Biography
Gülseren Onanç is a distinguished professional with a robust background in management, marketing, entrepreneurship, politics, and civil society. A committed advocate for Turkey's membership in the European Union, she has dedicated her career to fostering institutional collaboration and advancing gender equality. Her leadership roles span sectors such as technology, food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and non-governmental organisations. As former president of the Entrepreneur Women Association of Turkey, she opened the first women's non-governmental organisation office in Brussels. She currently serves as the founding president of the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, leading initiatives on gender equality. A former Assembly member and vice president of the Republican People's Party, she championed progressive policies, including the implementation of a women's quota, the resolution of the Kurdish issue, and Turkey's European Union membership. She holds an MBA from Michigan State University, a bachelor's degree in management engineering from Istanbul Technical University, and has completed executive programmes at the Harvard Kennedy School.
As an STG Visiting Fellow, Onanç's research focuses on revitalizing Turkey’s long-lost goal of European Union membership by fostering closer relations between Turkey and the EU through city municipal administrations, civil society, and the business community.