Dr Melsa Ararat

Melsa Ararat is the  founding director  of Corporate Governance Forum of Turkey(CGFT) hosted by the Sabanci University and was its Principle Researcher until July 2021.   Prior to returning to the academia in 2003, she held various international management and board positions in Asia Pacific, Japan and Europe  with specialization in global  strategy, joint ventures and entry into new markets. 

Dr. Ararat is involved in policy work; she has participated in the authorship of the the first CG Principles of the Capital Markets Board of Turkey in 2003, and her research provided the background for the launch of the Borsa Istanbul Sustainability Index in 2015. Dr. Ararat's academic work focuses on boards, business groups and corporate governance in emerging economies. She has coordinated Ithe IFC endorsed Emerging Markets Corporate Governance Research Network, chaired by Professor Stijn Claessens, together with Professor Burcin Yurtoğlu between  2009 and 2018.  Ararat is an engaged scholar; she is the founding chair of  30% Club Turkey Campaign, the Independent Women Directors  Program, the Business Against Domestic Violence Project and CDP Turkey Climate Change and Water Programs. She has been elected to the board of Global Compact Turkey in 2019 for  3 years and  served on the board of governors of ICGN between  2015 and 2021. She is the managing director and co-owner of ILLAC Ltd, a UK-based boutique consultancy firm which offers advisory services to international development banks, UN entities and their clients.

Dr. Ararat holds a PhD in Management-  Strategy and Organization- from Istanbul University and an MSc in Thermodynamics  and BSc in Chemical Engineering from METU. She was a visiting professor at Gronıngen University between 2015 and 2020.