Merve Ekiz
Istanbul,Türkiye
Summary
Strategic HR leader with 10+ years of experience driving business transformation, organizational effectiveness, and talent strategies across multinational organizations. Proven expertise in partnering with executive leadership to align people strategy with business objectives, leading end-to-end HR operations, organizational design, succession planning, leadership development, and employee engagement initiatives.
Experienced in designing and implementing high-impact HR programs that strengthen organizational capability, improve employee experience, and support sustainable business growth. Strong background in performance management, workforce planning, compensation & benefits, HR analytics, employee relations, and change management within complex, fast-paced environments.
Skilled in leading global HR transformation projects, including HRIS implementation, and leveraging Korn Ferry methodology to drive data-informed talent and reward decisions. Recognized for building trusted partnerships with senior stakeholders, developing high-performing HR teams, and delivering scalable HR solutions that create measurable business value.
Overview
2
2
Languages
1
1
Certification
12
12
years of professional experience
Work history
HR Manager
Monnoyeur Group – IPSO
2024.05 - 2026.07
- Partner with executive leadership to define and execute people strategies that support business growth, organizational transformation, and operational excellence.
- Lead the full employee lifecycle, including talent acquisition, performance management, succession planning, leadership development, compensation & benefits, and employee relations.
- Design and implement succession planning and talent management frameworks to strengthen leadership pipeline and ensure business continuity.
- Develop and drive leadership development initiatives to enhance managerial capability and accelerate internal talent growth.
- Lead organizational design and transformation initiatives, fostering a high-performance, accountable, and feedback-oriented culture.
- Oversee performance management processes, ensuring alignment between individual objectives and business priorities.
- Design and manage employee engagement surveys, translating insights into strategic action plans that improve organizational effectiveness.
- Manage HR budgeting, workforce planning, and cost optimization while supporting long-term business objectives.
- Lead, coach, and develop the HR team to enhance capability, service quality, and business partnership.
- Advise senior leadership on complex employee relations, labor law compliance, organizational risk, and change management.
- Drive global HR initiatives and digital transformation projects, including the implementation and adoption of Workday HRIS.
- Key Achievements
- Designed and implemented a comprehensive succession planning framework and leadership development structure, strengthening the internal leadership pipeline.
- Positioned HR as a strategic business partner, actively contributing to organizational redesign and executive decision-making.
- Successfully led the end-to-end implementation of Workday, improving HR data quality, process standardization, and operational efficiency.
- Achieved a 100% completion rate for the annual performance management cycle, significantly improving managerial accountability and performance governance.
- Increased employee engagement through the implementation of structured engagement surveys and measurable action plans.
- Standardized HR policies, governance, and core people processes, improving consistency, scalability, and compliance across the organization.
- Supported major organizational transformation initiatives while ensuring business continuity, employee alignment, and effective change adoption.
HR Supervisor
Sicpa Turkiye
2022.11 - 2024.05
- Partnered with business leaders to align people strategies with business objectives, organizational priorities, and global HR initiatives.
- Supported the execution of global HR strategies and policies, ensuring effective localization and implementation.
- Advised managers on employee relations, labor law, disciplinary processes, performance management, and organizational risk.
- Collaborated with global Centers of Excellence to deliver talent management, learning & development, and performance initiatives.
- Supported organizational design, restructuring, and change management projects to improve business effectiveness.
- Led end-to-end recruitment for professional and critical positions, supporting workforce planning and talent acquisition strategies.
- Drove the implementation of HR initiatives, ensuring effective communication, stakeholder engagement, and change adoption.
- Monitored HR metrics and workforce analytics to identify trends and support data-driven decision-making.
- Partnered with the Compensation & Benefits function on salary benchmarking, compensation reviews, and reward programs.
- Designed and implemented employee engagement, retention, and recognition initiatives to strengthen organizational culture.
- Supported succession planning and talent review processes, identifying high-potential employees and critical talent.
- Managed HR budgeting and workforce planning (FTE, OPEX, CAPEX), ensuring cost optimization and resource efficiency.
