Meet A WINner: Nilgün Akdoğan

Nilgün Akdoğan is a powerhouse and the co-lead of our Germany Circle.

Nilgün is the founder of DAS Akademie Izmir & Berlin, LTA Technology Inc. and the German Teachers Career Center. She has been teaching German as a Foreign and Second Language for over 23 years. She played an active role on the Board of Directors of the Izmir Branch of the German Teachers Association. She is also a founding member and Vice Chairman of the Board of the TAKEV Foundation (Turkish-German Culture and Education Foundation). 

As a serial entrepreneur, Nilgün is the project manager and founder of www.minticity.com.

Read on to get to know Nilgün better! 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

That there are 2 powers in the world. Shortly money and knowledge. And if you don’t have money you need to learn much, because later you will earn money with this knowledge. With this earned money you will buy knowledge. And this really happened in the last 25 years.

One thing you wish you had known earlier in your career.

That networking is the most important thing to grow up with your company.

What is the most courageous thing you have ever done?

To organize a Language Camp with over 30 childen, when myself was 22 years old. :)

If you could have any three people (dead or alive) over for dinner – who would they be?

My Dad, my Mom an myself.

Who are your role models?

At he beginning my brother was my role model for business. Gönül Ketenci was my role model as a woman in business as a german teacher.

Name a book you read that positively shaped you.

Little Book of Leadership (Jeffrey Gitomer).

You believe in sisterhood at work because…

I know that everything is possible to do as and with women.

If you had one superpower, what would it be?

To be a mind reader :)

Share a story about a time when you were really proud of your achievement.

There are many times in 25 years, but I think to sell a German Language Platform to Germany was my really most prouded achievement...

Share a story about a time when you recovered from a great mistake.

I have no idea.

Your advice to the next generation of career women from your learnings.

I really want to say that they need to believe themselfs, their projects and dreams. May be it will take time to achieve all of them. But there is always a way to catch the sucess. The most important point is to find the right way, may be after many mistakes.

Do you have any pets?

Yes, 2 dogs and 1 cat.

Describe yourself as a teenager in 3 words.

Curious, active and emotional.

What’s in your handbag right now? What are your absolute must-haves in travel?

Wallet, cell phone, lipstick, perfume, keys.

Last book you read or are reading now.

7 habits of effective people.

If you had a time machine, to which era would you want to travel in time? Past or future and why?

Future, because I really want to know where am I in 10 years.