Women Leaders Directing Technology

“Count a few women from the tech industry.” What names come to mind? Or do you think of anyone? Although we encounter names such as Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Jack Dorsey almost every day, he does not know much about female leaders in the technology industry.

In fact, efforts to increase gender diversity in companies and organizations have been going on for decades, but the percentage of female leaders working in the tech industry is still too low to be studied. On the other hand, there are very successful women leaders who direct technology both in the world and in Turkey. We, too, wanted to remember the women who shape technology both in our country and in the world, on the 88th anniversary of the granting of women the right to vote and be elected in Turkey. On this occasion, we would like to express our thanks once again to the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and his friends, who gave Turkish women the legal rights they deserve before many Western countries, which are considered the pioneers of civilization. Let’s take a look at the women leaders operating around the world and in our country, who will inspire the women entrepreneurs of the future.

“I can have children and a career”: Susan Wojcicki

Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube since February 2014. Susan Wojcicki, one of the names who played a role in the acquisition of YouTube by Google for $ 1.65 billion in 2006, is a true example of “I can have children or a career”. Because she has five children. When Wojcicki’s second child was born, many of her colleagues thought she would quit the job, but on the contrary, Susan continued to climb the career ladder with firm steps.

More than a COO: Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg

COO of Facebook since 2008 Sheryl Sandbergis of great importance in increasing Facebook’s revenue. She also very usefully uses her position to raise awareness of gender diversity in the tech industry. Before she started working at Facebook, Sheryl Sandberg was vice president at Google for six years. Sandberg, who has also held executive positions at Apple and Yahoo!, was the first woman ever to be elected to the company’s board of directors when she joined Facebook.

SpaceX COO Gwyne Shotwell, who wants to be a leader in an unequal business environment alongside space travel

Director of operations at Elon Musk’s company SpaceX Gwyne ShotwellShe is ranked 49th on Forbes’ list of the world’s most influential women in 2020. Shotwell’s job is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the company and take care of the company’s growth. In addition to being the company’s director of operations, we can say that she is the spokesperson for the company’s diversity effort. “We are the world leader in space travel. Why not be a leader in creating a work environment free of prejudice and inequality?” she had used the phrases.

Ruth Porat, Chief Financial Officer, Alphabet and Google

parent company of Google since 2015 Alphabet and Googlechief financial officer of Ruth PoratHe was vice president of investment bank Morgan Stanley from 2010 to 2015. Just like SpaceX COO Gwyne Shotwell, Ruth Porat has also found herself on Forbes’ list of the most influential women in 2020. Porat was 16th on this valuable list. In addition to his work at Google, Porat helps companies that have been damaged in the US after the pandemic process to reintegrate into the economy.

Başak Taşpınar Degim, the founder of Armut, who changed the dynamics of the service sector in our country.

He is the founder of armut.com, which provides services on various subjects. Basak Taspinar DegimHe graduated from Boğaziçi University, Department of Civil Engineering in 2000. After her years in the Bosphorus, Başak Taşpınar Degim, who did her master’s degree at Koç University and the USA, worked as a manager at Revlon and Nielsen companies. He returned to Turkey in 2010. Başak Taşpınar Degim, who set off from the trouble she had in finding companies that provide quality service, founded armut.com based on her own experience. Armut.com, which received Series A investment from Hummingbird Ventures, a European investment in 2014, is one of the first startups that comes to mind when it comes to service in Turkey.

Hande İzmirlioğlu, one of the founders of Dolap, an online second-hand clothing application

He is one of the founders of the Dolap application, which was established to prevent unused items from getting old in the cabinets and contribute to a more sustainable world, which allows shopping at affordable prices. Hande Izmirlioglu He studied Computer Engineering at Boğaziçi University between 2003-2008. Then he worked in companies such as Turkcell and n11.com. Later, İzmirlioğlu, who founded Dolap, one of the companies that come to mind when talking about second-hand shopping applications, is one of the important names of the sector with his breakthroughs.

Sezen Saral, Turkey’s female entrepreneur in 2018

Boğaziçi University International Trade Sezen Saral, who graduated from the department with “High Honor” degree, is the name that created Turkey’s first e-book reader brand. Setting out with the aim of spreading the culture of reading books and liberating knowledge, Sezen Saral carries out sponsorship and social responsibility projects by taking initiatives in the fields of education and sports, as well as her collaborations with technoparks and universities.

