Derya Yannier RC 03 Navigates Management in Pro Basketball

 “The biggest challenge is to find the right people for one’s team.”

Having started off as a professional basketball player, Derya Yannier is now the general manager of Fenerbahçe Beko Basketball Club and offers a unique all-around perspective.

What were the milestones in your journey?

Growing up, I had to follow the footsteps of an academically successful sister and keep up with my athletic goals – an impossible challenge! I went to the States for one year in college to balance things up, but it was not the ideal solution for my basketball career, and I came back. 

When I was 25 years old, I decided that the moment that I felt I could not become top level, I would make a change. Therefore, when I had a knee injury at 27, I started my business life. I tried for two years to discover my passion. After trying several different fields, I realized that I could not stay away from my childhood passion. 

I ended up in the management side of basketball- first by purchasing the management rights of a club with other RC graduates, then working at the Turkish Basketball Federation as the Super League Director and now as the General Manager of Fenerbahçe Beko.

What challenges do you face now in your current role?

I have to manage marketing, ticketing, digital marketing and media, youth program, finances and the politics. The biggest challenge is to build a strong team and find the right people. 

How do you see the future of basketball in Turkey ?

There is strong investment in sports in Turkey. The biggest thing missing is the cultural element. We mostly enjoy or follow sports only around winning or losing. Basketball in Europe is going through a lot of challenges at the moment. There might be some structural changes in the European basketball landscape. Turkish basketball will hopefully have an even bigger piece of the cake.

Any memories from RC that stand out?

Robert College gives you the opportunity to taste a variety of things, including sports, at a very large scale. In RC I had the privilege to play table tennis, floor hockey, soft ball and much more. The Field Days gave us the opportunity to unite around different kinds of sports. 

Mr. Phillips was a great teacher, guide, brother and father. After Orta where I did not play for the school team, everything was finally set for me to join the school team and I arranged my club practice schedule accordingly . For my first school practice somehow I misunderstood the time and was late. When I arrived at the gym, Mr. Phillips had given a speech to the team about my lack of discipline and written on the board with capital letters ‘MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY’. It was quite a shocking moment, but afterwards we had an incredible relationship.

 Any advice to RC students?

Starting from the worldview it provides to the close links the graduates sustain, RC is truly unique. When you are young, you may just look forward to finishing your academic duties. However, you understand later what a privilege you had. My message to all current RC students would be to make the most of every moment and build as many close friendships as you can. You will build on this foundation for the rest of your lives.

Emre Turanlı RC 97 Leadership

“Türkiye has an amazing potential to become one of the most developed nations in sports.”

Emre Turanlı has two important hats: He is the Global CMO Mobility/Convenience & License Markets Chairman Shell Brands International, as well as the Vice-President of the Water Polo Federation of Turkey. With these dual roles, he is in a unique position to evaluate how sports and leadership are related.

How did you get interested in water polo?

I started swimming competitevely when I was five years old at Istanbul Yüzme İhtisas Klübü. At age eleven, I transitioned to water polo as it was more fun and a team sport.

What does being president of a sports federation entail? 

Federations are private institutions, and our job is to make sure that the league operates at all Olympic age groups both for men and women. We also support the development of international delegates and referees. National Team development is also crucial, and we cultivate and manage it for all age groups. Therefore, this position particularly entails enabling all the required funding and facilitating work so that facilities are secured. We also have a very strong program on TOHMs (Turkish Olympic Development Centers) especially to develop women’s water polo with the goal of competing in the next Olympics.

Türkiye has developed significantly in sports over the last decade; in particular, in Olympic sports. The facilities are now on par with the most developed nations’. Turkiye has an amazing potential to become one of the most developed nations in sports, and the biggest challenge is to raise public awareness and interest.  Sports is still seen only as a health improvement aspect in our society. The more we support young athletes in pursuing professional sports—particularly outside major cities where excellent facilities exist—the more successful we can become”

What impact does sports have on your career? 

Both work and sports require discipline, hard work, decision making, not giving up. Team sports teach to take decisions under pressure, not to let yourself sink down after a wrong decision, discipline in the face of adversity, and competing against competition not internal targets. All those situations are also very common in business. At work, I would also always prefer somebody who has done competitive sports from a young age, because they would have the grit, discipline, and winning mind set.

