About Us

Our Story

TurkishCoach was founded in 2010 by Dr. Emre Yilmaz, a Turkish business leader with extensive international experience who recognized a critical gap in the Turkish corporate landscape: the need for world-class leadership development and strategic thinking training tailored to the unique cultural and business context of Turkey.

After spending fifteen years in senior leadership positions at multinational corporations across Europe and North America, Dr. Yilmaz returned to Istanbul with a vision to transform the leadership capabilities of Turkish executives and help position Turkish businesses for global success.

What began as a small consultancy with just three coaches operating out of a modest office in Kadıköy has grown into Turkey's premier business coaching organization, with a team of over twenty certified coaches serving clients ranging from emerging startups to Fortune 500 companies across Turkey and the broader Middle East region.

Throughout our journey, we've maintained our core commitment to combining global best practices in leadership development with deep local understanding, creating coaching experiences that are both internationally competitive and culturally relevant.

Our Mission and Values

Our Mission

Our mission is to empower Turkish business leaders with the advanced leadership skills and strategic thinking capabilities needed to succeed in today's complex global business environment. We are committed to helping organizations develop leaders who can drive innovation, inspire teams, and create sustainable growth through personalized coaching, evidence-based methodologies, and culturally relevant approaches.

We strive to be a catalyst for leadership excellence in Turkey, contributing to the country's economic development and global competitiveness by enhancing the capabilities of its business leaders.

Our Core Values

Excellence: We maintain the highest standards in our coaching methodologies, continuously updating our approaches based on the latest research and best practices.
Cultural Intelligence: We recognize the importance of cultural context in leadership development and create solutions that respect and leverage cultural nuances.
Innovation: We embrace new ideas, technologies, and approaches to continually enhance the effectiveness and impact of our coaching programs.
Results Focus: We measure our success by the tangible outcomes our clients achieve, consistently delivering coaching that drives measurable business impact.
Integrity: We uphold the highest ethical standards in all our interactions, maintaining confidentiality and building relationships based on trust and mutual respect.

Meet Our Leadership Team

Our diverse team of expert coaches brings together decades of international business experience, advanced coaching credentials, and deep local knowledge.

Dr. Emre Yilmaz

Founder & CEO

With over 20 years of senior leadership experience at companies including McKinsey and Unilever, Dr. Yilmaz holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Psychology from Harvard and is the author of two bestselling books on cross-cultural leadership.

Leyla Karahan

Chief Coaching Officer

Former HR Director at Turkcell with 15+ years of talent development experience. Leyla holds ICF Master Certified Coach credentials and specializes in executive presence and leadership transitions for C-suite executives.

Mehmet Öztürk

Director of Strategy Programs

Former strategy consultant at Boston Consulting Group with an MBA from INSEAD. Mehmet leads our strategic thinking workshops and has helped over 50 companies develop and execute transformative business strategies.

Dr. Elif Aydın

Research Director

With a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from London Business School, Elif leads our research initiatives and ensures our coaching methodologies are grounded in the latest scientific findings on leadership effectiveness.

Our Achievements

Client Impact

Coached executives from 75% of Turkey's top 50 companies
Average ROI of 320% reported by clients on coaching investments
85% of coached executives report significant leadership effectiveness improvements
Over 500 executives coached to date across various industries

Industry Recognition

"Best Leadership Development Provider" by Turkish Business Association (2020-2022)
ICF Turkey "Coaching Excellence" award winner for 3 consecutive years
Featured in Harvard Business Review Turkey as "Coaching Innovator"
Recognized by Forbes Turkey as "Top 10 Executive Development Firms"

Global Reach

Strategic partnerships with leading business schools in Europe and North America
Official Turkish partner for Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching
Expanded operations to 5 countries in the MENA region
Host of the annual East-West Leadership Summit since 2017

What Our Clients Say

Testimonial from CEO of technology company

"Working with TurkishCoach transformed my approach to leadership during a critical growth phase for our technology firm. Their strategic coaching helped me navigate complex market challenges and build a more cohesive executive team. Within six months, we improved employee engagement by 28% and accelerated our European expansion plans."

Kemal Arslan

CEO, TechVision Istanbul

"We engaged TurkishCoach to develop our high-potential managers across our Turkish and Middle Eastern operations. Their culturally intelligent approach and research-backed methodologies delivered exceptional results. Our leadership pipeline is stronger, succession planning more robust, and we've reduced executive turnover by 40%. A truly valuable partnership."

Seda Demirci

HR Director, Global Logistics Corp.

"As we navigated a complex merger process, TurkishCoach provided invaluable support in aligning our leadership teams and creating a unified strategic vision. Their deep understanding of both Turkish business culture and international best practices was instrumental in overcoming integration challenges and building a stronger, more cohesive organization."