CURRICULUM VITAE
A. ECMEL AYRAL (Ph.D.)
WORK EXPERIENCE
ACADEMIC
Instructor
2000- Present
2000- 2010
2000 – 2010
BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY / School of Management
ISTANBUL BILGI UNIVERSITY / MBA - e-MBA- Economics
MARMARA UNIVERSITY / Ph.D. Programme in Organizational
Behaviour
ORGANISATION THEORY
Throughout the course we are not only observing the organisation theories (as "The" Organisation Theory
does not exist) but we explore and “question” the basic assumptions underlying these theoretical attempts
to understand organisations. Obviously, we conduct all analyses and observations on theoretical
approaches by evaluating the prevailing social-economical-technological conditions and values of their
respective times of emergence. Eventually the participants are expected to use their subjective approaches
to build their own claims on how to design, establish and run successful organisations.
SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Based on the motto "every person is a business person", this course’s aim is to help the participants in
developing an entrepreneurial approach to a series of steps extending from idea generation to strategy
building, planning, fund raising and management. Interactive lecturing and experiential learning by case
studies and exercises are the main learning tools. The contributions of visiting speakers from various
industrial sectors and venture capital organisations help the students to develop a better insight. The
attendants are expected to create business ideas, and then transform them into marketing plans constituting
a basis for their final project which is a complete business plan. Groups of students prepare business plans
based on their ideas, the rest of the class acts as a venture capitalist group, evaluate each plan and choose
a winner.
SALES MANAGEMENT
In today’s chaotic markets where features, costs, benefits of products/services are quantitatively and
qualitatively “too much to be understood” by your clientele, even the most tangible products deserve to be
treated as intangible and complex services. Marketing efforts to build awareness and establish a
differentiation, briefly “to create demand” can only be considered as valuable investments if they are
followed by “demand fulfilment” activities based on sound sales management methods and innovative sales
techniques. You might choose to focus on your clients and increase your wallet share or push your product
range and expand your market share , in either case what you need is to improve yourself and your sales
force to become better sales artists.
SURRATIONAL MANAGEMENT IN CHAOTIC ENVIRONMENTS
It is needless to mention that the engine of almost all scientific improvements are based on the
rational mode of thinking; however, extending this positivistic approach to social sciences (and
business manaement) and seeking for rationality can be a limiting factor in today’s chaotic
environments where “the complete information” is neither available nor static (or dynamic in a
linear fashion, hence predictable). Gathering more data and using more computing power to
process them shoots us back to square one as is it is virtually impossible to convert this overload of
information to knowledge. Against (and because of) all our efforts to gather and process data, we
have never been as overwhelmed as today by the abundance of the information we have to
reach. On top of this positivistic illusion, decisions based on this “bounded rationality” are also far
from creating strategic advantages as almost every player in the field is able to reach and process
the same data. What on earth will differentiate us from the crowd and gives us a boost to beat the
others then? Today, the real challenge of a businessman (or a business student) lies somewhere
beyond the frontiers of the rational territory, in the “the land of the surrational” where it is hardly
possible to experience linear correlations, precisely correct calculations, complete information
and “the” absolute truth. There, his/her technical competency is not sufficient, and the
“manager” needs another source of energy to differentiate his/her organisation and surpass its
rivals. The main ingredient of this old and recyclable fuel is intuition. It helps us to grasp
opportunities without forecasting them, warns us against threats before we see them, tells us who
to love and who to dislike without seeing their CV’s, when to attack and when to run immediately
without calculating the ennemy’s total assets and being informed of their marketing strategy.
Briefly this is a tool we use without really being aware of its existence and efficiency, and the more
we rely on rational techniques for our survival, the positivistic cloud gets thicker to hide it from our
sight and to leave us blinded and handicapped by our own perfectly engineered opaque lenses.
Our challenge during the course will not be in reminding the virtues of intuition but in helping our
students to explore how to unleash their creative power which is the main source of success in
today’s chaotic environment.
