A SUSTAINABLE OUTLOOK TO THE FUTURE

Professional Profile
After gaining work experience in various sectors including Roche Pharmaceuticals, Honda Turkey, Kanal D Television Channel, and TTNet, Dr. Banu Yılmaz established her own "Sustainability and Communication Consultancy" company in 2017.
With over 30 years of corporate experience, academic studies, and field practices, she has specialized in sustainability reporting (GRI, TSRS, IR), ESG performance management and rating consultancy, sustainability performance measurement systems, sustainability strategies, and development of corrective action plans. She provides consultancy, training, and project development support to institutions on both national and international scales.
Her extensive experience in Finance and Cost Accounting, along with her Master’s degree in Business – Finance from Marmara University, significantly contributes to the integration of sustainability data with financial data in her work in the field of Sustainability. In addition, she has completed the “Integrated Reporting Training” provided by the IR (Integrated Reporting) institution and has been awarded a certificate.
In 1989, Banu Yılmaz was awarded the research prize by the Foreign Investors Association (YASED) within the scope of the study "The Importance of Foreign Investment in the World and in Turkey." Her analytical publication was published among the YASED publications. (HASANBEŞEOĞLU Banu “Foreign Direct Investments and Expectations in the World and in Turkey,” Review Competition-Honorable Mention, Foreign Direct Investments and Expectations in the World and in Turkey, Istanbul, YASED Publications, No:33,1988, pp.135-150) Within the scope of her doctoral studies, she developed the “Purpose-Oriented Sustainable Co-Creation Model,” which offers an important approach for organizations to develop sustainability projects with all their stakeholders and manage these processes effectively. This model is referenced in academic literature. It also provides methodological suggestions on how stakeholders can be actively involved in the organization’s economic, social, and environmental sustainability efforts.

Areas of Expertise
• Developing corporate sustainability strategies and roadmaps
• Sustainability reporting (GRI, TSRS, IR), data analysis, and content creation
• ESG performance rating consultancy and development of corrective action plans
• Carbon accounting, climate action plans, and CDP preparations
• Stakeholder analysis, sustainability strategy, and policy development
• Integrated reporting (IR), sustainable procurement, and CSR training

Education
After graduating from Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration in 1989, Dr. Banu Yılmaz completed two separate master’s degree programs at Marmara University in the fields of Finance and Public Relations. Additionally, she completed the four-year joint training program in "Contemporary Business Management" offered by the University of Maine in the USA and the Marmara University Research and Application Center.
Global Markaların oluşum süreçlerinin derinlemesine analiz edildiği Yüksek Lisans Tezini, ‘Reklamcılık ve Halkla İlişkiler‘ alanında tamamlamıştır. Finans konusunda yine Marmara Üniversitesinde tamamlamış olduğu yüksek lisansı kapsamında, ‘Şirketlerde Karlılık Merkezleri’ yaklaşımı ile üretim gerçekleştirmenin finansal etkilerini araştırmıştır.
Özel Sektör Kuruluşları ve Sivil Toplum Kuruluşları’nın, Birleşmiş Milletlerin “Sürdürülebilir Kalkınma Amaçlarındaki” katkılarını ve ortaklaşa gerçekleştirdikleri projelerini araştıran doktora çalışmalarını, İstanbul Bilgi Üniversitesi İletişim Bölümü’nde tamamlamıştır.
13 Özel Sektör Kuruluşu ve 10 Sivil Toplum Kuruluşu ile gerçekleştirdiği araştırmasında, özel sektör şirketlerinin, sivil toplum kuruluşları ile sürdürülebilirlik çalışmaları kapsamında nasıl başarılı işbirlikleri geliştirebileceklerini ve kurum paydaşlarının, kurumların sürdürülebilirlik faaliyetlerinde yer almalarının kendilerine ve kurumlarına olan katkılarını incelemiştir. Bu araştırmalar sonucunda, “Amaç Odaklı Sürdürülebilirlik Yaklaşımı” üzerine, yeni bir model geliştirmiştir. Halen Kurumsal Sosyal Sorumluluk (KSS), Sürdürülebilirlik ve ESG konularında danışmanlık ve eğitim hizmeti vermektedir.