Furkan Karayel, Author, Speaker and Lecturer, Diversein
Furkan Karayel is a multi-award-winning diversity and inclusion speaker and author of the international best-selling book "Inclusive Intelligence: How to be a Role Model for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace".
Furkan lectures at the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Master's program at Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Her passion is leveraging women-in-tech leadership, diversity and empowering female founders globally.
She founded Diversein after ten years of software engineering experience in multinational tech companies in Ireland. She has been honoured with "Speaker of the Year", "Diversity and Inclusion Role Model in Business", and "Trailblazer" Awards.
Additionally, Furkan is an active speaker at international events where she shares her learnings about experiences of the tech world as a woman, her recommendations for inclusive leadership and the power of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn is my favourite platform. My audience, my professional network and the people I admire are all there. But, on the other side, what we share on LinkedIn interests me more than we share on other platforms.
Tell us about you and your current role or area of interest.
I grew up in a small town in Turkey, dreaming of being a software engineer way before the internet era. I moved to Ireland as an Erasmus exchange student in 2005 and have resided here since then. I got into my dream job as a software engineer two weeks after my graduation from Athlone IT. After working for ten big years in multinational tech companies, I made a transition in my career and founded my company Diversein.
My biggest motivation for this was it was enough that we only talked about diversity and inclusion; I believed it was the time to move into action! Today, I help leaders in Ireland and globally to become role models for diversity and inclusion in the workplace. I am the author of the best selling book Inclusive Intelligence and diversity and inclusion lecturer at IADT.
What do you like about your career or area of focus?
To be able to touch into people's lives in a positive way, make them feel unique and valued. In the book Inclusive Intelligence, I define diversity and inclusion as below. Diversity is you because you are unique. Inclusion is accepting you because you matter.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
"Enjoy the journey" - This advice calms me down.
"Do it your own way" - There is more than one way to do things, and if we do it our own way, we own it fully and embrace whatever the outcome is. It's authentic to us.
What inspires you, motivates you, or helps you to move forward?
To be at least a representation of unrepresented people. This made me be a speaker. Nobody was talking about my realities, my side of the stories, my challenges in the workplace as if we didn't exist! The more I move forward in my career, the more I receive messages from different parts of the world thanking me for doing this.
What are you proud of in your life so far?
I am so proud to get my book Inclusive Intelligence published this year, and it reached out to #1 Best Seller status in three categories! We celebrated this achievement at the book launch event on19th November Friday at MoLI Museum of Literature Ireland with incredible guests, balloons, networking along with cupcakes and a beautiful harp recital.
What is your preferred way to meet new people/network?
Networking events and LinkedIn.
What skills or qualities do you feel have helped you?
Technical background, communication skills, recognising my own core values and aligning them with my work, and good intentions.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
As an introverted person, I always hesitated to ask for help. However, starting a business and dealing with everything from A-Z is not easy. I could have started asking for help earlier and believing in myself earlier.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles and why?
Arianna Huffington, Amy Cuddy, Adam Grant, Bill George, Susan Cain. They are not only good at what they do, but they also articulate their messages so well.
Outside of your professional/work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I started to learn the Celtic harp during the lockdown, and I absolutely love it. In general, I love learning new and creative things. I regularly share what I learn about almost anything on my posts or Youtube channel. Giving back is so important to me in whatever I do.
Has the pandemic had a positive or a negative effect on you and/or your business, and how have you managed it?
Yes, it had negative and positive impacts. The business halted for a few months. I took that time to invest in my well-being and polishing my upcoming book.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever mentored anyone?
Yes, I believe in the power of mentorship. I mentored in so many programs, and I have mentors who regularly get their views.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work or interests?
It really depends on what they like to achieve. I would probably say: belief in what you are doing 100%.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
Perfectionism and unsupportive network.
Is there a phrase, quote or a saying that you really like?
"Good things take time."
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience/readership?
My success does not necessarily match into someone else's success metrics, and that's OK. However, my lifetime motto is "discover, share and inspire." So my fulfilment with my work is very much aligned with these three words. To me, success is connecting with people, motivating them to take at least one action for diversity and inclusion daily and helping them be role models.