Duygu Kiraz

Business Administration

Dr. Duygu Kiraz is a communications strategist and branding expert specializing in sustainability-focused city branding and sponsorship management. She holds a PhD in Advertising and Public Relations from Bahçeşehir University (İstanbul), where her research focused on adaptive branding and the development of a Sustainability-Oriented City Branding Index, with a particular case study on Berlin’s hospitality and tourism sector.

Her academic journey began at Berlin International University, where she lectured in the MBA program on brand management and marketing communication. She is currently a lecturer at Istanbul Bilgi University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Public Relations, teaching courses such as Entertainment in PR and Integrated Marketing Communications.

Outside academia, Dr. Kiraz is the founder and CEO of Turuncu Partners, a consultancy specializing in communication, entertainment, and sponsorship strategies. She has over 15 years of professional experience, having led projects for Mastercard, Zorlu Performing Center. Notably, she served as the project lead for the international concert series of Turkish pop icon Tarkan, managing sponsorships in the US and Europe.

Previously, she held key roles at British American Tobacco, AcunMedya, Akbank, Diageo. Her areas of expertise include strategic communication, stakeholder engagement, entertainment marketing, and city branding.

Dr. Kiraz completed her MA in Communications Strategy and Public Relations at Galatasaray University and holds a BA in Political Science from Istanbul Bilgi University.