- Coordinated closely with the global HR team at headquarters in Switzerland, supporting regional reporting and cross-functional HR projects.
- Key Achievements
- Established a strong reputation as a trusted HR partner, supporting leadership in strategic people decisions.
- Successfully recruited critical business roles, improving talent quality and reducing hiring lead times.
- Increased employee engagement and retention through structured engagement and recognition initiatives.
- Played a key role in organizational restructuring and change management, ensuring smooth business transitions.
- Supported compensation and reward decisions by balancing internal equity, external competitiveness, and cost effectiveness.
- Contributed to the successful integration of HR processes and people practices during a post-merger organizational transformation involving both blue-collar and white-collar populations.
Senior HR Business Partner
TRT World
2016.09 - 2022.11
- Acted as the primary HR Business Partner for three directorates, providing end-to-end HR support to more than 600 employees across TRT World and TRT Arabi.
- Partnered with business leaders to align people strategies with operational priorities and organizational objectives.
- Led end-to-end recruitment for technical and digital roles, managing sourcing, interviewing, selection, and onboarding processes.
- Managed the full performance management cycle, supporting talent reviews, promotions, salary decisions, and workforce optimization.
- Partnered with senior management on workforce planning, headcount approvals, and organizational planning.
- Advised managers on employee relations, labor law, HR policies, disciplinary matters, and performance-related issues.
- Analyzed HR metrics and workforce data to identify trends and support business decision-making.
- Developed and implemented HR initiatives and continuous improvement projects to enhance employee experience and operational efficiency.
- Resolved complex employee relations cases, conducted investigations, and managed grievance resolution processes.
- Worked closely with managers to strengthen employee engagement, team effectiveness, productivity, and retention.
- Identified learning and development needs and coordinated training, coaching, mentoring, and career development initiatives.
- Supported succession planning and talent management activities to strengthen organizational capability.
- Managed onboarding and offboarding processes, including relocation support, work and residence permit coordination, equipment readiness, and exit interviews.
- Collaborated with HR Centers of Excellence to ensure effective implementation of HR programs, policies, and organizational initiatives.
- Key Achievements
- Served as the trusted HR partner for over 600 employees, supporting business leaders across multiple directorates.
- Successfully recruited highly specialized technical and digital talent, contributing to business capability and operational continuity.
- Improved HR service delivery by driving process improvements and implementing employee-focused HR initiatives.
- Strengthened employee engagement and manager capability through proactive HR consulting and coaching.
- Supported data-driven people decisions through workforce analytics, performance management, and succession planning.
- Streamlined onboarding and offboarding processes, improving employee experience and operational efficiency.
HR Assistant Specialist
Danone
2015.12 - 2016.08
HR Assistant
AECOM
2014.06 - 2015.11
Education
Bachelor of Business Administration - English
Beykent University
Skills
- Strategic HR Business Partnering
- Organizational Design & Transformation
- Talent Management & Succession Planning
- Leadership Development
- Performance Management
- Compensation & Benefits (Korn Ferry)
- Employee Relations & Labor Law
- Workforce Planning
- Employee Engagement
- HR Analytics & KPI Management
- Change Management
- Talent Acquisition
- HR Budget Management
- HRIS (Workday & SAP SuccessFactors)
- Stakeholder Management
REFERENCES
[Available upon request]
Languages
English
Advanced (C1)
Turkish
Native
Certification
Compensation Management - Korn Ferry, Bucharest/ Romania
HR Management - Istanbul Institute, Istanbul/ Turkiye
HR & Payroll - Datassist, Istanbul/ Turkiye
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
HR Manager
Monnoyeur Group – IPSO
2024.05 - 2026.07
HR Supervisor
Sicpa Turkiye
2022.11 - 2024.05
Senior HR Business Partner
TRT World
2016.09 - 2022.11
HR Assistant Specialist
Danone
2015.12 - 2016.08
HR Assistant
AECOM
2014.06 - 2015.11
Bachelor of Business Administration - English
Beykent University