European Investment Fund, Financial Valuation and Analysis Manager

Could you tell us a little about yourself? How has your career been shaped until today?

I was born in Istanbul in February 1989. After completing my primary and secondary education in Üsküdar and my high school education in Yahşi Anatolian High School, I completed my undergraduate education at Abant İzzet Baysal University, Department of International Relations. After the graduation, I started my career in the banking sector in 2013 as an assistant inspector in the Inspection Board of Halk Bankası. After about 1.5 years of experience in the Inspection Board, I changed the sector and started to work at Borsa Istanbul in 2015. I worked in the Borsa for 3 years, especially in the markets related to facilitating the access of early stage companies (start-ups) and non-public SMEs to finance, and I have carried out many projects and works in order to establish, promote, provide growth and make Borsa Istanbul Private Market, which was established for this purpose, a liquid and active platform for companies.

In this period, thanks to the scholarship students who previously benefited from the Jean Monnet Scholarship Program at Borsa Istanbul, I became interested in the Jean Monnet Scholarship attracted and became one of the 2018-2019 period scholars by studying in a consistent way. As part of the scholarship, I completed my master’s degree in “Accounting and Finance” at the London School of Economics and Political Science. After completing my education, I received offers from many important institutions and organizations and decided to continue my career as a manager in charge of financial valuation and analysis at the European Investment Fund (EIF). As a member of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group, the European Investment Fund conducts a wide range of investment activities in countries that are members of the European Union or have membership negotiations, including Turkey, with the goal of financing companies, especially venture capital and mutual funds. The unit for which I am responsible prepares analyses on the financial valuation, profitability and pricing of investments and products.

What are the effects of the education you completed through the Jean Monnet Scholarship Program on your view of the European Union?

For me, the education I received at the LSE was a period when my life changed and took on a different dimension, and it made a huge contribution to me in every way. First of all, I had the opportunity to meet people from many different countries, cultures and social structures and experience their point of view. I think that a multicultural and cosmopolitan education process gives a very important and valuable perspective to a person, as I have previously benefited from the ERASMUS Program, another project supported by the European Union. In this context, I believe that as a multinational peace and prosperity project, the European Union, which is a reference point in today’s international relations, has benefited to a great extent from this multicultural structure.

What would you like to recommend to Jean Monnet Scholarship candidates?

I believe that the Jean Monnet Scholarship is one of the best among the existing foreign scholarships in Turkey due to its prestige and the transparency in the scholarship process.

The scholarship exam is in a format that someone who knows their field, works correctly and systematically can easily win. In addition, they need to decide well in which field they want to work, which university will contribute the most to their post-education plans and achievement of their goals. I also recommend that they experience and observe the social life of the country in addition to courses in the country they will go to. I believe that a good education is one of the most important stages for a successful, happy and peaceful life, and I wish that the education that candidates will receive will help them achieve their dreams.