Most senior executives graduated from ODTÜ: Survey

ANKARA

Around 16.5 percent of senior executives in Türkiye have graduated from Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ), 15 percent from Boğaziçi University and 11 percent from Istanbul Technical University (İTÜ), according to research by a human resources firm.

The capital Ankara’s ODTÜ, topping the list with 16.5 percent, and İTÜ, third on the list with 11 percent, contribute to the business world, especially with their graduates in the field of engineering, according to the research conducted by Data Expert covering 5,700 senior executives.

Istanbul’s Boğaziçi University, which took second place, drew attention with the success of its graduates from the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Data Expert said.

“It is possible to come across executives who have graduated from these three leading universities in Türkiye at the top of almost every sector,” Data Expert chairperson Hasan Altunkaya said. Marmara University and Istanbul University, being fourth and fifth on the list, respectively, came to the forefront with their graduates in the fields of communication and economics, Altunkaya added.

While Bilkent University in Ankara ranked first among foundation universities, Altunkaya noted that Koç University, Galatasaray University and Sabancı University, all three of which are relatively newer universities located in Istanbul but draw attention with their graduates, may appear on this list in the future.

Altunkaya pointed out that graduating from a famous or successful university is not enough as graduating from departments such as business administration, industrial, civil, mechanical and computer engineering, economics and international relations is crucial to reach executive positions in the business world faster.

Engineering departments, which bring nearly half of senior executives to the business world, enable their graduates to take part in every field in the management of companies, from marketing to sales or even human resources.

According to the research, though executives aged over 45 are still in the majority in senior seats, the number of those aged between 40 and 45 is also increasing.

“Especially the fact that family companies still constitute the largest slice in Türkiye raises the average age, however, the structure of companies is also changing,” Altunkaya said, adding that the new generation is more educated, visionary and innovative.

“Another striking data is that one of the five managers is in the 35-40 age range,” he added.