Esra [user:field_middlename] AKINCI

Present position: 

• European Commission European Innovation Council (EIC) SME Executive Agency (EISMEA)Programme Evaluator
• Programme Evaluator for the Office of the Resident Coordinator Turkey
• Programme Evaluator for FAO
• EU EWEMA (Early Warning Europe Mentor Academy) Mentor
• CINEA (The European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency) European Union Green Assist Instrument High-Profile Expert
• Senior Executive – Management Consultant for European Union, United Nations, Public and Private Enterprises

I have strong academic background with bachelor’s degree in economics, a Postgraduate Degree in Business, International Relations, and Political Economy (Master equivalent Degree), and EU Acquis and International Relations as well as International Banking and Finance.

I am a professional working for supporting the socioeconomic development, recovery, and economic stability of developing countries as well as governance, policy, and strategy development. I work for international organisations such as European Union, European Commission and United Nations Development Programme. I am well-versed in data analysis, the needs, conditions, and problems in developing countries, and report preparation while having proficiency in collaboration with relevant parties, stakeholders, public authorities, NGOs, academia, and private sector. In previous roles, I have contributed to organisational improvements, collaborative team efforts and attainment of key organisational/corporate missions and goals.

As a former bank executive/auditor and having senior finance and executive managerial positions in both public (as a civil servant) and private sector and International Organisations such as European Commission (still ongoing), Council of Europe, United Nations, UNDP, and UN WOMEN more than 25 years as well as my specific educational background, 

I have proven working experience in financial management as well as financial planning and analysis, accounting and controlling at both corporate and operational level and strongly advocate the financial function as value seeking and a catalyst for action, conducting financial and business analyses and prompting the appropriate alignment between strategy and execution.

I have been working as Management Consultant-Senior Project Management Professional and Monitoring and Evaluation Expert, since 2010 for EU, World Bank and UNDP financed programmes/projects in Turkey. At present, I also work for European Commission EISMEA (EU SME Executive Agency) Innovation Council as “Independent Evaluator/Assessor” for Grants and Investment/Equity Funds Calls of Proposals under EIC Accelerator.

I have over 25 years of management and monitoring experience in the internationally funded World Bank, EU, and UNDP projects of government, public – private sector partnerships (PPP), B.O.T.’s and SME’s. I have a specific government (public) service experience of  more than 8 years working as “civil servant (public officer)” at Turkish Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources as “Financial Affairs and Reporting Manager” (with a first degree of signature on behalf of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Crude Oil Project Directorate Finance Department with a budget of 1.9 Billion US Dollars) as well as a specific work experience for internationally funded (World Bank, IFC, EBRD, EIB) projects in the means of management, finance, administration including capacity building, strategic planning, risk management and  advocacy/mentorship.

I have vast work experience in multinational very-wide scale corporates and consortiums which is an asset for future engagements in the means of international commerce, financial and project management and monitoring applications Applicable Financial Regulations, United Nations Guidelines and Goals, World Bank Guidelines, IFC & EBRD Procedures, FIDIC, ECA’s and IPA, EU Acquis, EU PRAG Legislations, IAS, IFRS, SAP, European, Turkish and US GAAP. And more, I am very used to ERP and MIS programs and applications as a software user.

Furthermore, I have a demonstrated track-record in; Managing, advising and reporting on achievement of programme and project results; preparation and implementation of country programming processes, procedures, services and products; strategic planning;  capacity development; project evaluation and assessment; proactively measuring substantive progress and effective utilisation of resources using appropriate financial monitoring and measuring mechanisms and tools; leading programme and project implementation, guiding and orienting executing agencies and human resources restructuring, corporate restructuring, and introducing effective modalities and practices of implementation.

With excellent co-ordination and communication skills, I have a proven track record of preparation and implementation of country programming processes, procedures, services and products, strategic planning.

I possess advanced communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to work in diverse teams with local and international professionals.

