Özlem completed an undergraduate degree in Simultaneous Translation and Interpreting in 1990. She completed a post-graduate degree in International Public Relations and an MBA in Marketing. She spent 7 years at The Coca-Cola Company Turkey Region, holding various positions in brand and channel marketing. She left the Company as ‘Group Brand Manager’, managing 5 out of the then 7 Coke brands in the Turkish market. She spent 3 years marketing career consultancy services at E&E Yönetim Danışmanlığı, where she gained valuable HR experience. She then spent 7 years as ‘Head of Marketing’ at McDonald’s Turkey. Her final career stop before yurddas + partners was Bersay Communications Group, where she worked as COO for more than 2 years. At yurddas + partners, she is ‘Partner’, with a primary focus on new business development.

Özlem has a great passion for books, cinema and the performing arts, and enjoys using them as her routes to escape the world.