Helping organizations initiate and sustain meaningful transformation.

#insightdiscovery #strategydesign #organizationaltransformation #creativeproblemsolving
#crimedocumentaries #erichfromm

Derya graduated from Cağaoğlu Anatolian High School and Boğaziçi University; started her career as a strategic planner in global advertising networks in 2007 and worked as the Head of Strategic Planner of DDB Istanbul till the year 2015. During the year 2012, she worked at the DDB Berlin office for three months. In 2015, as a strategist in mind and human-centered design enthusiast at heart, she moved from advertising into the world of service and product design. She worked as the Turkey Country Manager of Copenhagen-based strategic design firm Hello Group for two years.

Inspired by her experience at Hello Group, in 2017, she co-founded HMD to help organizations initiate and sustain meaningful transformation around purpose and a human-centered approach.

She is also the Board Member of KODA, an NGO supporting primary level rural teachers to have the personal and vocational skills to be changemakers and the Strategic Advisor of Öğretmen Ağı, a nation-level teacher network run by ERG (Education Reform Initiative).

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Get to know Derya in 3 questions

“What exasperates you?”

Being silent on “non-sense” exasperates me. Everyone should feel responsible for raising a voice against it.

“What compliments do you dismiss?”

I dismiss compliments about being at ease with change. I find the comfort zone very uncomfortable.

“What do you think about when you have nothing to think about?”

I find myself thinking about the current education system’s opportunity cost and how the world would like in 20 years if we start to fix it today.

Helping organizations develop strategies and design experiences to empower transformation.

#creativity #cultureofcreativity #whatisinnovation #questions
#rhobh

Efe graduated from Istanbul Technical University in 2019 from Industrial Design Department. He likes to use his background in design to develop strategies using a human-centered perspective. He believes that strategy at heart is a matter of creativity, and every creative output starts with emphatic input. Efe is interested in creativity, organizations, and business and gets to enjoy working at a crossroads of all three.

At HMD, Efe is responsible for developing organizational transformation strategies by designing processes and initiatives that unlock creativity and collaboration skills. He focuses on using design research methods to unlock the insight that will ignite the change. Efe has been part of the HMD team since May 2019.

Efe has worked in the Directorate of Communication and Marketing of Istanbul Technical University. He was a part of the team that designed Graduate Ceremonies (including his own) and assisted on social media management. During his student years, he worked in a startup that focuses on developing tissue engineering hardware as a product and graphic designer, which helped him explore a lot about himself and entrepreneurship.

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Get to know Efe in 3 questions

“What exasperates you?”

Self-centered people exasperate me. Everyone should love themselves but be mindful of others.

“What compliments do you dismiss?”

I dismiss compliments about being detail-oriented. I believe it is a curse (and I don’t try not to do it).

“What do you think about when you have nothing to think about?”

I find myself thinking about why ‘things’ are the way they are and how.

Helping organizations design strategies to transform around a shared purpose meaningful for all.

#purpose #criticalthinking #transformativedesign
#TheOffice- a show about nothing but an ordinary office.

With an A-Levels degree in Cambridge International School, Dubai, Banu Betül majored in Fine Arts and English Literature and then completed her Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Product Design at Istanbul Technical University between 2014-2018. 

At HMD, Banu Betül is responsible for developing organizational transformation strategies and focuses on triggering change through using her design background in research, purpose studies, and people empowerment. Banu Betül has been a part of the HMD team since 2018.

Within her interests, Banu Betül took part in the organization and coordination of the global debating competition “World Scholar’s Cup” between the years 2013-2016, specifically taking an active role within the regional tournaments in Dubai and Turkey, and the Global tournaments which took place in Malaysia and Thailand. Having an interest in creating social impact through community building, Banu Betül began volunteering in the NGO “Istanbul&I” (based in Istanbul, Turkey), which aims to empower the youth through volunteerism and social inclusion as being a safe space that unites internationals and locals within Istanbul. Today, she is currently contributing to the community as a project manager and is also the social media coordinator within the organization’s communication team. 

