I am a storyteller, award-winning filmmaker, published photographer, tech manager, extrovert, and immigrant splitting my time between Canada and Mexico, although my story began halfway around the world.
I was born and raised in Istanbul, Türkiye, where I developed my passion for film after starting a career in finance. As an aspiring filmmaker, I produced and directed a number of films, honing my craft as I went. I always tried to push the envelope and tell stories that would resonate and inspire, not only entertain.
One such example is a three-part film series that explored the sexual oppression of women. For reasons I won’t go into here, I was forced to put the entire project on hold. And, as I was already planning to leave Türkiye and finish editing the film in Canada, I decided to go ahead with my plans and come to Canada anyway, and not go back.
My journey after arriving in Canada has been a long one, but it’s been very rewarding. I’ve been able to tie my previous corporate career in finance to an incredibly meaningful leadership track. My leadership style is centered on being human-focused, fostering a supportive and innovative work environment.
Now, I’m excited to be taking the reins as CEO of Pressbooks – the mission-driven education technology company where I’ve run the operations for the past 5 years. My time at Pressbooks has allowed me to really live out my dream of being a human-centered leader.
Under my direction, Pressbooks became a 4-day workweek company, implemented world-class onboarding for our employees that is being modelled by other companies, achieved an employer promoter score of +63, and has been chosen as a Great Place to Work® since 2022. I’ve also been able to push myself to the next level through my studies at Stanford’s flagship Online Business Program, from which I am about to graduate.
When I look back to where I came from, I realize that my journey was long, difficult, and unpredictable. But, it’s a journey I am grateful for taking because it brought me to where I am today. Now, I’m embarking on a new journey at Pressbooks, where I am leading leaders, contributing to education, and empowering people to tell their stories through digital publishing.