Emre Turanlı RC 97 Appointed as Global CMO for Shell Mobility & Convenience

Turanlı moved into his new role as of January 1, 2026

Emre Turanlı’s long career at Shell has reached a new stage with his appointment as Global CMO for Shell’s Mobility and Convenience business. In his new role,  Turanlı will lead the development of mobility products, elevate the convenience retail experience, and shape how the company engages with more than 30 million customers in 83 countries. Turanlı states his responsibilities span the full gamut of marketing: “My responsibilities encompass fuels, mobility products, global shop formats, food & beverage brands such as Shell Café and Deli2Go, loyalty programs, as well as digital and analytics, strategic partnerships, and motorsports sponsorships, including the 75-year partnership with Ferrari.” Additionally, in his role as Senior Vice President Licensed Markets, he will oversee 60 countries, with more than 15,000 sites. Finally, Turanlı will also serve as the Chairman of the Board of Shell Brands International, serving as steward of the Shell brand.

Turanlı believes in the power of team sports as a model for building high-performing teams in business: “I am a very hands-on leader with a simple mental model of 10% Strategy and 90% execution. I reduce hierarchy, and stay very close to the teams on the ground and customers. “ Indeed, Turanlı’s lifelong involvement in sports—beginning at age five and continuing through RC and beyond—exemplifies the positive impact of sports on leadership.

Burak Cendek RC 00 Appointed Managing Director at Autotech Ventures

Cendek Highlights the Convergence of AI and the Physical Economy.

After RC, Burak Cendek studied electrical engineering at Caltech where he gained exposure to robotics, and later earned an MBA from Chicago Booth. His career has always focused on the intersection of technology and industry, exploring how complex, traditional sectors adopt new tools.  This trajectory led him to the venture capital firm Autotech Ventures, a Menlo Park–based VC firm managing ~$600M. In his new role, Cendek leads the investments in early-stage companies across industrials and transportation.

Cendek states these sectors deserve focused investment because they underpin the physical economy: “The movement of people and goods relies on large-scale systems that remain inefficient, fragmented, and slow to change, creating sustained opportunity for new technology. Some of the most exciting developments today are agentic AI and the rise of physical AI, including robotics and automation that operate directly in the physical world.”


For RC alumni and students interested in the intersection of technology and ground mobility, Cendek’s advice is simple: “Build! It has never been easier to start. Identify a real pain point, begin working on it, and iterate quickly. Building is the fastest way to understand both technology and markets.”

Taylan Özdemir Aydın RC 21 Secures Funding For Startup

Flyway Health Does AI- Based Data Analysis The seed of Flyway Health was planted when Aydın and his co-founder and college roommate Andre Biehl realized the magnitude of the data analytics gap between what was being done and what was actually possible in the phatmaceutical space with agentic applications. Success followed after hard work, and their company secured a one-million dollar investment before they even graduated. A seed round of three million dollars followed within the same year. Aydın offers a strategic perspective to RC students tempted to leave school early for the startup world: “One reason to stay is that college can function as an informal startup incubator. It’s a place where you can build and fail dozens of times before finding something that naturally sticks, without the full pressure of the outside world. At the very least, you might meet a friend and a future cofounder, just as I did. Enjoy your high school, college years, and keep building!” Reflecting on his foundation at Robert College, Aydın credits both sides of the RC curriculum for his success: “When it comes to technical problem-solving, I owe my intellectual rigor to the mathematics and science teachers at RC,” he explains. “But when it comes to understanding people—interpreting what a client truly needs beyond what is explicitly said—I owe that to the breadth of my social sciences education. From literature to philosophy, my teachers encouraged open discussion, questioning, and nuance in how we  approached ideas and people.”

Duygu Nahum RC 08 Appointed to Key Leadership Position at Kurtsan

Duygu is now the general manager responsible for commercial operations.

As of October 2025, Duygu Nahum has stepped into the role of  general manager responsible for commercial operations at Kurtsan.  A 70-year-old institution, Kurtsan continues to play a pioneering role in Turkey’s consumer health sector. Nahum values her role deeply, joining a distinguished line of  family members and professionals who have contributed to Kurtsan with dedication and rigor.

Nahum finds her role both meaningful and energizing, as it revolves around supporting people’s health every day.  Through brands like Otacı and Roll, she focuses on providing holistic solutions across individuals’ lifelong health journeys—science-led, nature-inspired, and technology-backed.

Nahum credits her time at RC as a significant asset to her professional life: “Beyond its reputation and esteem, the discipline and resilience I gained at RC have shaped my sense of responsibility, perseverance, and leadership—values that continue to guide my professional journey.”