She became one of the 10 most successful women in the Middle East

Melda Akın, a graduate of Department of Computer Engineering, Izmir University of Economics (IUE), was named one of the 10 most successful women in the Middle East in the field of technology by the world-famous company Forbes. Akın, who has been successful with her company named 'D14.AI', which provides services in optimization, planning and estimation using artificial intelligence, and continues its activities in more than 20 countries, was the only person in the list from Turkey. Akın said that the computer given by her father as a gift when she was only 9 years old changed her life and she decided to become a computer engineer at a young age. Currently living in Dubai, Akın said, “While studying at university, I worked as a hotel receptionist, worked for a software company, and tutored students. I tried to prepare myself for life in every way. Even though I had difficulties, I did not give up on my passion and dreams.”

Melda Akın (34) from Izmir, who has been interested in computers and technology since childhood and has improved enough to write code at the age of 12, started studying at the IUE Department of Computer Engineering in 2005. Akın, who had the opportunity to study in the department she loved and dreamed of, was able to graduate in a shorter time than usual by drawing attention with her studies and projects at the university. After receiving her diploma, Akın started to work as a project manager in an international company based in Belgium. Quickly climbing the career ladder, Akın was appointed as the director of the company within a few years. Meanwhile, Akın also obtained a master's degree and research assistantship in the field of 'Intelligent Engineering Systems' at IUE.

SHE BECAME RECOGNIZED IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Having the opportunity to work with world-renowned companies and getting recognized abroad, Akın decided to start her own business and left her job in 2017. Continuing her activities on digital transformation consultancy with her company named 'Numoit', Akın expanded abroad in a short time thanks to her network of friends. Having the opportunity to work with a company in Dubai initially, Akın soon became recognized in the Middle East and became the name sought by large companies. Akın, who changed the name of her company to 'D14.AI' and offered solutions to world-renowned companies in optimization, planning and forecasting, carried out important projects in more than 20 countries, especially in the Middle East. Successfully representing our country abroad, Akın was selected as one of the 10 most successful women in the Middle East in the field of technology in the list announced by Forbes for 2021.

I SAW IT AS AN OPPORTUNITY

Stating that she is proud and happy to have achieved such an important success Akın said, “Saying that ‘technology will become very important in the future, you should learn now’ my father bought me a computer when I was just 9 years old. At that time, there were not many computers in houses. Therefore, I was very happy. I saw this gesture of my father as a very important opportunity. I was reading, skating and spending time with the computer in my spare time. Over time, computer has become my passion. Actually, I chose my profession when I was a child. Izmir University of Economics was a university that I wanted and especially preferred, good thing I did. I got a job at a software company when I was still in freshman year. I also worked as a receptionist at the hotel to improve my foreign language skills. In addition to my university education, I also tried to educate myself in different fields. I got the reward of my efforts in my working life.”

SUCCESS IS A JOURNEY THAT NEVER ENDS

Akın continued as follows: “Success is a journey that never ends. So, I act with this awareness, I constantly focus on the better, not being satisfied with my current status. I am updating my company, my understanding of work, and my future predictions. Of course, you need to want and work for success. But the most important thing is to never give up. My advice to students is to dream. They should think about where they want to see themselves in the future, what profession they will be happy with. When they concentrate on all these, they will see that the problems that they have overestimated are small compared to their dreams.”