Mehmet Yilmazo

Catching up with Mehmet Yilmazo

Mehmet Yilmazo (Master of Public Administration, 2015) is Group Director of HR & Strategy, Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA) in Istanbul, Turkey. Here he reflects on the highlights of his time at Exeter and how the skills and experiences it gave him have helped in him in his career to date.   

"When I had finished my studies in Exeter, I went back to my previous permanent position in Turkish Civil Service. I was a senior HR expert at State Personnel Presidency (SPP), the central personnel and management authority, in Prime Ministry. After then, at the end of 2016, I received a job offer as an HR and Strategy Manager from the Banking Regulation and Supervision Agency (BRSA). BRSA is a strategic state agency with administrative and financial autonomy. It undertakes regulation, supervision and risk management functions for financial markets, institutions and consumers at international standards, in line with national needs and requirements. Now, as a Group Director of HR & Strategy, I am briefly responsible for people management, change management, and strategy development, etc. I have been working at BRSA for nearly 4.5 years.

"I have always been very good at communicating, networking, listening to people's problems and coming up with solutions to help them. I personally believe in that human resources is the centre point of all the actions in an organisation. As a profession HR gives you more liberty in bringing the changes in the organisation that you want, whether it is - recruitment, policy making, strategy development, employee engagement all give you great satisfaction and keep you in high spirits.

"Studying at Exeter was the best experience of my life really. I enjoyed my time at uni immensely and just wished I'd joined more societies and earlier in my time there! I found my modules fascinating and many were highly real-world relevant. Great societies, course, people, academics and facilities.

"Here are some reasons why I chose Exeter: International reputation; a beautiful, green campus; a first-class degree from a top university; Additionally, Exeter is known for its high quality of life and considerably low crime rate. I would like to give two main advice to current students; 1-Focus on developing your leadership and management skills. 2-Try to build a network of peers with a wide range of experience.

"I think that in order to progress in many civil services, it is necessary to develop your leadership and management skills. A Master’s degree in Public Administration is great for this. MPA in Exeter gave me a better understanding of my leadership capacity.

"I have two main professional goals for the coming 3-5 years; firstly to attain a senior executive position where I can show more of my leadership and problem-solving skills. In this context, to become a true leader and change agent of public policy in the Turkish public sector. Secondly, to get a PhD.in public administration, politics or governance."

Date: 20 May 2021