.

Born in 1957 in Paphos, Sönmez has a good command of English and intermediate level of Greek. He is married and has two children.