On April 18, the “Best of Ankara in Tourism” awards, given to organizations and individuals for their contributions to the development and promotion of Ankara as a tourist destination, were presented at a gala ceremony organized by the Ankara Anatolian Tourism Administrators Association (ATİD) and held at the Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center. Award recipients included two graduates of the Bilkent University Department of Tourism and Hotel Management. As general manager of the Bilkent Hotel and Conference Center, Arda Yurtsever, a 2003 Bilkent THM graduate, accepted the “Best Congress Hotel” award on behalf of his organization, while Başak Özyurt, a 2015 graduate of the department, received the “Best Product for Diversifying Tourism” award for her Turkish History Park Project, aimed at promoting and marketing Ankara.
We Are Proud of Our Graduates
Since 1988, we have had over 3900 graduates achieving successful careers in the industry all around the world. The following may inspire you to see how your career may develop.
Our graduates
Funda Eratıcı
1994 Graduate
Regional Director of Sales Operations Turkey & Sales Operations Lead Focused Service EMEA
Hilton Worldwide
Devrim Kahramanoğlu
2000 Graduate
Strategic Operations Director
Adir Group, London
United Kingdom
Yakup Dinler
2003 Graduate
Chairman of Cappadocia Touristic Hoteliers Association
Board Member of Turkish Hotelier Federation
General Manager, Kayakapı Premium Caves Cappadocia
Chairman of Cappadocia Touristic Hoteliers Association
Board Member of Turkish Hotelier Federation
General Manager, Kayakapı Premium Caves Cappadocia
Pelin Ulusoy
2003 Graduate
Multi Property General Manager
Sheraton Ankara & Convention Center & Lugal Luxury Collection
Ebru Hukanoğlu Sevilengül
2009 Graduate
General Manager
Golden Tulip İstanbul Bayrampaşa Hotel
Başak Denizci Guillet
2000 Graduate
Professor
School of Tourism and Hotel Management
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Turkish Cuisine on Oscar Night
Cihan Kıpçak, a 2008 graduate and current advisory board member of the Bilkent Department of Tourism and Hotel Management, was involved in catering the official parties for the Oscar Awards ceremony. The two-star Michelin celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck, who organizes the parties, chose Mr. Kıpçak for his team, raising expectations that some Turkish food might be included in this year’s dinner menu.
Hotel Led by THM Graduate Receives International Award
Uğur Bür, a 2002 graduate of the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management and general manager of the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) “cluster” comprising the Holiday Inn Ankara Kavaklıdere and the Crowne Plaza Ankara, recently attended a ceremony in London to accept IHG’s CEO Managing Director Award, given in recognition of the Crowne Plaza’s excellence.
Burcu Şahmalı
After her sophomore year, continued at one of our partners, the University of Nevada Las Vegas
National Sales Manager
Bellagio Hotel, Las Vegas
USA
Özgür Yücesan
2015 Graduate
Director of International Sales
JW Marriott Bucharest Grand Hotel
Romania
THM Graduate Thrives at the Broadmoor
Recently, Bilkent News had the opportunity to interview Dora Giray, a 2018 graduate of the Department of Tourism and Hotel Management who is currently working as a cook III at the Broadmoor, a historic luxury resort in the state of Colorado in the USA. His journey to the States began with a job interview conducted right here on campus, when the Broadmoor’s vice president for human resources, Cindy Johnson, visited Bilkent in the context of the THM department’s collaborative relationship with the resort. As a consequence of the interview, Dora was offered an internship and began working at the Broadmoor immediately following his graduation in May 2018.
Somer Sivrioğlu, 1993 Graduate, MasterChef Turkey Jury Member at 8. Bilkent Tourism Forum
THM hosted the 8. Bilkent Tourism Forum, bringing together representatives of key public and private tourism industry organizations and higher education institutions. The theme of this year’s forum, which took place at the Bilkent Hotel and Conference Center, was “Gastronomy Tourism – 5N1K,” with a focus on utilizing and developing gastronomy and the culinary arts as part of tourism destination marketing.
Nogay Kanpolat
1997 Graduate
Regional Director Southeast Europe & General Manager WU Turkey
Western Union
Gülçin Öğüt Kofoğlu
2006 Graduate
Director of Operations i.c. of Sales & Marketing
Divan Ankara & Divan Çukurambar
Şahinaz Çamlıbel
2009 Graduate
Group Conference & Events Sales Manager
Ankara HiltonSA Hotel
Hakan Arıburun
2003 Graduate
Advisor for Foreign Relations
Grand National Assembly of Turkey (Turkish Parliament/TBMM)
Belen Umuler
2018 Graduate
Complex Groups & Events Sales Executive
Sheraton Ankara Hotel & Convention Center
Oğuz Serkan Sefiloğlu
1999 Graduate
Executive Training Manager
Çırağan Palace Kempinski İstanbul
Learn from the very best
Join us and start building your successful career like one of our graduates.
Erkan Yağcı
2001 Graduate, Board Member of the Turkish Tourism Promotion and Development Agency, President of Mediterranean Touristic Hoteliers Association, Board Member of the Concorde DeLux Hotel Antalya
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