Our Rector Prof. Esra Gençtürk Hosts Turkcell's Former CEO Süreyya Ciliv on Our Campus

We had the honor of hosting Turkcell’s former CEO Süreyya Ciliv on our campus during the launch event of “Sectoral Orienteering 2024,” organized annually by the Sectoral Education and Professional Development Unit at Özyeğin University, and scheduled to take place from March 11 to 15 this year.

Accompanied by our Board of Trustees Chair Hüsnü Özyeğin, Mr. Ciliv’s visit was marked by two separate sessions, both hosted by our Rector Prof. Esra Gençtürk. Designed as a roundtable discussion, the first session brought together a cohort of our esteemed academicians with Mr. Ciliv to explore various advancements in artificial intelligence and assess the needs of the business world. The session featured our distinguished faculty members Prof. Ethem Alpaydın (Computer Science), Prof. Okan Örsan Özener (Industrial Engineering), Associate Prof. Aslı Ağırbaş (Architecture), Associate Prof. Cenk Demiroğlu (Electrical and Electronics Engineering), Associate Prof. Behlül Özkan (International Relations), Assistant Prof. Emrah Ahi (International Finance), Assistant Prof. Atanur Andıç (Communication Design), Assistant Prof. İsmail Arı (Computer Science / Director of Knowledge, Technology Transfer and Entrepreneurship), Assistant Prof. Reyhan Aydoğan (Computer Science), and Assistant Prof. Başak Ozan Özparlak (Law).

During the second session held at the Reşat Aytaç Auditorium, marking the kick-off of our Sectoral Orienteering 2024 events, Süreyya Ciliv met our student body. Mr. Ciliv gave an inspiring talk to our students, recounting pivotal milestones in his career, pioneering projects with his Turkcell team, and a wealth of professional and personal experiences, including his time at Microsoft, as documented in Fırat Demirel’s book Süreyya Ciliv: An Extraordinary Leader in the Global Business World, published in December 2023. Süreyya Ciliv also warmly embraced the opportunity to answer the questions of our students and expressed his sincere pleasure in being at Özyeğin University.