For nearly three decades, my work has taken me across the United States and Turkey, often at the intersection of people, purpose, and change.

Along the way, I’ve learned that value isn’t created by strategy alone. It comes from how people connect, how trust is built, and how stories, experiences, and ideas are allowed to surface and shape action. Much of my work has been about learning how to harness social capital — thoughtfully and responsibly — for the greater good.

Since 2010, I’ve been building and growing TurkishWIN. What began as a simple idea has grown into a living ecosystem — and the first node of what I now call the Act2WIN system. TurkishWIN has been a place to test, learn, unlearn, and grow together, while exploring how shared purpose can turn into collective action at scale.

My passion for inclusion and a gender-equal future continues to guide this work. It shapes the questions I ask, the spaces I hold, and the systems I help design. Over time, this journey has also led me to take on a more visible role — contributing to public conversations around leadership, equity, and the future of work, and sharing perspectives grounded in lived experience and collective learning.

My work has allowed me to speak and facilitate conversations in many settings — from intimate leadership circles to global stages. I’m grateful to have been invited into gatherings focused on leadership, women’s empowerment, and the future of work. Each experience continues to reinforce my belief that real change begins when people feel safe enough to think, speak, and act together.

Earlier in my career, I worked in technology and innovation, including leadership roles at Microsoft and at a startup in New York. Those years taught me a great deal about scale, execution, and complexity — lessons I continue to draw on today, often alongside deeper questions of meaning, belonging, and impact.

Education has played an important role in shaping how I think. I studied economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science, and later completed my MBA at Columbia Business School. Long before that, I was shaped by my years at St. George’s Austrian High School, where I first learned the value of curiosity, discipline, and navigating different cultures — lessons that continue to stay with me.

I am a lifelong learner. My curiosity keeps pulling me toward new questions — especially around psychological safety, the power of unlearning, and what it truly takes to build cultures where people can show up fully. This ongoing learning journey is also reflected in my long-standing connection with TED, a community that continues to inspire how I think about ideas, dialogue, and impact.

I see my journey not as a series of achievements, but as an ongoing practice — of convening people, learning together, and helping create the conditions where ideas, communities, and shared purpose can move forward.