My Story: Çiğdem Kılıç

By Çiğdem Kılıç

Throughout my career, I have intentionally worked at the intersection of multiple disciplines. By combining the business focus of finance, the transformative power of technology, and the analytical perspective of academia, I have dedicated myself to creating sustainable value. Today, as a CIO, board member, non-profit board member and executive member, academic, and mentor, the common thread across all my roles is not simply managing change, but accelerating it and making it lasting.

Over the past 27 years, I have led transformation programs across banking, technology, and insurance industries. Today, at Türkiye Sigorta, the largest and leading insurance company in Türkiye, I am leading the transformation of the technology organization from a traditional support function into a strategic business enabler at the heart of corporate strategy. Through artificial intelligence, data analytics, agile ways of working, and modern technology architectures, we have achieved significant improvements in customer experience, operational efficiency, and business outcomes. I have always positioned technology not as a cost center, but as a strategic lever that accelerates growth, empowers employees, and enhances customer value.

At the core of my transformation philosophy is the belief that technology should not remain the privilege of a few experts but become a capability embedded across the entire organization. Through AI and automation initiatives, I have helped democratize access to knowledge while fostering a data-driven and efficiency-focused culture. For me, transformation is not merely about implementing new systems; it is about changing how people think, learn, and work.

As a result of this approach, both my teams and the organizations I have served have received numerous national and international recognitions. In addition to awards in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, customer experience, and technology leadership, I have been recognized multiple times among the “Technology Leaders of the Year,” “Most Influential Technology Leaders,” “Digital Transformation Leaders,” and “Top Value-Creating AI Leaders” on both national and global platforms. Together with the teams I have led, we have earned dozens of prestigious awards while contributing to the global visibility of technology and AI success stories emerging from Türkiye.

Beyond my executive responsibilities, I actively contribute to the development of technology, innovation, and AI ecosystems through board memberships and leadership roles in non-governmental organizations. As a lecturer and researcher, I am committed to developing future leaders, while my mentoring activities focus particularly on increasing the visibility and advancement of women in technology. I strongly believe that the bridges I build between industry, academia, business, and civil society amplify the impact of transformation far beyond individual organizations.

For me, transformational leadership is not about improving the status quo; it is about reimagining the future. Throughout my career, my goal has never been simply to deliver successful projects, but to create a lasting transformation that enables people, teams, and organizations to think bigger and achieve more. Because true leadership is not only about transforming institutions—it is about unlocking the potential of people.