Seminar Series of the Faculty of Applied Sciences – Spring 2026 – 1. Seminar

Dear Students of the Faculty of Applied Sciences,

You are kindly informed to welcome General Manager of Elite World İstanbul Grand Küçükyalı, Ms. Ece Sardoğan Yeğen and General Manager of Elite World Grand İstanbul Basın Ekspres, Ms. Müzeyyen Merve Sönmez as the guest speakers of the seminar series.

Date      : Thursday, 19 February 2026

Time      : 14:40-15:30

Place     : AB3 #150 / Zeynep Alp Köseoğlu Auditorium

Ms. Ece Sardoğan Yeğen holds a master’s degree in Accounting and Internal Audit from Okan University. She started her career in tourism in 2005 in the finance department of Richmond Group, a local hotel chain. With a strong financial background, she took on various managerial roles in hotel finance departments until 2019. In 2016, she obtained her CPA (SMMM) certification. In 2019, she served as Incharge General Manager at DTH Moda Hotel and shortly after as General Manager at DTH Ümraniye. Later, she worked as a cluster general manager within the franchise structure of Dedeman Hotels, managing investments in Türkiye and abroad. During 2024–2025, she served as Head of Finance at the luxury hotel brand Address Hotel. Since September 2025, she has been working as the General Manager of Elite World İstanbul Grand Küçükyalı, part of Elite World Hotels. With nearly 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, she continues to create value through strategic leadership in finance, operations, and investment management.

Ms. Müzeyyen Merve Sönmez is a senior hospitality executive with over 25 years of experience in the tourism and hotel industry. She currently serves as General Manager of Elite World Grand Istanbul, overseeing the full operations of a five-star hotel with 401 rooms, 13 meeting rooms, and a team of 270 employees. Throughout her career, she has held General Manager and senior sales leadership roles at some of Türkiye’s leading luxury properties. At The Grand Tarabya, she successfully managed the hotel’s reopening process, rapidly rebuilt the team, strengthened operational structures, and achieved significant results in cost control and revenue growth. She also served as General Manager at Kemer Country Club and Radisson Hotel Istanbul Zeytinburnu, where she led operations and managed critical processes during the pandemic period. Previously, she was General Manager of Divan Istanbul Asia for several years, driving strong performance in sales, marketing, and financial management, while implementing revenue-enhancing initiatives and organizational restructuring. Earlier in her career, she held senior sales and management positions at internationally renowned properties including Çırağan Palace Kempinski Istanbul, Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus, and Swissotel The Bosphorus Istanbul, further strengthening her expertise in luxury hospitality. In addition to her corporate career, Sönmez has entrepreneurial experience as the owner of a German-style bakery in Göktürk, serving prominent corporate clients. She also contributed to academia as a lecturer at Okan Üniversitesi between 2012 and 2018, teaching Rooms Division Management as well as Sales and Revenue Management.

In the seminar class, Ms. Ece Sardoğan Yeğen and Ms. Müzeyyen Merve Sönmez will present on “Women as Managers in the Hospitality Industry”.