BY EKİN ÇELİKKAN (EE/II)
On February 15 and 16, the WiE (Women in Engineering) society of the IEEE Bilkent Student Branch held its seventh annual “Women in Business” event. This year’s event, which consisted of two panel discussion sessions, attracted the highest attendance to date.
Speakers at the first session were Sinem Kaya (MEA strategic initiatives manager, Oracle), Selcen Uyguntüzel (deputy general manager of customer services, Vestel), Ülkü Doyuran (systems engineering manager, Aselsan) and Senem Karakaya (planning and development manager, Unilever). At the second session, Sema Aksoy (first woman president of the Ankara Bar Association), Aylin Nazlıaka (politician), Müge İplikçi (writer) and İrem Aktulga (YouTuber and blogger) spoke.
The speakers touched upon various issues related to both the academic and business environments as well as their personal experiences. Topics discussed focused on the common factors and obstacles that limit women’s progress, self-confidence and freedom. Participants shared their opinions and observations on a wide range of issues, including laws protecting women, women’s rights in corporate life, and the global approach toward women in social media.
The sessions concluded with the speakers passing on their advice and recommendations, and wishing luck to Bilkent students as they move toward their own professional careers and futures.