Duygu Akbudak, co-founder of Denebunu.com

Graduated from Koç University, Department of Business Administration. Duygu AkbudakHe started to do internships in important international companies during his university years. Akbudak, who started to work at The Coca Cola Company after university, started to work at the USA-based Kimberly Clark company after this experience. Duygu Akbudak, who made a sudden decision in her early 30s and decided that she wanted to set up her own business, showed an example of courage and founded Denebunu even though she had no experience. Denebunu is a platform that allows you to try or consult the products of leading brands in the world before purchasing them. Offering a wide range of products from electronics to cosmetics, from food to household cleaning products, Denebunu offers product trial boxes, some in trial size and some in original size, according to the user’s profile once a month. The more users keep their profiles full, the more comments they make, the higher their chances of getting a product trial box.

Tuğçe Yılmaz Özbilgi, co-founder of Gezimanya, the most comprehensive Turkish travel guide

Istanbul University Market Research and Advertising After his department, he studied Public Relations and Advertising at Marmara University. Tugce Yilmaz Ozbilgi After working as a senior manager in various companies for a while, he wanted to do something about his passion for travel. For this reason, in 2011 travelmaniahe founded. Every month, approximately 1 million internet users visit Gezimanya, which currently hosts 75 authors and more than 6 thousand travel articles. Tuğçe Yılmaz Özbilgi went on an adventure in Gezimanya with his wife, Murat Özbilgi. The duo seek to go further by finding bigger dreams and ideas for themselves every day.

Demet Mutlu, who manages an e-commerce brand in Turkey and Europe with Trendyol

TrendyolFounder and CEO of Bunch of HappyHe left Harvard Business School, one of the best MBA schools in the world, and founded Trendyol by following his dreams. In his observations during the summer months when he came to Turkey from the USA, he saw some gaps in e-commerce in Turkey (especially in the field of fashion). Thus, the idea of ​​Trendyol was born. Established in 2009, Trendyol has taken an important step in facilitating access to consumer products in Europe as well. Because en.trendyol.com provides service in 27 countries in Europe. In line with the needs of consumers, Trendyol has also been instrumental in new formations. For example, Trendyol Express in logistics, Trendyol Go & Good in online food shopping and food ordering, Trendyol Wallet in e-wallet and Wardrobe application in second-hand product market.

Selin Ezer, founder of Ankara-based mobile advertising platform App Samurai

App Samuraiis a mobile advertising platform that was established in Ankara, Bilkent Cyberpark, and later opened to the USA. Co-founder of App Samurai Selin Ezer, founded this company with four of his friends who are experienced in mobile marketing. App Samurai allows the user to measure the quality and results of their ads. It also enables the creation of campaigns with high conversion rates with smart suggestions. Founded in 2016, App Samurai has received significant investments over the years. It even announced that it donated $250,000 to small companies affected by the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.

Hande Çilingir, co-founder of Insider, which provides services in more than 24 countries

insideris a software company that offers tools to increase sales for e-commerce sites. With offices in more than 24 countries, Insider, with its artificial intelligence-supported technology, Singapore Airlines, Marks & Spencer, Samsung, MediaMarkt, Virgin, Uniqlo, Garanti BBVA and Estée Lauder It helps more than 800 global brands accelerate their digital growth. Insider CEO and co-founder Hande LocksmithHe started his university life in London and then continued in China. In 2012, they founded Insider with five co-founders. Locksmith was named one of the top 3 female CEOs in the world outside the US by Crunchbase in 2018.

Melis Guctas, the founder of ModaCruz, which is on Wired’s 10 most popular startups list

Set out to create a second-hand fashion perception in our country, FashionCruzin 2014 Melis Guctas was founded by Guctas, who founded ModaCruz with the aim of strengthening the sharing among people and the women’s economy, was born in Bursa in 1988. After completing Industrial Design at Boston Wentworth Institute of Technology, she worked as a digital marketing analyst in a startup for 2 years. Returning to Turkey later, Melis Guctas started working on various digital platforms. She realized that brand clothes are sold at exorbitant prices in Turkey and that some brands are not easily accessible. Powered by her entrepreneurial spirit, Melis Guctas established the business model of ModaCruz. She is still the CEO of ModaCruz and continues her career.

Eda Günay, the founder of Uplifers, which set out with the motto feel good, live well

Eda GunayHe received his undergraduate education at Paris IV Celsa Sorbonne and Galatasaray University Faculty of Communication. After completing his master’s degree in communication and media studies, he returned to Turkey and rolled up his sleeves for the Uplifers project. Eda Günay, who set out with the slogan “feel good, live well” in 2012, Uplifers founded the website. It is possible to say Uplifers is a blog that offers scientific and experiential content to users about personal development, psychology, sports, healthy nutrition, sexual happiness, fashion, travel and space for a healthy and fit life. The staff of Uplifers, which has grown over time, currently includes about 40 writers who are experts in their fields.