Speakers 2023 Main – People Make The Brand

In its 11th year, People Make The Brand invites you to explore meaningful relations and meaning management together, to redefine inspiring leadership, loyalty, and engagement.

Watch the 2023 recording

BEHNAM TABRIZI

Author, Academician

Mastering Transforming Inside Out

Behnam Tabrizi is the managing director of Rapid Transformation, LLC and teaches at Stanford University’s Department of Management Science and Engineering. He is an internationally recognized expert and thought leader on organizational and leadership transformation. He has written five books including Rapid Transformation (HBR Press, 2007) and The Inside-Out Effect (Evolve Publishing, 2013).

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ERKAN KAFADAR

CEO, Borusan Group

The Role of Sustainability and Organizational Culture in the Transformation of the Business

Born in Istanbul in 1967, Erkan Kafadar started his business career as a management trainee in 1991 at Borusan Birleşik Boru Fabrikaları, which was the earlier name for the Group’s pipe manufacturing company. Kafadar has served Borusan throughout his entire 29 years of career journey. He has filled various positions at the companies of Birleşik Boru Fabrikaları (Borusan Mannesmann) and Borçelik in the fields of Sales, Marketing, Technical Customer Service and Purchasing. After that he served as the General Manager for 9 years at Borçelik. Between the years of 2015-2019, he served as Borusan Holding Executive Board Member and since January 2020, he has been appointed as the Group CEO of Borusan Holding.In addition to his new position as the Group CEO of Borusan Holding, Erkan Kafadar has also been serving as a Board Member in all Borusan Group operational companies. He is currently a Board Member of Turkish Employers Association of Metal Industries (MESS), Member of Turkish Industry & Business Association (TUSIAD), Member of the Disciplinary Board of Turkish Confederation of Employer Associations (TİSK), and Board Member of Sabancı University Istanbul International Center For Energy and Climate (IICEC).Erkan Kafadar has completed his secondary education in Istanbul Erkek Lisesi. He holds a degree in Business Administration from Istanbul University. He is fluent in English and German. He is married and has two daughters.

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DENİZ BAĞAN

Mindfulness and Meditation Trainer Speaker & Content Creator

Building Connections Amid Uncertainty

Deniz Bağan is a Mindfulness and Meditation trainer, Organic Intelligence facilitator. She was the founder partner and lead trainer of Yogatime Studio in 2009-2021. She was born in 1980, graduated from Istanbul Technical University and has corporate work experience of nearly 9 years in engineering.

She is the Leader Meditation content creator and Turkish voice of Meditopia, an application in 12 languages with more than 32 million users. Deniz, who produced more than 1200 thematic and tailormade meditation contents, is also involved in specific meditation and mindfulness sessions for Meditopia B2B customers.

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DR ETIENNE VAN DER WALT

Neurologist, Thought Leader & CEO at Neurozone®, Resilience & High Performance Expert | Internationally Renowned Keynote Speaker and Master Class Teacher

High Performance Resilience from an Applied Neuroscience Perspective

Dr Etienne van der Walt is an accomplished neurologist and an authority in applied behavioral neuroscience. Etienne’s 14-year career as a clinical neurologist means he has a deep understanding of the brain’s anatomy, biology, physiology, and the human nervous system.In more recent years, his professional and personal fascination with the remarkable discoveries from various brain sciences has led him to believe in the vast potential of this new knowledge to enhance human capacity. The realization of this vision is the founding of Neurozone®, a neuroscience business dedicated to applying brain science, analytics, and coaching to enhance human capacity.

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JOE FOLKMAN

Co-founder, President, Zenger Folkman

The Three Elements of Trust

Joe has developed a database that holds more than half a million assessments of almost 50,000 leaders, a tool that he uses to focus on successful change management. His expertise in survey design and data analysis has made him much in demand, his clients including, amongst others, AT&T, Boeing, ConocoPhillips, CIBC, General Mills, Hunt Consolidated, Koch Industries, Marathon Oil, Nortel, Fidelity, First American, Reed-Elsevier, Safeway, Thomson Reuters, US Navy, UCSD, Wells Fargo and Weyerhaeuser.

The holder of a doctorate in Social and Organizational Psychology and a Masters in Organizational Behavior from Brigham Young University, Joe was a founding partner at Novations Group, leading assessment. He is co-founder and President of Zenger Folkman, a firm dedicated to the employment of hard evidence and maximizing employee strengths for organizational enhancement.