I have proven track record and work experience of:

• Evaluation (Assessment) of EU, UN and multi-lateral organizations (World Bank Group, GIZ) led projects and interventions in the related areas
• Programme/Project Management of UN and multi-lateral organizations (EU, World Bank Group) led projects and interventions in the related areas in the region
• Project Financing and Financial Assessment
• Governance
• Program and project management
• Strategic planning and implementation
• Business Management and Mentorship
• Financial Audit and Due Diligence
• Internal Audit
• Coordination of Intraregional Networks/Partnerships
• Monitoring and Evaluation
• Clusters & Regional Policy
• Innovation and Entrepreneurship
• Design and Development of EU Projects
• Project Financing
• Regional Development
• Reviewing blending operations: expertise in sector policy development and investment ;EU and other donors implementing modalities
• Resource mobilization and fundraising
• Relationship and partnership building
• Cross-cultural communication and collaboration
• Financial management and budgeting
• People management and leadership
• Gender mainstreaming  
• Fluency in English (CEFR C2), working knowledge of French(B2) and native Turkish speaker

I have more than 25 years of professional working experience in international and national donor funded projects and programmes in various sectors, including Public and Cultural Diplomacy; Political Cooperation; Strengthening of Civil Society, Civic Tech, Active Citizenship; Strategic Communication and Public Relations; Monitoring & Evaluation; Risk Management and Control as well as my vast experience in private sector enterprises.

I have been to France (Strasbourg/Council of Europe HQ), Belgium (Brussels/EU), Lebanon, Denmark, Azerbaijan, Germany, Bahrain and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for foundation of new business and project establishments as well as for management and monitoring-evaluation purposes.