The course aims to :
- create awareness on the power of perception, illusions and social construction of reality
utilisation of the a.m. awareness to build mechanisms for managing and transforming the business
environment we are expected to perform within
PROFESSIONAL
2009 - ...
SIRIUS CONSULTANCY and DEVELOPMENT LTD.
Founder
Back to entrepreneurial activities, he has merged different skill sets he has accumulated during his
multi-faceted career. As a consultant he serves in the Advisory Boards of the two largest corporate
academies of Turkey ( Turkcell and YKB ) and is also a member of TUSİAD’s Innovation and
Entrepreneurship Work Group. He is also actively contributing to the board of a few selected groups in
Turkey and Russia ( industry, services ,tourism, airline and ground handling services) in capacity of
advisor/founder/investor/board member. Beşides the a.m. mentioned posts he has acquired/started during
his service in BİLGİ, he is also the co-founder of two new ventures :
- Sirius Suites: The business basically covers purchasing, converting and refurbishing old yet
characteristic buildings in Beyoğlu / Istanbul area to create serviced apartments targeting short and long
stay visitors, such as ex-pats, consultants, academicians, artists and tourists ( following a global new
non-hotel accommodation trend). Sirius’s vision is not limited with offering quality accommodation but
also encompasses a direct penetration to the social/professional/intellectual life of this vibrant city.The
choice of locations and services are meant to support this vision.The basic ambition is to contribute to the
non-gentrified and non-desertified development of the area.
- Another small venture he has co-started few years ago is still active. Peymane Restaurant in
Asmalımescit has become a success story by offering a fusion combining a “very Turkish” food
with a jazzy atmosphere attracting youngsters, women and bohemian bourgeois of Istanbul and tourists
to enjoy kebab in a climate where they feel home, eat, listen to music and even dance
(peymane@ghettoterrace). He is also one of the founders of Pera-Thai the first Thai restaurant of Turkey.
2006 - 2009
ISTANBUL BİLGİ UNIVERSITY
Marketing and Business Development Director
In charge of all marketing, sales and business development activities of Istanbul Bilgi University as well as
Bilgi Eğitim ( continuous education and corporate trainings department) starting from fall 2006. During the
period he was in charge, BİLGİ enhanced and improved its leadership position and secured an average of
over 10 % market share among 30+ foundation universities, with a “high price-high demand” approach. The
proof of performance on awareness and demand creation is supported by both research foundings and
placement results. Following the acquisition of the university by a multinational group, he – like all members
of the top management - transferred his position to a newly appointed director brought in by the newly
established board of trustees.
2005 - 2006
ISTANBUL BİLGİ UNİVERSİTESİ
BİLGİ BUSINESS
Business Development Chaordinator
Being in charge of chaordinating* the threats and opportunities faced by two different worlds: business and
academia, his main task was to establish and implement business models which explore and harmonize the
needs of corporations, individuals and the university. The scope of the work ranged from the modification and
promotion of BilgiMBA programmes to create win-win offerings for all related parties and extended to the
positioning of these services on behalf of corporations and individuals.
*chaordinating : Establishing order out of chaos by coordinating numerous parameters creating a complex,
volatile and unpredictable climate. Term invented by Ecmel Ayral during his Ph.D. studies.
1998- 2004
KEY TECHNOLOGY & MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
ISTANBUL
Founder Partner/ Customer Relations and Sales Director
Managing partner of technology and management consultancy company representing InterBiz the business
applications division of Computer Associates, world’s third largest software vendor. The company’s mission
was to help its clientele in their challenge to overcome the threats and exploit the opportunities brought by
“the new economy”.
The scope of solutions covered enterprise resource planning, supply chain
management, e-business, CRM, and corporate performance management solutions. While playing an
executive role for a fast growing management technologies solution provider, has developed and utilised
methods to observe the clients’ current situation, to detect improvement areas, to define fundamental KPI’s
and to reveal the solutions’ benefits to the prospect. Has also organised special campaigns targeting Turkish
SME’s, in collaboration with IBM-Turk and local chambers of commerce, with the objective of helping the
business community to develop a better insight into the contemporary challenges and opportunities. His basic
concentration was developing the customer base, managing the sales team and needless to mention, closing
the sales.
