Açelya Ecem Yıldız has more than 15 years of experience in risk management, strategic planning, performance management, project management, budgeting and cost optimization, organizational restructuring, and people management.

Throughout her professional career, she has worked closely with senior executives and Boards of Directors, particularly during her 10-year tenure at Rönesans Holding, one of the largest conglomerates in Turkey and Europe. With extensive international business experience, she served as a Risk & Transformation Officer at Renaissance Heavy Industries, one of Russia’s leading international oil and gas companies, where she was responsible for overseeing risk and transformation initiatives. In this role, she led several large-scale transformation projects, including corporate restructuring, business process redesign, and zero-based budgeting. She was also a member of several high-level committees, including the Risk Committee, Executive Committee, and Tender Committee, and has managed numerous direct and cross-functional teams reporting to her.

Açelya earned her B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from Middle East Technical University (METU) and went on to complete both her M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Construction Engineering and Project Management. Her areas of expertise include project risk management, strategic planning, and corporate performance management. She has published multiple academic papers in prestigious international journals and conferences.

In January 2023, she founded MindEx Consulting Group, a management and technical consultancy firm specializing in corporate transformation services. Since September 2023, she has also been serving as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Civil Engineering, Construction Engineering and Management at Middle East Technical University (METU), where she teaches two graduate courses: Risk Management in Construction Projects and Strategic Planning for Construction Companies.

Additionally, she is a member of the Advisory Committee of Harvard Business Review, contributing her expertise to discussions on business strategy, leadership, and corporate transformation.