Specific professional experience

• Proven experience in building credible contacts in the political, business, and civil society circles and effectively dealing with senior government officials and other stakeholders articulating policies and strategies as well as handling policy negotiations. 
• More than 21 years of relevant experience at the national or international level in providing management advisory services, hands-on experience in design, management, monitoring, and evaluation of programmes/projects and establishing inter-relationships among international organisations and national governments.
• Over 25 years of professional working experience of in-depth management and monitoring of works under international public-private partnerships and international development programmes/projects financed by international donors of European Commission-European Union-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Public – Private Enterprises in “senior key positions”.
• Over 25 years of postgraduate working experience in contributing successful implementation of 13 development aid programmes and projects financed by various international donors, including EU, Council of Europe, World Bank, EBRD and UNDP, under high-level positions.
• Providing advocacy for policies; advising strategies and developing required management systems including monitoring and reporting system under international contracts, such as World Bank, UNDP, EU, EBRD and EIB.
• Strong technical understanding of the Upstream, Investment and Advisory businesses, including client relationship management, business development, and pipeline management, in the context of regional priorities and opportunities.
• More than 17 years of relevant and progressive experience in public affairs, policy, advocacy, organising and relationship management.
• Strong track record of assessment and evaluation of internationally sponsored projects/programmes; business delivery, demonstrated investment experience, superior business judgment, policy dialogue and established professional credibility.
• Ability to work collaboratively with external organisations, liaising with policymakers, high-level public officials, business leaders, advocacy leaders, researchers and activists with the same effectiveness.
• Experience of matrix organisations/teams and working remotely across different geographies.
• Extensive years of relevant government, IFI or financial industry experience.
• Extensive working knowledge on EU and UN SDGS overarching priorities; Green Deal, Global Gateways, Gender Mainstreaming, Empowerment of Women, Jobs and Sustainable and Inclusive Growth as well as Innovation and Research & Development Goals.
• Specific Knowledge on Environment and Climate Change; Management of environmental infrastructure and/or implementation of environmental infrastructure projects; Environment and climate change policy development; EU Acquis and regulations in the field of Environment and climate change; Environmental Economics.
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically, prioritise effectively, set direction, mobilize resources, and deploy them flexibly, teamwork and collective leadership.
• Ability to represent the organisation to external clients and stakeholders from the public and private sector. 
• Demonstrated ability to lead effectively and manage a large and dispersed team in a dynamic and multicultural environment. 
• Excellent people management skills and openness to feedback; new ideas and ability to guide staff to solutions to problems. 
• Demonstrated highest standards of integrity and decisiveness. 
• Ability and willingness to take decisions and deal with ambiguity, as well as take accountability and hold others accountable for results. 
• Ability to deliver results under stressful timetables and environment.
• Ability to build organizational capacity through system and process improvements, be a change agent and serve as catalyst for innovation.
• Defining resource requirements and managing resource availability & allocation both internal and third party.
• Outlining a budget based on requirements and tracking costs to deliver project on budget.
• Tracking projects and providing regular reports on project status to project team and key stakeholders.
• Perform desktop research on technical topics if requested to support drafting of project reports, terms of references and/or other technical documents.
• Contribute to tasks jointly led with other Global Practices, as appropriate, including, Country Partnership Framework etc.
• Organise events (meetings, study visits, workshops etc.), including logistics, budgeting, and monitoring of event budgets.
• Demonstrated track-record in designing influencing strategies and achieving policy results, at both national and international level.
• Demonstrated ability to build consensus among different stakeholders, facilitate initiatives from the bottom up, especially initiatives that are alliance and network based.
• Expertise in global, regional, and national trends regarding transformational economics and planetary boundaries.
• Proven ability to advocate for global systems change agenda by identifying shorter-term, strategic, manageable interventions that can pave the way for greater mindset and policy shift.
• Familiarity with advocacy in integrated campaigns (advocacy, media, public campaign); ability to conceive and design different tactics that reinforce each other towards one policy goal.
• Ability to work collaboratively with external organisations, liaising with policymakers, high-level public officials, business leaders, advocacy leaders, researchers, and activists with the same effectiveness.
• Strengthening risk management capacities by systematically monitoring potential risks under thematic groups for early identification of potential risks and developing best methodologies for risk mitigation while supervising and coordinating the implementation of contractual activities.
• Mobilising resources to expand and scale up activities, projects and programmes in close collaboration, coordination, and cooperation with relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain coordination, cooperation, and collaboration with regional and global technical teams to ensure consistency with approaches, policies, methodologies, instruments, theories and practices and greater efficiencies.
• Evaluation and assessment of various programmes/projects in the fields of infrastructure, construction, socio-economic development, labour markets, climate change and environmental sustainability, and gender mainstreaming.
• In charge of implementation, financial management, monitoring and assessment of several international donor funded projects and programmes, especially EU funded, through and contributing to development of project management through introducing management tools based on logical framework approach.
• Extensive experience in stakeholder management and donor relationships management. 
• Proven experience in project financial management. 
• Experience in management of project teams and experts.
• Professional training in project cycle management. 
• Strong conceptual and analytical skills.
• Solid communications and negotiation skills.
• Experience in either harmonization of EU Acquis Communautaire or evaluation of international donor programmes or projects.
• Good knowledge of EU and other donors implementing modalities.
• Experience of identification and implementation of appropriate financial instruments (IPA) made available by EU.
• Proven experience in policy formulation, research, strong drafting, and analytical skills.
• Implementation of Project Cycle Management (PCM) and Adaptation of a Result Based Management (Oriented) concept in the organisation.
• Liaison with appointed project assurance representatives to assure the overall direction and integrity of the programme/project.
• Managing Project and Office administration.
• Monitoring overall progress and use of resources, initiating corrective action where necessary.
• Reporting through agreed lines on project progress through highlight reports and end-stage assessments.
• Identifying and obtaining support and advice required for the management, planning and control of the programme/project.
• Coordination and oversight of project inputs, with specific focus on evaluation missions organised including liaison with the EU and Implementing Partners. 
• Coordination of impact evaluation activities, research support, technical assistance for survey instrument preparation and data collection, contracting, follow-up and reporting. 
• Experience in coordination between (internationally funded projects) IFI funded projects and Public Authorities/government counterparts, chambers, CSOs, NGOs and associations, working experience of international organisations.
• Extensive years of relevant government, IFI or financial industry experience.
• Experience in leading policy engagement and implementation, articulating policies and strategies and representing an organisation with government and local authorities, EU, United Nations, the business community, donors and media.
• Experience in building credible contacts in the political, business, and civil society circles.
• Experience in managing teams and demonstrated leadership skills in managing people and teams.
• Advanced knowledge of EU Acquis, EU PRAG, EC Regulations and FIDIC, World Bank Guidelines.
• Specific experience/knowledge on Governance; Public and International Finance; Institutional Capacity Building; Business Management, Human Resources Management; Project Administration, Corporate Sustainability; Financial Due Diligence.
• Efficient in time and cost management. 
• Efficient and timely project monitoring and implementation.
• Timely and quality delivery of project goals and targets as defined in relevant project documents.
• Maintaining and enhancing partnership with responsible parties and other project partners through effective and efficient communication, relationship, and diplomatic skills.
• Excellent interpersonal coordination and communication skills; written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work with a low level of supervision and as a part of a team when required.
• Can work under pressure and tight deadlines.
• Sound problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Excellent command of written and spoken English (C2); native Turkish speaker (one of the local languages of Western Balkans countries) and working knowledge of French (B2).
• High level of social competence, flexibility, and intercultural sensitivity.
• Distinct experience and ability to work effectively in teams, preferably including experience working in virtual team settings.
• Efficient in monitoring the proper functioning of IT and related MRP and ERP systems.