Turkey’s Global Ports Holding (GPH) has appointed Lord Mandelson, an ex-EU commissioner and UK minister, to its board of directors.

The appointment could be seen as a preparatory step ahead of the company’s expected listing on the London Stock Exchange, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

Mandelson served in Tony Blair’s UK cabinet and was also EU’s trade commissioner from 2004 to 2008.

Istanbul-based