Strategy & Governance Consultant for
Executive Decision-Makers
With over 20 years of international consulting experience, I support leaders in navigating complexity, driving systemic transformation, and delivering lasting impact. I’ve developed strategies and delivered programmes valued at over £5 billion of positive impact across 40+ countries, partnering with top-tier institutions such as the United Nations agencies, European Union institutions, central and local government departments across EMEA.
Why Executive Decision-Makers partner with me:
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Strategic Vision with Operational Precision: I deliver actionable strategies rooted in global best practices and tailored for meaningful outcomes.
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Proven Results at Scale: From post-Brexit change management to UN governance restructuring, my programmes deliver measurable efficiency, transparency, and policy innovation.
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Executive-Level Engagement: I’ve advised ministers, board members and C-suite leaders, led cross-cultural stakeholder engagement and spearheaded strategy at the highest levels.
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Governance Expertise: My approach helps institutions embed robust frameworks that turn visionary goals into consistent and trackable delivery ensuring transparency and accountability.
What I bring to every partnership:
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Deep expertise in strategy design and delivery
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Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams of 100+ in 40+ countries
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Fluency in English, German, French, Dutch, and Turkish
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Thought leadership across strategic policy, institutional design, and operational reform
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Authentic collaboration, cultural fluency, and diplomacy across sectors
Özge İSKİT
Strategy & Governance Consultant for Executive Decision-Makers
Phone:
+44 7843333825
Email:
Location:
London, UK
ABOUT ME
My Story
I’ve spent the last 20+ years helping central and local governments, global institutions, and industry leaders turn strategy into impact. From advising the UN Executive Board on governance reform for $14 billion in global operations, to leading post-Brexit transformation programmes across the UK, my work has always centred on solving complex problems with clarity, diplomacy, and precision.
I’ve led high-stakes programmes for UK government departments, European Union institutions, World Bank, and the European Investment Bank to shape strategies, policies, and to restructure operations, and unlock funding worth billions. Whether it’s designing governance frameworks, building high-performance teams, or guiding elected officials through economic recovery, I bring a strategic lens and a hands-on approach.
My journey has taken me across 40+ countries for work. I now call London home after having lived in Istanbul, Brussels and Rome. I’ve lectured at leading universities, built capacity for thousands of civil servants, and chaired negotiations with ministers, diplomats, and CEOs. I speak five languages fluently and thrive in multicultural environments where collaboration drives change.
This isn’t just a career. It is a mission to help organisations lead with purpose, deliver with integrity, and transform with confidence.
MY APPROACH
Crafting strategic frameworks & ensuring delivery
through governance, stakeholder coordination & adaptive management
My approach blends strategic foresight based on academic rigour with cultural fluency through inclusive leadership, stakeholder engagement and operational applicability.
I believe that good strategy creates clarity, and good governance ensures it delivers. Once the strategy is developed, the ambition is clear but ambition is not execution. Translating strategy into meaningful change demands more than a well-articulated policy.
Strategic delivery is not a technical function. It's a leadership function. The conversation must shift toward operational realism and adaptive governance. My approach combines robust change management methodologies with culturally attuned leadership, stakeholder alignment, and governance innovation. I’m widely regarded for embedding agile delivery frameworks and facilitating complex change in politically sensitive and high-stakes environments.
CLIENTS
EXPERIENCE
Change Management
International Stakeholder Management
Capacity Building & Training
Large-scale Programme Design & Delivery
Governance Reform
Process Reingeneering & Operational Restructuring
International Fund Development & Management
EXPERTISE
Strategy & Change
Helping organisations make sense of uncertainty and chart a clear way forward.
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Shaping strategy at the decision-making table, then guiding leaders through the change process to ensure it lands successfully across the organisation.
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Developing long-term vision and roadmaps,
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Conducting impact and risk assessments, and designing transformation journeys that align ambition with operational reality.
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Stakeholder engagement gaining alignment among boards, leadership teams, and external partners so that strategy is embraced, not just written.
Programme Design & Delivery
Creating programme architectures that connect strategic priorities with delivery structures.
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Establishing clear milestones and KPIs, and embedding strong planning and risk management.
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Setting up and leading programme management offices (PMOs), coordinating cross-functional and multi-country delivery teams, and providing leadership coaching to keep teams aligned.
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Launching large-scale transformation initiatives, restructuring operations, managing complex funding mechanisms, delivering international development programmes.
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Blending disciplined delivery frameworks (PRINCE2, Agile, Lean Six Sigma) with adaptive leadership to keep complex initiatives on track and ensure outcomes are delivered at pace and scale.
Governance
Making governance a strategic enabler — improving decision quality, accelerating action, and ensuring performance is both visible and sustainable.
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Designing governance structures and oversight mechanisms
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Establishing oversight boards and steering committees, and embedding accountability mechanisms for both strategic and operational decision-making.
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Conducting governance reviews,
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Advising boards and executive teams, and training leaders and officials on best practices in transparency and accountability.