The author or co-author of seven books, Joe has been featured in The Wall Street Journal’s National Business Employment Weekly, Training and Development Magazine as well as Executive Excellence, amongst others.

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AKAN ABDULA

Founder, FutureBright Group

Brand and Customer Connection: The Impact of Demographic Change on Building Relationships

Weatherhead School of Management graduate. 19 years of work experience in marketing strategies.

For long years he was the head of Strategy and Planning department at Grey Istanbul advertising agency and a member of the global strategy council of Gray Group Worldwide.

He was among the 12 strategists who led the global council. Deemed worthy of numerous golden Effie awards, including best product launch and the most effective social responsibility campaigns.

Founded FutureBright Research, transformed it into FutureBright Group. FutureBright Group of Companies serves more than 650 global and local brands.

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JUDITH LIBERMAN

Storyteller, Art Therapist, Author, Speaker

Meaningful Stories for Meaningful Relationships

Judith Liberman is one of the leading voices in the storytelling revival in Turkey. Since 1997 she has told stories on stage, in the forest, at festivals, in companies, galeries, schools, hospitals and universities in Turkey, France, the US, Canada and India and she has trained over a thousand storytellers.

She holds a masters in Linguistics from the Sorbonne and has studied theater at Pomona College, and storytelling in Paris.

Since 2010 she combines her training and practice in art therapy, theater, improvisation, yoga, mindfulness and non-violent communication to create one of a kind seminars, workshops and retreats.

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PELİN KESEBİR

Social and Personality Psychologist

The Essential Ingredient of Happiness: A Healthy Relationship with Our True Selves

Pelin Kesebir is a social and personality psychologist specializing in the psychology of happiness.

She received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2009 and has held academic positions at the University of Colorado and University of Wisconsin-Madison after that. She has published dozens of peer-reviewed journal articles on topics such as happiness, virtue, and existential psychology.

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PANEL:

Sustainability Management at Borusan

BURCU OTMAN BEKTAŞ

Sustainability Manager, Borusan Holding

Burcu Otman Bektaş was born in Ankara in 1986. She graduated from Hacettepe University with a degree in English Chemical Engineering in 2007 and completed her master's degree in the same department. She began her career as a Sales Engineer at Terralab Inc. in 2008 while continuing her education. Later on, she took on various engineering roles in different industrial companies within Sabancı Holding. Between 2018 and 2021, she served as the Sustainability Manager at TSKB Sustainability Consulting, and subsequently, as the Sustainability Manager at Akçansa Cement. As of 2023, she joined Borusan Holding as the Sustainability Manager.

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ÖZDE HAMARAT

Human Resources Expertise Center Director, Borusan Holding

Özde Hamarat was born in Istanbul in 1981. She graduated from Koç University with degrees in Sociology and Psychology in 2004. She completed her master's degree in Social Psychology at Boğaziçi University.

In 2005, she started working as a Human Resources Specialist in the Human Resources team at Arçelik A.Ş. Between 2009 and 2016, she held various roles at Turkcell, including Performance and Talent Management Specialist, HR Specialist Center Manager, and HR Business Partner Manager. In 2016, she took on the role of HR Expertise Center Group Manager at Allianz. Since August 2018, she has been serving as the Director of the Human Resources Expertise Center at Borusan Holding.

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SERKAN ÜRKMEZ

Management Systems Director, Borçelik

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YALÇIN ALTUNTAŞ

EV Charging Manager, Borusan EnBW Energy

Yalçın Altuntaş is an expert with over 12 years of experience in the renewable energy sector. His focus areas include energy strategy, mergers and acquisitions in renewable energy, energy modeling, innovation in energy, and electric mobility. Previously, he served as the Strategy and Business Development Manager at Borusan EnBW Enerji, a leading company in Turkey's renewable energy sector. Currently, he is managing the newly established Electric Vehicle Charging Network at Borusan EnBW Enerji. Additionally, he co-leads the "EU Green Deal and Decarbonization" thematic group at Borusan Holding. He has also taken on leadership roles in various task forces of the TÜSİAD Renewable Energy Group. He holds a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, a master's degree in Finance from Koç University Graduate School of Business, and another master's degree in Corporate Transformation from Sabancı University School of Management.

