Özlem Denizmen holds a B.A. in Industrial Management from Cornell University (1993) and a MBA from MITSloan School of Management (1999). She also completed “Negotiation” at Stanford (2004), ”Business Leadership” at GE Crontonville (2006) and “Advanced Management Program” at Harvard Business School (2008). Denizmen most recently completed “Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century” program at Harvard Kennedy School (2013).

Her career started in 1994 in USA as a “Financial Analyst” in Investment Banking at Merrill Lynch. She continued her career in Garanti Investment Bank in Turkey. Since 2000, she has held many positions in Budget Planning, Strategy, Business Development and Investor Relations at Doğuş Group. Denizmen is a Board Member of Doğuş Otomotiv and Doğuş Oto.

In 2010 Özlem Denizmen launched ‘Para Durumu’, a multi-media platform that reaches out to masses with the aim to increase financial literacy in Turkey. Denizmen is also the Founding Chair of the Financial Literacy and Inclusion Association, FODER (2013).

Denizmen was honored as ‘Young Global Leader’ of 2011 by the World Economic Forum, as a White House Delegate at the 2010 Obama Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship and as “Young Society Leader 2011” of the American Turkish Society. She was listed among ‘Top 100 Powerful Women of Turkey’ by Dunya Newspaper in 2011. Para Durumu was awarded the Jury Special Award as the best volunteer project in 2011 by the Corporate Volunteer Association of Turkey, whose work seek to expand corporate volunteering in Turkey.

Özlem Denizmen is married with two children.