“You do not like change; you are the change,” a dear friend told me just a few weeks ago. My career has revolved around change and digital transformation. I was fortunate to be born in an analog world, helping it transition to a more digital one. Our quest to connect business people in Turkey through a network led us to establish the country’s first internet service provider. Later, I served as the technical project manager for Turkey’s inaugural contact center.
Over 22 years in the Turkish tech industry, I moved from one project and company to another, implementing new digital systems and altering the way we work. I was also privileged to transform an essential NGO’s system, ushering them into a state-of-the-art cloud system. After 2014, my journey took me to Berlin, Germany, where I consulted for companies, helping them establish their structures. These companies ranged from electric car charging station networks to small local shops seeking an online presence.
I am a mom of three, twin boys and a girl. Watching them grow from embryos (seriously, I have a photo of the boys as embryos!) has been the most incredible experience of my life. We are now in Season 14, and it only gets more exciting with each passing season!
Relocating to a city where I did not speak the language and bringing along three preschool-aged children proved to be a difficult experience. I knew only one person in this city, had no job, and the weather didn’t help either. The challenges of living in Berlin fostered my personal growth, making me bolder and braver. This evolution ultimately led me to become an entrepreneur, not just a consultant.
Why She.Work?
When a new community idea comes from a woman who has been establishing communities online and in real life for the past 20 years, what do you do? You listen. So I listened! And she said, “We are going to help women shine!” So I listened even harder.
The story is somewhat similar for all three of us. A day spent without learning something new is not a good day in our books. I continue to read, listen, and learn each and every day. I have also reached a point in my life where I have much to offer and can use my experiences to mentor others. She.Work is the perfect platform for me to give back to my fellow women.
Why me?
When I was a little girl, I wanted to become a brain surgeon because I had heard or read somewhere that there were no female brain surgeons in the world. I may have ultimately chosen my passion for computers, but my belief in women and their power has never wavered.
I grew up in a family with two girls and attended an all-girls high school. At university, my class had an equal number of girls and boys, and so did my first company. Nothing in my life told me that I was less of a person just because I was a girl! I encountered the challenges of being a woman for the first time when I was laid off during my pregnancy leave from a reputable international telecom company. It took me almost a year to overcome the victim mentality and rise stronger than before. Since then, I have adopted a “she first” mindset.
As I grow older, my passion for change and transformation increases. This platform we are creating is the perfect way for me to give back to my friends who identify as “she” and help them become the best version of themselves that they can be.