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Get to know Banu Betül in 3 questions

“What exasperates you?”

Not willing to take initiative exasperates me. Having the capacity to take action but not doing so is merely unjust – to oneself and others.

“What compliments do you dismiss?”

I dismiss compliments about being authentically open-minded. The only requirement for this is connecting with people, which is already in the nature of being human.

“What do you think about when you have nothing to think about?”

I find myself thinking about overthinking … about overthinking.

#strategicdesign #designledinnovation #socialimpact #multidisciplinarywork #holisticapproach
#eurovision

A Robert College graduate, Ömer pursued his interest in design by enrolling in the Industrial Design program at Istanbul Technical University, where he is currently wrapping up his undergraduate studies. Upon returning from a semester abroad studying at TU Delft in the Netherlands, he wanted to put his skills to good use and joined the HMD Team as a Junior Strategist.

At HMD, Ömer is applying design methodologies and approaches to organizational strategies through evidence-based decision-making. He cherishes the disruptive and transformative capacity of design and is a firm believer in design-led innovation for social impact, promoting user advocacy and integrative approaches.

Ömer previously interned as a product/user experience designer. Striving for perpetual motion, he nowadays keeps himself busy by exploring his newly found interest in hackathons and design sprints. Doing nothing is his biggest enemy as he is in a love-hate relationship with his perfectionist attitude.

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Get to know Ömer in 3 questions

“What exasperates you?”

Know-it-alls. It is okay not being an expert in everything; in fact, the true honor is in owning one’s lack of knowledge and being open to learning.

“What compliments do you dismiss?”

That every achievement is a direct outcome of my effort only. Beyond humility, I am aware of and can acknowledge my privilege.

“What do you think about when you have nothing to think about?”

I think about how humanity finds comfort in the very structures it created.

#designthinking #reframing #prototyping #questioning #searching #learning #inspiring
#friends

As a Pertevniyal High School alumna, Serra graduated from Koç University with double majors in Industrial Engineering and Psychology in 2018.

At HMD, Serra is using her psychology background to apply a human-centered perspective to her work. She assists projects by bringing in her multi-dimensional perspective and applies design thinking for problem-solving.

Prior to HMD, Serra worked as an intern in various sectors such as FMCG, logistics, and retails. She also had a chance to study abroad as an exchange student in the USA, France, and Germany during her studies. She took psychology courses from the University of Mannheim, which is a leading university for psychology majors. She also has a passion for sports and languages. Currently, she is learning German and planning to learn Spanish as a third language. She is doing running, cycling, and swimming and wants to attend a triathlon.

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Get to know Serra in 3 questions

“What exasperates you?”

Complaining about lack of time. I believe the problem comes from lack of ‘prioritization.’ If people want something more than others, then they need to prioritize it. 

“What compliments do you dismiss?”

I dismiss the compliments about my positivity. There is no such thing as being happy all the time, that’s for sure. However, life is too short to be unhappy. Therefore, it is better to try to see the rainbow after the storm.

“What do you think about when you have nothing to think about?”

I am amazed that people and what they do have a massive effect on the results. Therefore, who does what indeed matters

Helping organizations measure & narrate the impact of their transformation efforts.

#storytelling #impactassessment #artofhosting #value #culture
#seinfeld – a show about nothing

A Robert College alumna, Çiğdem graduated from Sociology at Galatasaray University in 2008 and completed her graduate studies at the same institution’s Strategic Communications Management Program in 2019. Her MA thesis focused on communicating for social good and took social entrepreneurs in Turkey as a case study. She proposed a model for enhancing communication strategies for social entrepreneurs.

At HMD, Çiğdem is currently responsible for impact monitoring and evaluation of all our projects. She also designs feedback mechanisms within our team and with our partners and facilitates internal debates on our way of working. In short, she is the “Project Manager for HMD” (#hmdasaclient). Given her interest in storytelling, she is also the author of our transformation stories and has a general outlook on every written output of HMD. 

