Gul Sanliturk

ESMT Berlin

“Trained in the clinic, now in corporate, bridging science and business every day.”

Age: 35

Hometown: Istanbul/Turkey – currently based in the UAE.

Fun fact about yourself: I spent ten years training to become an orthodontist, which, in hindsight, is probably one of the longer routes one can take to go into business. It does, however, make you quite good with your hands, which I’ve channeled into arts, crafts, and sculpting outside of work.

In my spare time, I also really enjoy gaming, especially RPGs. I like the ones where you can fully switch off and get immersed in a completely different world.

Undergraduate School and Degree:

Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) – Marmara University, Turkey

Specialist Degree, Orthodontics – Kocaeli University, Turkey

MBA Essentials – London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK

Where are you currently working? Most recently at Halia Therapeutics, as Director of International Market Development & Strategic Communications, based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? One of the achievements I’m most proud of is being promoted into a regional leadership team just about two years after transitioning out of clinical practice and into a corporate environment.

I had spent the early part of my career working as a clinician, where the focus is naturally very hands-on around the patient. Moving into a corporate role meant shifting into a more cross-functional environment, where decisions are made across teams and at a broader organisational level, requiring a different way of thinking.

Stepping into a leadership role relatively early on marked a clear progression in that transition. It meant contributing to regional-level discussions, working closely with different functions, and being involved in decisions with a much wider reach. I also had the opportunity to support and mentor others making a similar transition from the clinic into a corporate setting, which added another layer of responsibility as well.

My roles in corporate have primarily been at the intersection of science and business, and this was a point where that started to come together more clearly. It reinforced that I could operate effectively in a broader environment, while still building on the scientific foundation I came from.

Why did you choose this school’s online MBA program? ESMT’s history as a business school founded by global industry leaders was a key factor. The program reflects that origin, with a strong focus on practical application alongside theory, which aligned well with how I prefer to learn and work. The course consistently connects concepts back to real-world decision-making and business challenges through cases, assignments, and simulations, showing how the frameworks we learn are applied in practice across different contexts.

Another important element was how the program is structured. ESMT offers a high level of flexibility, which allows you to shape the experience around your circumstances, with the option to join in-person electives alongside fully online pathways. It is also designed in a way that can adapt to changing priorities over time. Overall, this approach felt realistic and adaptable within a professional environment that can be fast-paced, while still maintaining strong academic rigor and a high-quality learning experience.

What was your favorite part of being in an online MBA program? My favourite part has been that I was able to continue my career development in parallel with the program, and connect what I was learning to different roles and industries along the way. During the time of my studies, I went through a couple of transitions, both in sector and level, and continued the MBA alongside everything else. It gave me the opportunity to take concepts from the coursework and see how they applied to different contexts in real time.

How did your online MBA experience compare with your in-the-classroom experience as an undergraduate student? There are two aspects to that comparison for me. Coming from a STEM background, the first aspect is the shift in domain, specifically the contrast between science and business. In science, things tend to be more absolute, with clearer answers and less room for interpretation. Whereas, in the MBA, there’s much more emphasis on discussions, different perspectives, and trade-offs rather than a single “correct” answer. My career has consistently been at the intersection of science and business, so this wasn’t a completely new way of looking at things for me, but the MBA helped me think about that interface in a much more structured way, which I found extremely valuable.

The second aspect is the format itself. Compared to my undergraduate experience, the online MBA offers a level of flexibility that I didn’t have before. With asynchronous content, if something isn’t fully clear, you can pause, revisit it, or take the time to research it in more depth. And if it’s an area you’re already comfortable with, you can move through it more quickly. In a classroom, neither of those things is really possible. That ability to adjust the pace based on your own understanding makes the experience feel much more tailored to individual learning needs.

What is your best piece of advice to an applicant for thriving in an online MBA program? Use the flexibility of an online MBA to your advantage and make the program work around how you actually learn and live. There is no single right approach. Some people in my cohort work best in long, focused stretches; others, like me, prefer shorter slots throughout different parts of the day. I have covered course material on the couch, in the gym, and while travelling. What matters is knowing how you work best and building a rhythm around that rather than forcing a structure that does not suit you.

The other thing I’d say is lean into the community. The people around you come from very different industries, geographies, and ways of thinking, and they’re genuinely open to sharing how they approach things. It is also a great environment to build your network. Over time, I’ve seen that go beyond professional connections into genuinely close friendships as well. Taking the time to exchange perspectives with someone who has built a completely different career in a completely different part of the world also shifts how you think about problems. It challenges your default assumptions in a way that’s difficult to do on your own.

How has your online MBA education helped you in your current job? The MBA has strengthened how I approach work overall. It has reinforced my ability to look at challenges from multiple angles simultaneously – whether commercial, operational, financial, or strategic – and bring those perspectives together into something more coherent than the sum of its parts.

In areas I was already familiar with, it has added more structure and depth. In areas further from my day-to-day, it built enough fluency to understand what is happening, why it matters, and have more in-depth conversations across those boundaries. So, in practice, it has strengthened how I navigate the complexity in business, allowing me to approach decisions with a more balanced and integrated perspective.

Did you earn a promotion while in the program or immediately after graduation? I made two transitions during the program. When I started the MBA, I was running my own marketing and brand strategy consulting work. I then moved into working with Prototypes for Humanity, a Dubai-based global platform that supports innovators from universities worldwide in leveraging science and technology to address humanity’s most pressing challenges. Here, I was responsible for marketing, communications, and partnerships.

From there, I transitioned to Halia Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class therapies for chronic inflammatory diseases using a genetic resilience-driven approach. I joined as Director of International Market Development & Strategic Communications, based in Abu Dhabi.

Why did you pursue an online MBA program instead of a full-time residential or executive MBA program? A key consideration was being able to continue working alongside my studies, rather than pausing that part of my career. I wanted to stay in an environment where I was actively building experience, while developing the academic side in parallel.

I also prefer learning in a way that can be applied as it happens. The online format allowed me to take what I’m studying and apply it directly to professional situations in real life, rather than treating it as something purely academic. That made it a more relevant and practical approach for me.

What is one way that your business school has integrated AI into your programming? What insights did you gain from using AI? ESMT has integrated AI into its education in a way that feels both practical and reflective of where business is heading. We explored how it is already being used across areas like marketing, customer experience, and operations, while also understanding its limitations. The latter included data dependency, difficulty handling context, and the continued need for human judgment in more complex situations. We were also given clear guidance on how to use AI tools alongside our studies to support research and information gathering, while also being explicit about where independent thinking and original work is expected.

Alongside this, we’ve been introduced to concepts like AI agents and how they are beginning to reshape business models, processes, and decision-making, supported by examples of how companies are already introducing AI agents into their workflows. The school has also organized webinars on how our roles are evolving, with emphasis on managing AI-enabled processes, interpreting outputs, and the responsibility for decisions supported by these tools. One key insight for me has been that as AI becomes more embedded in day-to-day work, there will be a shift towards more hybrid ways of working, where human judgment, oversight, and accountability become even more important in guiding how these systems are used.

Number of Hours Per Week Spent on an Online MBA: It was around 20 hours per week on average, though this varies considerably depending on the module, assignment deadlines and/or exams. Some weeks are lighter; others require a significant push.

What is your ultimate long-term professional goal? I would like to continue being in positions where I can play a part in bringing new innovations to life, whether in health, technology, or wherever science is pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. That intersection of cutting-edge science and real-world application is where I would like to keep developing my career.

At some point, I would love to build my own science-based venture from the ground up. Taking something from concept to reality and actually seeing it make a difference in the world is something that I would find very fulfilling.

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