Seminar Series of the School of Applied Sciences – Fall 2021 – 1. Seminar

Dear Students of the School of Applied Sciences,

You are kindly informed to welcome the CEO of d.ream,  Mr. Umut Özkanca as the guest speaker of the seminar series.

Date      : Thursday, 15 October 2020
Time      : 14:40-16:30
Place     : Web Seminar

Mr. Umut Özkanca, was born in Istanbul in 1977, completed his high school education at The American School in Lugano, Switzerland. Afterward, he continued his undergraduate education at Bentley College, Boston where he studied international economics. After graduating from the Bentley College, he went to the French Culinary Institute for a year and found the opportunity to work with the greatest chefs in the world. He graduated from the institute ranking first. During the summer periods of high school and university, he worked at the service and kitchen of the Borsa Restaurants, which earned him the first experiences about restaurant management. While he was abroad, having in mind that he will continue his career in this domain, he closely observed the restaurants’ management and operating systems as well as menus. And at the age of 23, he opened his first restaurant, Loft, in Istanbul. Mr. Umut Özkanca, who speaks English, Spanish and Italian, takes place in the management board of the Sele Istanbul Group, which embodies brands such Boğaziçi Borsa, Kandilli Borsa, Masa, Parle, Sele, and La Viña. Lastly, he founded the Rüya Restaurant, which represents traditional Turkish and Anatolian cuisine with a modern twist in Dubai and London. Mr. Umut Özkanca is now the CEO of d.ream (Doğuş Restaurant Entertainment and Management); one of the major international players in the F&B sector with the support of the Doğuş Group. Mr. Umut Özkanca is going to make an online presentation in the seminar course.