As part of her prior professional experience at Sabancı University between 2009-2018, she worked as the Coordinator of the Mercator-IPC Fellowship Program at Istanbul Policy Center and as Training Programs Officer at Education Reform Initiative. She also gained hands-on experience as a freelance consultant on project management in 2019 at 451 İletişim, The Rural Schools Transformation Network (KODA), and TURA consulting. Çiğdem participated in Social Return on Investment (SROI) Accredited Practitioner Training organized by Social Value UK and KUSIF in 2019, and she is also professionally interested in the Art of Hosting (AoH). She took a special training program on Participatory Leadership at European Forum Alpbach in 2016, and a summer course organized by LEAD Germany on Digital Leadership in 2018 and ever since has been implementing AoH principles and practices in her facilitation work. 

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Get to know Çiğdem in 3 questions

“What exasperates you?”

Not taking responsibility for one’s actions exasperates me. Be it wrong, be it correct, it doesn’t matter, own what you do. 

“What compliments do you dismiss?”

I dismiss compliments about being curious to learn new stuff & skills and dive right into it. I believe if it intrigues your interest, it is worth your time. 

“What do you think about when you have nothing to think about?”

I always think about how we manifest humanity in our daily experiences individually or collectively. Any small change we do now, can (and will) lead to a meaningful transformation.

Helping organizations realize and transform their impact.

#socialimpactanalysis #impactevaluation #economicsociology #development #sustainability
#theaffair – same story from different perspectives

Following her intuition to be involved in something bigger than herself, Duygu got a full scholarship from Yeditepe University and moved to Istanbul in 2013. She graduated with a high honor degree from the ‘Political Science and International Relations’ department in 2018. 

Upon completing her bachelor’s, she moved to Spain to pursue a master’s degree in ‘International Development.’ After completing her studies at Institut Barcelona d’Estudis Internacionals with high distinction, she attended the Erasmus+ Programme to continue her studies at Hertie School. She moved to Berlin in 2019 and completed the Fall semester there as an MPP (Master’s in Public Policy) student. During her studies in Barcelona, she was a Research Assistant to one of her professors, contributing to the EU-funded research project “Counter-Productive Incentives Schemes in European and International Politics.” 

At HMD, Duygu is responsible for conducting data analysis to evaluate the projects’ effectiveness in achieving the desired human-centered change in organizations. She focuses on the theoretical design of projects around organizational purpose, sustainability, and innovation. She also assists with strategy design, and co-authors reports and articles.

While she was studying in Istanbul, she volunteered with AIESEC in pursuit of becoming a global citizen. She then went to Italy in Summer 2017 as a Global Volunteer to educate young children in various summer camps in Bologna. She is actively involved in musical communities and has been playing the piano for more than ten years. She participated in polyphonic music choirs in Istanbul and Barcelona as a Soprano.

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Get to know Duygu in 3 questions

“What exasperates you?”

The way the current economic system operates exasperates me. I can’t believe we evolved into ‘homo economicus’ and let the earth die in the name of interest. 

“What compliments do you dismiss?”

I dismiss compliments about being compassionate. It’s in our nature. Everyone can put themselves in others’ shoes if they want to. If they do so, they will innately act in ways that cannot be harmful to other living beings. 

“What do you think about when you have nothing to think about?”

I find myself thinking about music. It unites everyone and makes us remember that we are all humans in the end. It makes everything meaningful.

Pınar leads corporate anthropology and ethnographic research studies at HMD; advises on the latest insights from company culture, insight research, and social sciences.

Ayşe is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Human Flourishing Program at the Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences at Harvard University. She advises on insights from psychological and behavioral sciences and economics. Ayşe researches authenticity, well-being, and prosocial motivation, focusing on meaning and purpose in the context of work and life. Ayse is also a Lecturer at Harvard University. Her latest research can be accessed on her website: https://www.ayseyemiscigil.com/.