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AYŞE BİLGE SELÇUK

Academician, Psychologist, Author

Building Secure Attachments from Childhood to Adulthood

Ayşe Bilge Selçuk received her BA and MA degrees in Psychology from Middle East Technical University and her PhD in Developmental Psychology from the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Melbourne. During her PhD, she worked with Prof. Ann Sanson, president of the Australian Institute of Family Studies and principal investigator of the Australian Temperament Project. She worked as a research assistant in this comprehensive project in which the development of a large number of infants was followed for thirty-five years and the effects of personal, familial and environmental factors on psychosocial development were examined. In 2003, she started working as a faculty member at Koç University, Department of Psychology.

In 2012, she brought together her research students and colleagues under the name of Child and Family Studies Laboratory, where she mentored scientific and applied studies. After becoming a professor in developmental psychology, she completed her master's degree in clinical psychology. Ayşe Bilge Selçuk, whose areas of expertise are cognitive-social-emotional development in childhood and adolescence, temperament-personality, psychological resilience, parenting and raising temperamentally appropriate children, examines parental attitudes and lifelong developmental processes that affect human psychological health and development in her studies; she gives seminars and trainings on these topics.

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Q&A:

Building Meaningful Relationships with Our Bodies: Holistic Health

ELİF ELKİN

General Manager, LifeClub Healthy Living Services

Elif Elkin, a graduate of Robert College, completed her Chemistry education at Boğaziçi University. Simultaneously pursuing an MBA at Yeditepe University, she initiated her professional career in Project Management at Dışbank. In 2001, she transitioned to the pharmaceutical industry, holding various positions at Deva Pharmaceuticals, including Product Management, Assistant Sales Manager, and Deputy General Manager for Marketing and Sales, before being appointed as the General Manager of Saba Pharmaceuticals in 2007.

At the leading Turkish pharmaceutical company, Abdi İbrahim, from 2009 to 2017, Elif Elkin successively held the positions of Sales & Marketing Department Manager, Business Development Director, Strategy Office Leadership, and Corporate Communication Director. Subsequently, from 2017 to 2021, she served as the General Manager at Abdi İbrahim Otsuka Pharmaceuticals.

Since May 2021, Elif Elkin has been working as the General Manager at LifeClub Healthy Living Services, the latest venture established with the new generation health vision of Acıbadem Healthcare Group.

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PROF. DR. ERCAN KARAARSLAN

Medical Doctor

Prof. Dr. Ercan Karaarslan was born in 1968 in Ordu. He graduated from Ankara University Faculty of Medicine in 1991 and completed his specialization in Radiology at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine in 1996. He became an associate professor in 2005 and a professor in 2010. Since 2009, he has been working as a faculty member in the Department of Radiology at Acıbadem University.

He serves as the head of the Radiology Department at Acıbadem Maslak and Ataşehir Hospitals. Prof. Dr. Ercan Karaarslan is experienced in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and advanced MR imaging techniques.

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ALİ ERHAN TAMER

Token Economist

Understanding the Connection Between Humans and AI

In his 15-year professional career, he worked as a manager and consultant in the technology projects of many companies providing services in the field of financial services. Ali Erhan Tamer, who took part in the innovation projects of many banks and insurance companies as a corporate entrepreneur, started his entrepreneurial life as a co-founder of two different companies that provide services in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Blockchain.

Ali Erhan Tamer, who helps the digital disruption and innovation of the companies he works with, defines himself as Digital Disruption Obsessed, AI Mentor and Innovation Designer. He is currently creating robots that will serve in every field of artificial intelligence, especially Chatbots and Virtual Assistants with OXY AI company, of which he is a partner.

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PAOLA CECCHI-DIMEGLIO

CEO and Co-Founder, People Culture Drive Consulting Group / Chair, Executive Leadership Research Initiative for Women and Minority Attorneys (ELRIWMA) / Senior Research Fellow, HLS Center on the Legal Profession

Diversity Nudges

Dr. Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio is a behavioral and data scientist, as well as a lawyer. As a decision science, organizational behavior and gender specialist, she is advising some of the largest for-profit and non-profit organizations in the world. By enabling organizations to tap into insights from behavioral science and related fields, she helps senior leadership make better and inclusive decisions for themselves and their companies. She works with executives from Fortune 500 firms, governments, and top professional service firms, including Magic Circle law firms and AmLaw 100. She has developed several software and SAAS tools and owns several patents.