1994-1997
PARTHA S. GHOSH & ASSOCIATES INTERNATIONAL STRATEGIC
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS - ISTANBUL
Consultant
Was part of a team of consultants in charge of Strategic Management Systems, BPR, TQM and HRD projects
of a distinguished clientele composed of the large conglomerates and industrial organisations of the country.
Took part in the design and implementation of these “projects of change”, held surveys to measure the
performance of these efforts, detected improvement opportunities and gave feedback to related parties.
Took active role in 360° Feedback studies (with a special focus on leadership and coaching) with individuals
and groups in co-operation with Keilty and Goldsmith, an American consultancy network, for a multinational
pharmaceutical company. Held regular coaching sessions for helping clients to develop an awareness of their
“growth areas”, and to prepare/implement action plans to reach their goals. Was guided and supported by
Carlos E. Marin during this project.
1989-1990
PROMINENT DOSIERTECHNIK GmbH, Heidelberg, GERMANY
Management Trainee
Rotated through production, marketing, sales, planning, finance and accounting departments of international
manufacturing/marketing firm, global leader in fluid controls and water treatment fields. Currently represented
in Turkey by Say Water Treatment Ltd. (see below)
1983- Present
Partner
SAY WATER TREATMENT LTD., ISTANBUL
Has been in charge of marketing and sales of several product lines for the family business, major player in its
field. The current contribution is rather limited with advising on major organisational issues and financial
matters
EDUCATION
1994-2000
Marmara University, Istanbul
Ph.D. in Organizational Behaviour
Took part in the task force for broadbanding and performance appraisal projects
of a major financial institution while preparing the thesis.
The subject matter of the PhD thesis was boundaryless organizations, and it
contained a research aiming to develop a method for exploring and measuring
the dimensions of organizational changes that transform the corporations to
become FIFI’s – a special term invented during the study; Fast, Integrated,
Flexible, Innovative Organisations -- that can survive and succeed in chaotic
environments.
1990-1992
Marmara University, Istanbul
MA in Organizational Behaviour
Thesis on work values of academics.
1992 Summer
The London School of Economics and Political Science,
London
Summer School in Economics
Certificate in Corporate Finance
1990 Summer
University of Istanbul, Istanbul
Department of Economics
Certificate in International Trade
1983-1988
Marmara University, Istanbul
Department of Business Administration (instruction in English)
BA in Finance
1982-1983
ITU Istanbul Technical University, Istanbul
Department of Environmental Engineering
Attended for one year, and then decided to continue academic life in business
administration.
1974-1982
Saint Joseph French High School, Istanbul
OTHER SKILLS AND AWARDS
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Fluency in French and English, besides Turkish
Ability to use SPSS, MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, CA
Powerbench, CA Warehouse Boss, ACCPAC CFO, ACCPAC eCRM
Awarded by Global Inventory Project, sponsored by G7
Organisation, for developing “Person Position Match Project”, a
virtual platform automatically categorising and matching job
seeking individuals and employee seeking companies on the
Internet. The project was considered among the pioneers in the
field in 1996.
Nominated for The Global Bangemann Challenge Award for
developing “Person Position Match Project”.
Acting. Took part in plays performed in French and Turkish, as a
member of an amateur theatre group sponsored by The French
Consulate-Istanbul.
Wrote weekly columns for Milliyet ( a national newspaper ) for
two years.
PERSONAL
Place and date of birth
Contact address
Contact phone
E-mail
: Istanbul, 26.07.1963
: Bozkır Sokak, No:13/13 Çiftehavuzlar
81030, Istanbul
: 90 216 3858286 – 90 532 3148305
: ecmelayral@gmail.com