The women who open the conversation

Gülseren Onanç

Founder, SES Equality and Solidarity Association and the Equality, Justice, Women Platform

Opening · Moderator · Closing

Gülseren Onanç is a women's rights advocate, entrepreneur and civil society leader. She convened the 2017 Women's Summit for Equality and Justice, founded the Equality, Justice, Women Platform, an independent feminist movement, in 2018, and in 2019 established the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, which connects gender equality with the Sustainable Development Goals through social innovation and entrepreneurship. Her work focuses on women's political participation, peace and climate justice.

In business, she held senior management roles at multinational companies in Russia and Turkey, built brands in the pharmaceutical and food sectors, and founded digital marketing and online ticketing companies with international partners. A co-founder of KAGİDER, the Women Entrepreneurs Association of Turkey, she served as its president from 2007 to 2011, opening the first Turkish women's NGO office in Brussels and playing an active role in establishing the Turkish Parliament's Committee on Equality of Opportunity for Women and Men. From 2011 to 2018 she was active in politics.

She is part of the Connected Women Leaders and Transformative Women Leaders groups and the Project Dandelion network, and was a 2019–2020 Vital Voices Fellow. In 2009 The International Alliance for Women (TIAW) named her one of its "World of Difference 100" women. She holds a degree in Management Engineering from Istanbul Technical University and an MBA from Michigan State University, and has completed two executive programmes at the Harvard Kennedy School.

Sibel Asna

Founding Partner and Chair, A&B İletişim · Armaş Foundation

Opening

Sibel Asna is the founding partner and chair of A&B İletişim, a strategic communications consultancy serving companies and civil society organisations. Since 2000 she has advised companies on sustainability-driven communication.

She serves on the boards of the Armaş Foundation, the Hrant Dink Foundation and the AIMA Ayvalık Music Academy, and on the Board of Trustees of the Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG). A supporter of civil society since 1983, she was awarded France's Légion d'Honneur for her civic work.

Pat Mitchell

Project Dandelion · Co-Founder, Connected Women Leaders

Keynote · Closing

Pat Mitchell is a media executive, producer and advocate for women and girls. She has served as president of CNN Productions, PBS and the Paley Center for Media.

In 2010 she launched TEDWomen with TED, which she continues to curate and host. She co-founded Connected Women Leaders and is the author of Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World.

Deniz Ataç

Chair of the Board, TEMA Foundation

01 · Women's Knowledge and Leadership

Deniz Ataç has chaired the Board of the TEMA Foundation, Turkey's leading organisation for combating soil erosion and protecting natural habitats, since 2013.

She began her career in finance, serving as Vice President of the Istanbul Stock Exchange, and then led the production and marketing companies of Fora Zeytin for nine years. She was the first woman president of the Aegean Olive and Olive Oil Exporters' Association and chaired TÜSEV, the Third Sector Foundation of Turkey, from 2016 to 2021.

Ezgi Özkök Sefer

Country Director, Ashoka Türkiye

02 · Women Building Climate Solutions

Ezgi Özkök Sefer is Country Director of Ashoka Türkiye, part of the global network supporting social entrepreneurs who drive systems change. Under her leadership, Ashoka Türkiye launched a new five-year strategy built on the vision of a world in which everyone can be a changemaker, with gender and climate among its focus areas.

She brings many years of civil society experience. She spent around a decade in project management and resource development at Young Guru Academy (YGA) and the Hüsnü M. Özyeğin Foundation, then served as General Manager of the Basic Needs Association (TİDER) and as Director of Resource Development and Communications at the Community Volunteers Foundation (TOG). She sits on the Advisory Board of Impact Hub Ankara. She holds a degree in Industrial Engineering from Middle East Technical University (METU) and a master's in nonprofit management from Harvard.

Seren Anaçoğlu

Roots & Shoots Türkiye · European Climate Pact Ambassador

03 · The Next Generation

Seren Anaçoğlu is a law student at Bahçeşehir University and a European Climate Pact Ambassador. She sits on the advisory board of Roots & Shoots Türkiye, the youth programme founded by Jane Goodall.

She takes part in UN and EU climate meetings and joined the international campaign for the Loss and Damage Fund after COP29. Named to Forbes Türkiye's "30 Under 30" list, she aims to build a career in climate law.

Billur Tansel

Founder, Open Dialogue Istanbul

04 · The Power of Art

Billur Tansel is a curator, academic and the founder of Open Dialogue Istanbul, a contemporary art organisation she established in 2015 to foster intercultural dialogue among artists, curators and writers through education programmes, curatorial projects and conferences. Since 2019 she has led the Contemporary Art and Curating programmes in collaboration with Akbank Sanat.

She curated Staged at Arkas Sanat in Alaçatı, an exhibition of 86 works by 35 artists addressing the climate crisis from different angles. She previously directed Proje4L/Elgiz Museum of Contemporary Art and has taught philosophy of art at Yeditepe University.

Ronda Carnegie

Co-Founder and Executive Director, Project Dandelion

05 · From Istanbul to COP31

Ronda Carnegie is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Project Dandelion, a global women-led climate campaign, and co-founder of Connected Women Leaders.

She has helped build global brands including The New Yorker and TED. As part of TED's original executive team, she founded the TED Institute and co-founded TEDWomen. She serves on the board of GOOD/Upworthy.