TEDxENKA Istanbul Youth

Speakers

Speakers may not be confirmed. Check the event website for the latest lineup.

• Aybige Su Irçağ

  Aybige Su Irçağ is a Turkish national athlete, open-water swimmer, and digital content creator who balanced her athletic career with medical studies. After graduating from the prestigious Lycée Saint-Joseph in Istanbul, she pursued her medical education at Biruni University Faculty of Medicine. Her path reached a historic milestone in June 2025 when she competed as the only solo female swimmer to finish the grueling 36-kilometer Capri-Napoli International Open Water Swimming Marathon. Completing the ultra-marathon in a remarkable 8 hours and 45 minutes, she cemented her name in sports history as the first Turkish woman to ever cross that finish line. Leveraging her platform as an influencer, she actively shares her dual-career journey with her audience, proving that intensive scientific training and elite athletic pursuits can passionately coexist. Looking ahead, she focuses on completing her medical residency and preparing for her next major global swimming challenges.

• Ceylin Türkkan Bilge

  Ceylin Türkkan Bilge is a Turkish fashion designer, creative director, and the co-founder of the contemporary apparel label SIEDRÉS. Raised in Bursa within a family that owned a textile factory, she immersed herself in the fashion world from a young age. After graduating from Üsküdar American Academy, she completed a prestigious dual-diploma program in Fashion Design at Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ) and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, graduating at the top of her faculty. Following an internship at Adam Lippes in New York, she returned to Istanbul to work as a fashion and graphic designer for prominent local brands like Mehtap Elaidi. In 2019, she combined her small-town upbringing with big-city experiences to co-found SIEDRÉS alongside her husband, Emir Bilge, naming the brand after an imaginary, utopian Mediterranean town. Today, she operates the global-minded brand from its Istanbul headquarters, blending relaxed Mediterranean aesthetics with vibrant prints and textures while looking forward to expanding her colorful, narrative-driven designs across the global fashion landscape.

• Erhan Kurdoğlu

  Erhan Kurdoğlu is a Turkish prominent entrepreneur and the founder and Chairman of TAB Gıda and its parent company, TFI TAB Food Investments. After graduating from the University of Miami with a degree in Civil Engineering, he began his career in 1987 as the Assistant General Coordinator at Ata İnşaat. He later transitioned into entrepreneurship by establishing Ekur İnşaat in 1993. Recognizing massive potential in the fast-food sector, he founded TAB Gıda in 1994 and secured the master franchise rights for Burger King in Turkey by 1995. Today, he manages the quick-service restaurant giant from its Istanbul headquarters, transforming it into a massive food ecosystem operating thousands of restaurants across Turkey and international markets.

• Esra Ozcan

  Kombucha 2200'ün kurucusu Esra Özcan'ın faaliyetleri ve kombucha kültürü hakkında bilgi almak için aşağıdaki videoyu izleyebilirsiniz:

• Gülce Şenol

  Gülce Şenol is a Turkish student leader, artist, and social entrepreneur currently in her 11th grade at ENKA İstanbul High School. Originally from Sakarya, she made the bold choice to move to Istanbul alone for her high school education, living in the school dormitories to step outside her comfort zone. Her passion for creative expression led her to open a custom art exhibition focused on art history, donating all proceeds from merchandise sales to the Darüşşafaka Society. Driven by a desire to make a social impact, she co-founded the "İyilikte Buluşan Kalpler" project in 2024, which supports special education schools and won an international $2,000 global grant from the Global Youth Action Fund (GYAF). She currently serves as the President of the TEDx ENKA club, channeling her personal journey of finding her own "subtle spark" into inspiring and leading her peers. Looking ahead, she is now focusing on her upcoming college admissions and preparing to bring her bright, impactful vision to the global stage.

• Hasan Kerim Güç

  Dr. Hasan Kerim Güç is a Turkish Sufi author, academic researcher, and motivational speaker dedicated to bridging ancient mystical wisdom with modern self-discovery. After graduating from Yıldız Technical University with a degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering, he spent over a decade in the United States, earning master's degrees in Information Systems and Business Administration from the University of Baltimore. Following a successful 14-year corporate career in IT and real estate executive management, his path profoundly shifted toward his lifelong spiritual roots. He completed a doctorate at the Üsküdar University Institute for Sufi Studies, where he now serves as a faculty member, while simultaneously managing the prominent Nefes Publishing House. As a co-founder of the Kerim Foundation, he actively establishes global academic chairs in Sufi studies and writes transformative books aimed at guiding thousands toward emotional resilience and mindful, purposeful living.

• Yiğit Çakıroğlu

  Prof. Dr. A. Yiğit Çakıroğlu is an internationally recognized Turkish medical professor, academic, and renowned specialist in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and IVF. After graduating from Gazi University Faculty of Medicine in 1999, he completed his specialized residency training at Kocaeli University in 2009. He advanced his clinical research in 2017 as a visiting professor studying reproductive endocrinology and infertility at Northwestern University in the United States. Awarded the prestigious "Doctor of the Year" honor by the Turkish Ministry of Health in 2010, he has published over 100 scientific articles on ovarian reserves, genetics, and stem cells. Today, he serves as a faculty member and Director at the Koç University Hospital In Vitro Fertilization and Women's Health Center in Istanbul, actively driving academic research while helping couples globally navigate complex fertility journeys.