Meltem Akbulut Yıldırmış: “My role gives me the opportunity to build real influence on the future of Turkey’s human capital transformation and economic development”

With extensive experience in the field of education and extensive research in the field of pedagogical innovation, Meltem Akbulut Yıldırmış was appointed Director of the 42 in Türkiye campuses (42 Istanbul & 42 Kocaeli). After implementing several major changes in the management of both campuses, she now turns to the future, seeking to bolster their local recognition and multiply possible outcomes for her students.

Can you please talk to us about your background? What is your education and what were you doing before 42?

I have over 15 years of both academic and practical experience, and have held different positions over the course of my career, including managerial roles. I have a Bachelor’s in English Language, a Master’s in Leadership Development, and a Ph.D. in System Governance. I was selected among the 50 Highly Talented Early Career Researchers thanks to the higher education governance model I theorized in my dissertation, won the Laura Bassi Global Award, and worked as a postdoctoral scholar at the Technical University of Munich. I ran my project on Higher Education, Technology, and Governance and focused on (de)growth and innovation governance strategies as an alternative to the state-mandated and controlled human capital development. Additionally, I have published both nationally and internationally and worked on European Union projects.

What do you like about your position at your campus?

Since the day I started working at 42 in Türkiye campuses, I can’t help but think I have forged my path for such a role. I began questioning how human potential could be realized more efficiently in high school. Seeking an answer to that question has been my passion. I was fully invested in asking that question in all the roles I embraced along the way and in all the educational trajectories I walked through. My role gives me the opportunity to build real influence on the future of Türkiye’s human capital transformation and economic development. And this greatly excites me!

What’s your vision for the future of education?

I am aware of how poor higher education systems can hinder the development of a country. I have also seen many examples where improvements in higher education systems have aided the progress of countries. The importance of higher education is by no means unique to my home country but instead can be felt all around the world. Despite its critical role in the future of a country, the standards of higher education have steadily declined globally over the last few years. If national education systems want to endure, they need to open up to the entry of alternative models into their system, otherwise economic developments will inevitably create their alternative systems.

What is your management style, how do you make your team work together?

Whatever I do, I do it passionately. I deeply care about my team and whether it is united around a shared vision or not. The challenges I navigated throughout my career have taught me that turning an initial vision into a shared one requires constant communication, openness to feedback, empowering people, and setting achievable short-term goals. That’s why I hold myself accountable and transparent to my team and strive to cultivate a participative culture. I am tough but fair, disciplined, and organized. I have learned that becoming a better, attentive, and non-judgmental listener is essential in such high-visibility leadership positions. Truly listening to people, I encourage them to embrace organizational change, learn from one another, take ownership of their learning and development journeys. Instead of imposing my development solutions on them, I help them draw up their solutions themselves.

42 has 4 pillar values: openness, excellence, tech, and ethics. Which one is the most important to you and why?

For me, it’s a tie between ethics and openness. These two need to come together to build trust. Only then can we separate ourselves from the crowd and work towards excellence and tech.