Dr. Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio is the faculty Chair of the Executive Leadership Research Initiative for Women and Minority (ELRIWMA) and a Senior Research Fellow at the Center for the Legal Profession and affiliated faculty at Harvard Kennedy School in the Women and Public Policy Program (WAPPP).

Next to her academic position, she heads up one of the top niche behavioral science consulting firms on improving decision making processes in organizations to level the playing field. People Culture Drive Consulting Group consists of high level consultants sharing an extensive knowledge of applying Behavioral Science to businesses and public policy challenges, with specific expertise in change management, research, sectorial experts, design, communication, and training.

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PAUL J. ZAK

Professor of Economic Sciences, Psychology / Management Director, Center for Neuroeconomics Studies

Neuroscience of Trust

Paul J. Zak is a professor at Claremont Graduate University and is ranked in the top 0.3% of most cited scientists with over 180 published papers and more than 19,000 citations to his research. Zak’s two decades of research have taken him from the Pentagon to Fortune 50 boardrooms to the rainforest of Papua New Guinea. Along the way he helped start a number of interdisciplinary fields including neuroeconomics, neuromanagement, and neuromarketing. He has written three general audience books and is a regular TED speaker.

His latest book, Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and Source of Happiness (2022), identifies the neurologic basis for extraordinary experiences and uses 50,000 brain measurements to show readers how to create high-impact marketing, entertainment, training, customer experiences, and employee experiences. The book shows that extraordinary experiences drive up customer lifetime value and provide the neurologic foundation for increased individual happiness.

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Kürasyon & Moderasyon

EVRİM KURAN

FOUNDER, EVRİM KURAN CONSULTING / COUNTRY LEADER, UNIVERSUM

Kuran has a BA in English Language & Literature at Hacettepe University and an Executive MBA degree at Sabancı University. She studied Behavioral Economics, Culture of Innovation and Design Thinking at Harvard Business School where she received a Certificate of Management Excellence. Since 2000, Evrim Kuran has been conducting generational research, organizational attractiveness studies, and reverse mentoring programs.

Kuran has worked with many local and global employer brands. She is the Country Leader for Türkiye of world’s leading employer branding research and consulting company, Universum. She is also the creator and the curator of the region’s biggest employer branding conference, People Make the Brand since 2013. Kuran is a Board Member of YetGen Coop – an initiative focusing on developing 21st century skills for youth, an Advisory Board member of PERYON – People Management Association of Türkiye and Sabancı School of Management, as well as a member of Global Relations Forum (GRF). Evrim Kuran teaches Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Mef University. Kuran is also an Independent Board Member at Mondelez International Türkiye.

Besides her career as a consultant, she is also a keynote speaker and a columnist and her articles are published at certain national and global publications and portals. She is also the author of three books, Telgraftan Tablete (From Telegram to Tablet) in which she wrote about the five generations of Türkiye, Z: Bir Kuşağı Anlamak (Z: Understanding a Generation) which scrutinizes generation Z through various research findings and Onlar Göçtü Buradan (They Moved From Here) in which Kuran focuses on the brain drain among the new generations of Türkiye.

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SERDAR TURAN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW TÜRKİYE

Lisans eğitimini elektrik mühendisliği üzerine aldıktan sonra işletme yüksek lisansını tamamlayan Turan, 2000 yılında Infomag Yayıncılık’ın kurucu ekibinde yer aldı.

2005 yılının Kasım ayında Businessweek ve 2012 yılının Ekim ayında Harvard Business Review dergisinin Türkiye edisyonlarının kuruluş sürecinde bulundu. Hali hazırda Harvard Business Review Türkiye ve Bloomberg Businessweek Türkiye dergilerinin yayın yönetmenliğini sürdürmektedir.

2014 yılına kadar HSBC Türkiye Küresel Bankacılık ve Yatırım Bankacılığı Genel Müdür Yardımcısı olarak görev yapan Kervancı, ardından Dubai’de Ortadoğu, Kuzey Afrika ve Türkiye’den Sorumlu Yatırım Bankacılığı Direktörlüğü görevini yürütmüştür. Selim Kervancı, 1 Temmuz 2016 itibarıyla HSBC Türkiye Genel Müdürü olarak atanmıştır. Selim Kervancı, aynı zamanda HSBC Yatırım Menkul Değerler A.Ş.’nin de Yönetim Kurulu Başkanıdır.

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Simultaneous Turkish-English translation will be provided throughout the sessions.

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