ABOUT ME
Hello, I’m Mehtap. I am an entrepreneur, investor, author, and expert in organisational culture in football. What may seem diverse at first glance is, to me, a coherent whole: anyone who makes entrepreneurial decisions on a daily basis, manages projects, and takes responsibility sees organisations in an economic and practical way. That is exactly the perspective I also bring to football.
Since 2000, I have been active in my family’s real estate business, and today I run my own company in Cologne. Project management, finance, and people management are part of my everyday work. At the same time, my work within football associations has sharpened my perspective. And that is precisely why I can clearly see where things work and where they do not: the greatest resistance to change does not arise from bad intentions, but from unclear responsibilities and the absence of clear criteria. That is why I don’t work with moral appeals, but with clear structures, measurable standards, and transparent decision-making processes.
My perspective is shaped by three worlds: as an entrepreneur with more than 20 years of operational responsibility; as a doctoral researcher specialising in CSR, diversity, good governance, and organisational culture in football; and through hands-on experience within football associations at both national and regional level.
My own story also shapes the way I see the world: I was born in Cologne, have Turkish roots, an international education, and experience within structures in which women are often still the exception. These experiences help me to address issues that are often pushed aside, to build bridges between research and practice, and to reach decision-makers in associations and clubs. I am particularly committed to strengthening women, whether in leadership positions or as a business angel for women-led companies.
My vision of modern leadership is one in which diversity is genuinely embedded, decisions are made transparently, and change is not merely managed but actively shaped.
