Furkan Karayel is the Founder of Divesein.com – a global inclusive leadership agency and DEI platform that trains managers to effectively implement diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Furkan has collected numerous accolades over the years for her work as a diversity and inclusion specialist and as a woman in STEM, such as the ‘Diversity and Inclusion Role Model in Business’ award at the International Diversity Leadership Awards in 2018 and the ‘Trailblazer’ award at the Tech Dublin awards in the same year. The bestselling author of “Inclusive Intelligence: How to Be a Role Model for Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace”, she is now available to speak at a range of events about cultural intelligence, starting diversity and inclusion from scratch, and inclusive leadership.
Currently the Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Trainings Associate at the Irish Management Institute, Furkan has gained valuable experience in the fields of diversity and inclusion over the years. Until 2023, she was a Lecturer for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Master’s Program at the Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design, and Technology. Also the Diversity and Inclusion Track Captain for Startup Week Dublin and Dublin Chapter Lead for Sprinters.co, Furkan was nominated for the Diversity Champion Award by Inclusive Company Awards in 2018. With vast experience under her belt, her book “Inclusive Intelligence” discusses the convergence of emotional intelligence and inclusive leadership and how it was found that successful leaders in the world weave inclusive practices in their day-to-day lives. She was selected as a Judge for the Diversity in Tech awards for two years.
Furkan performed several roles after she completed her BE in Computer Engineering from Bahcesehir University and her MSc in Software Engineering from Technology University of the Shannon, Athlone Campus. Playing many roles throughout her career she worked as a Systems Engineer at Ericsson, was the Founder and CEO of Dublin Tercume, was also the Founder and CEO of Giftoven, and the Senior Software Engineer at Openet where she supported end-to-end production solutions for customers. A heavily male-dominated field that she had to navigate through, Furkan is dedicated to raise awareness about women’s experiences in STEM. For her efforts in this regard, she was named among the Top 100 Women in Social Enterprise by EUClid Network in 2022, won the Inclusive Leadership Development Award by SHeros Global 2022, and was shortlisted for the Advocate of the Year award by Women in IT Awards Dublin in 2018, amongst several other awards and nominations. She has also been a Mentor at Girls in Tech Inc and is currently a Board Member of the Women for Election association.
An excellent writer as well, Furkan frequently contributes to Thrive Global, Irish Independent along with hosting the One Good Thing Podcast and YouTube series. Highly experienced and intelligent, Furkan talks about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, inclusive leadership, female entrepreneurship, cultural intelligence, and how to be an inclusion role model in the workplace when she is hired as a speaker. When looking for a capable and knowledgeable speaker, look no further than Furkan Karayel.