CREDENTIALS
Redesigned governance frameworks for UN's Executive Board overseeing $14B global operations
Partnered with the Executive Board, Executive Director, and Senior Leadership Team of the world’s largest humanitarian organisation to drive a targeted governance transformation across global operations exceeding $14 billion. Led the strategic review and redesign of UN World Food Programme’s governance frameworks, enabling more agile, transparent, and accountable decision-making at the highest level. Orchestrated high-stakes Executive Board consultations and developed the roadmap to modernise governance structures, positioning WFP for greater efficiency, oversight, and impact on a global scale.
Board Member of London's most prestigious enterprise shaping the creative industry
Providing strategic oversight to ensure governance, risk management, and sustainable growth. Advise the executive leadership on financial strategies, non-financial risks, cash flow projections, fundraising, and business development. Delivering expert views on alignment of the operational plans and budgets with long-term strategic objectives while implementing frameworks to monitor business performance against growth targets. Serious is not only behind one of the UK’s most iconic cultural festivals, but also plays a vital role in nurturing artists, engaging communities, and shaping the future of arts and culture across the UK.
Strategic advisor to UK's industry leaders on the way to Net Zero
Spearheaded strategic plans and change programmes for 10+ C-suite decision makers from UK's food manufacturing industry to align business and ESG strategies to meet the Net Zero targets. Led the development of strategy roadmaps and action plans for the Leadership Team on change management including recommendations on the integration of innovative IT tools and AI
Empowering institutions and leaders by designing & delivering capacity-building programmes
Drove large-scale institutional capacity-building programmes across EMEA and Caucasus, shaping governance excellence and policy leadership. At European College Natolin and the High School of Public Governance, led the EuropeAid technical assistance initiative, equipping 5,000+ civil servants with advanced capabilities in governance, transparency, and anti-corruption. At Nantes University & Alliance Europa, delivered thought leadership and advanced training to 30+ PhD scholars on European integration dynamics and post-Brexit governance challenges, influencing future academic and policy discourse.
Large-scale organisational transformation shaping economic recovery and post-Brexit regional strategies
Led post-Brexit transition programmes on behalf of the Assistant Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council driving strategic initiatives across multiple service lines. Provided roadmaps for elected leaders and C-suite executives to design and deliver funding strategies, including the Economic Recovery Plan, Levelling Up, and UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Oversaw large-scale stakeholder engagement campaigns reaching 3M citizens and 13,000 businesses, as well as high-level partnerships with central government departments and regional bodies to secure alignment and collaboration.
Secured £5B trade continuity and led post-Brexit transformation for the UK government
Delivered mission-critical programmes securing £5 billion in trade continuity with the EU, safeguarding the UK’s economic position during a period of unprecedented complexity. Led large-scale transformation across 10+ government bodies and 50+ operational teams, including organisational redesign, governance frameworks, and process reengineering. Designed and executed strategic change roadmaps, risk mitigation plans, and PMO frameworks to ensure accountability and transparency. Influenced and aligned 40+ senior government leaders, EU representatives, and 100+ industry stakeholders, providing strategic counsel that shaped policy and enabled a smooth transition in the UK’s post-Brexit environment.
Advised EIB leadership on €2B agricultural finance strategy to optimise funding impact across 10 countries
Delivered strategic insights and frameworks for the European Investment Bank's leadership to enhance the effectiveness of €2B in funding, ensuring improved allocation and measurable outcomes across 10 EU countries. Directed international teams in assessing financing gaps across Europe’s agriculture and agri-food sectors and evaluating credit market dynamics to inform investment decisions.
Strategic leadership for UNDP's Local Administration Reform Programme
Strategic leadership for UNDP's multi-annual Local Administration Reform Programme in Turkey, influencing governance reforms and institutional strengthening based on EU best practices. Engaged and advised 100+ senior government officials to embed policy and operational reforms that enhanced transparency, accountability, and efficiency. Forged and leveraged relationships among key stakeholders to build consensus and accelerate sustainable change.
International funding management for capital investments
Drove the improvement of procurement & implementation of large-scale capital projects of >£300mio as apart of UNDP's Local Administration Reform in Turkey.
Spearheaded the methodology for prioritisation, selection, governance, and budget allocation of the large-scale EU funded infrastructure projects > £400 mio of the Ministry of Transport in Turkey.
Advised the Deputy-Director General Directorate-General for EuropeAid & Cooperation on post-Tsunami restructuring in Southeast Asia, overseeing strategic realignment of international aid programs exceeding €1bn across 50+ countries.
Leading the development of innovative methodologies in colaboration with international academia
Collaborated with University of Birmingham and Aston University in the UK pioneering the initiatives for new methodologies to assess the impact and cost of Brexit.
Designed and implemented the macroeconomic methodology using large data sets and IT tools to estimate the size of shadow economy in Turkey for the Ministry of Finance Revenue Administration.
Developed an innovative methodology enabling estimating the costs of corruption in public procurement in the EU for the first time.
Driving the implementation of the first EU Anti-corruption policy
Strategic leadership on behalf of the European Commission to establish and manage the EU-wide network and reporting mechanism to collect data and provide expert-level analysis on each EU country, specific aspects of the fight against corruption in the EU, as well as trends at EU level to draft the EU Anti-Corruption Report. Spearheaded the development of the new calculation model for the European Commission to estimate the cost of corruption in procurement involving EU funds in high-risk industries.