Furkan Karayel

Furkan Karayel is a multi-award winning public speaker, lecturer and author who has been making waves with her passion for diversity and inclusion, and women in STEM. Having many years of experience as a software engineer, she is all too aware of the bias within the field, much of this she has experienced first-hand throughout her career. Now Furkan wants to raise awareness of these issues facing women in tech and is a seasoned diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) speaker, helping organisations create a more inclusive workplace whilst providing the practical steps to be a diversity role model.

Gaining her Bachelor of Engineering from Bahcesehir University, Furkan then went onto study her MSc in Software Engineering from Athlone Institute of Technology and began her distinguished career with Ericsson as a System Test Engineer. Achieving much in her early career, Furkan then became a Senior Software Engineer for Openet. Accumulating an immense amount of knowledge within her field, Furkan became the CEO and Founder of Dublin Tercume and Giftoven. With over ten years of experience in the software and engineering sphere, Furkan noticed she was always one of very few women from an ethnic minority background. Deciding to leave this heavily male-dominated field behind, Furkan founded Diversein.com, an inclusive leadership agency and diversity and inclusion platform which operates globally to bring people from all different backgrounds together, making workplaces happier for all.

Now as a seasoned speaker, Furkan has become highly regarded for her expertise on how to create a harmonious workplace, whilst offering support and giving advice to other women in tech. On the subject, Furkan released a best-selling book titled ‘Inclusive Intelligence: How to be a Role Model for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace’, and is a lecturer on the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Master’s programme at Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Backed up by her own research, Furkan is now dedicating her career to teaching others on inclusive leadership and the steps to take to ensure this.

When hired as a speaker, Furkan is able to draw on her own experiences as a woman in STEM, making for an engaging and eye-opening talk for all. Having worked with some of the world’s most recognisable organisations including Pfizer, Microsoft, Verizon Media, Hubspot and Indeed.com, Furkan has become known for her inspiring and insightful speeches. With numerous speaking awards to her name, such as ‘Speaker of the Year’, ‘Diversity and Inclusion Role Model in Business’ and ‘Trailblazer’, if you, or your organisation is looking to ensure diversity and inclusion throughout the workplace, look no further than Furkan Karayel to hire at your next event.