Meet our team! | About Us | Brika Sustainability

WHAT DO WE DO?

We support businesses and individuals in planning a sustainable future.

We collaborate with our stakeholders to help them define the necessary steps forward for their sustainability strategies, plan a roadmap, design key projects, identify indicators and measure progress.

HOW DO WE DO IT?

We ensure that the global sustainability agenda is internalised and applied correctly and comprehensively in the organisations we work with. We design and carry out projects that address the sustainability agenda.

In other words;

● We follow global developments on the sustainability agenda and adapt them to our local conditions.

● We provide new ideas and perspectives with the support of various complementary networks.

● We identify a definition based on the structure, sector, geography, opportunities, and risks of each organization.

● We avoid only focusing on problems and how we eliminate them; we also look at best case practices, to incorporate them.

● We shape the ways in which our client organisation can apply the sustainability agenda while keeping practicality as a key component of the process.

● We believe that sustainability of an organisation is only possible under a leadership which prioritizes credible information, innovation and core values.

OUR MISSION

We are here to support organisations and individuals who wish to kick-start their transformation towards sustainability. Confident in our unique set of skills as a team, our expertise and experience in the field, we provide the tools and methods that businesses can use to build their capacity for a successful transformation.

Our physical and social world is changing very fast. Ever faster technological progress is one of the most important drivers of change. These major changes bring new potential risks while creating numerous advantages for businesses. In order to turn risks into opportunities, we have to adapt to sustainable ways of doing business. The entire world is speeding towards a new era, and we cannot succeed in this new system with our old perspective and practices. Businesses can only survive by embracing and even leading the change.

WHY CHOOSE BRIKA?

We hold a different, unique perspective that promotes systems thinking

We combine our academic, corporate and organisational experience for your transformation

We leverage our expertise and successful past experiences

We are eager to learn and share better, creative and effective ways of doing business

We have strong ties with our partners who hold different perspectives and expertise

As a team, we benefit from sharing common core values and commitment to sustainability

OUR TEAM

GULIN YUCEL

Managing Partner

After completing her studies at Bogazici University, Istanbul in 1992, followed by an M.B.A. in International Business from CASS, City University in London, U.K, Gulin worked for IBM on various positions between 1994-2013, where she developed expertise in multiple sectors and engaged in complex services projects (business consultancy, e-business, business intelligence, CRM, ERP, technology projects, digital transformation) with major clients.

Gulin then joined Pronet Security, a leading Turkish electronic security systems company as General Manager. Gulin worked on the company’s long term strategic planning while maintaining the effectiveness of the business.

Gulin Yucel organisations on sustainability intelligence, planning & transformation, management system development. Also she is a professor for Management Studies at Sabancı University and a visiting professor at Bogazici University, an active angel investor.

As a civil society member, Gulin works on diversity, equal opportunities for women & youth issues. As a member of KAGİDER (Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey), she participated and actively worked at Goldman Sachs 10K Women Project, US Department of State Invest for the Future Project, IFC Future Women Leaders Project, World Bank Gender Certificate Project and attended C20 Summit in Turkey in 2015, Freja Forum’s 2017 Conference on Climate Change.

Gulin Yucel is a certified member of the International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP). She is an advocate of Circular Economy in Turkey since 2014.

Education and Certifications

Columbia University, "The Age of Sustainable Development" – Prof. Jeffrey Sachs (14 weeks)
UC San Diego, "Our Energy Future" – Prof. Stephen Mayfield (10 weeks)
Sustainability Professionals Organisation (ISSP) Certification, 2015
Sustainability 101 (4 weeks)
Sustainability Planning (4 weeks)
Sustainability Management System (4 weeks)
Sustainability Leadership (4 weeks)
Stakeholder Engagement Strategies (4 weeks)
Sustainability Storytelling (4 weeks)
Sustainability Transformation (4 weeks)
Sustainability Assessments (4 weeks)
Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) (4 weeks)
İTÜ-BMI Renewable Energy Certificate (2 weeks)
Circular Economy, Re-thinking Future Workshop, Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Bradford University, UK (April 2014)
Natural Resources for Sustainable Development, UN SDSN, World Bank (12 weeks), June 2016
Sustainable Cities, SDG Academy (12 weeks), November 2016
ISSP SA – Sustainability Associate Certification, October 2017
Global Trends for Business and Society, Wharton / University of Pennsylvania (4 weeks), July 2018

PROF. DR. M. LEVENT KURNAZ

Consultant

Prof. Levent Kurnaz was born in Istanbul. He received his B.S. Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering in 1988, his M.S. Degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering and his B.S. Degree in Physics in 1990 from Bogazici University, his M.S. Degree in Physics in 1991 and his Ph.D. Degree in Physics in 1994 from University of Pittsburgh.

Between 1995 and 1997 he worked as a research associate at Department of Chemistry in Tulane University. In 1997 he joined Bogazici University Physics Department as an assistant professor. Since he has been a Professor of Physics at Bogazici University.

In 2014 he has been appointed as the Director of the Center for Climate Change and Policy Studies at Bogazici University. Prof. Kurnaz has 1 international book and 32 scientific papers in international journals. He has been an advisor to 27 M.S. and 9 Ph.D. thesis ongoing and finished. He is married with two children.

ZEYNEP BASARAN

Consultant / Instructor

Having graduated from Robert College in 1988, Zeynep Başaran, received her B.A. in Economics and English, Cum Laude and with Honors in English, from Bryn Mawr College in 1992. She received her M.A. in Advertising from the University of Texas at Austin in 1996.

She worked in strategic planning and business development at the BBDO Group between 1992-1999. Between 1999 and 2010, she worked at Manajans/ JWT, where she was strategy planning director, VP strategic planning, and CEO, successively. During 2007-2009, she was concurrently the country manager of Diamond Trading Company (formerly De Beers).

She gained experience as an angel investor and within the start-up community between 2010-2013, after which she launched her consultancy business, focusing on brand positioning, creative strategy, campaign management, agency-client relations, and project management.

She is an instructor at Bilgi University Marka Okulu (since 2011), Koç University (since 2013), and IMA (since 2016).

FERAH LOK

Consultant

Ferah Lok's biography is currently being prepared.

PROF. DR. BAHADIR INÖZÜ

Consultant

Prof. Dr. Bahadır İnözü'nün özgeçmişi.

EBRU DEBBAG

Consultant / Instructor

Ebru Debbağ graduated from Robert College in 1987 and earned a BSc from İstanbul Technical University as a Textile Engineer in 1991. Ebru has also completed MBA Certification Programme in Istanbul University in 1992 before she joined Orta Anadolu where she worked from 1992 to 2016 as a director responsible for sales, marketing, PD and R&D.

Ebru has been engaged in the sustainable transformation of Orta Anadolu since 2001 and has designed multiple global projects to develop a denim academy as well as to present the potential of Turkey as a denim and jeans sourcing hub. She has led BCI introduction in Turkey as well as designing and managing global sales and marketing expansion with an approach to redefine a B2B operation to engage as B2H ( Business to Human) Ebru has been an advocate of story-telling and has also worked in partnership with UN and UNICEF to present denim as a force of good for the people and the planet.

The Singularity University Executive Programme she has taken in 2016 has led her to set up her consultancy platform; Indigofriends where she strives to scale practices where fashion can regenerate the earth as well as societies.

Ebru has reached out to over 1000 participants with her Climate Crisis in My Wardrobe training sessions. She is also a co-founder at Permaturk Foundation which engages in permaculture practices as a lifestyle for all, targeting to educate,inform and transform.

Ebru is also a licensed yoga instructor and believes that we have the power and the potential to make a change everyday.