Expert

Yiğit Kalafatoğlu

Fractional CMO

Kalafatoğlu stands out as one of the rare individuals combining entrepreneurship, academia and senior-level management, fitting numerous firsts and countless successes in marketing and technology into his 20-year career.

Yiğit Kalafatoğlu is a pioneering figure with over 20 years of experience in marketing, digital transformation, marketing technologies and artificial intelligence; one of Turkey's early pioneers in digital marketing and social media ecosystem. Throughout his career, he has led transformation programs in the corporate world while also assuming active roles in entrepreneurship and academia.

Beginning his professional career in 2004, Kalafatoğlu simultaneously started working on content production and digital platforms during the same period. In 2009, serving as one of the founders of Utopic Farm, one of Turkey's pioneering social media agencies, he played active roles in brands' digital transformation journeys.

In 2010, he established Social Media Academy within Kadir Has University and managed it for 10 years. During the same period, he completed his master's degree with research in "Social Media and Reputation Management"; continuing his academic work along the axes of technology, marketing and behavior change.

In his academic career, he taught courses in MBA programs; in his doctoral studies, focusing on Internet of Things and artificial intelligence. Today, he teaches Marketing Technologies courses to graduate students at Nişantaşı University, bringing academia and industry together.

On the corporate side, Kalafatoğlu served as Marketing and Digital Transformation Director at Penti and subsequently as Marketing Director at Hopi; providing leadership to customer experience, digital transformation, data-driven marketing and technology-based growth strategies. During this period, he authored numerous award-winning projects and created success stories across different sectors.

Today, providing consulting and operational support to brands, agencies and ventures. He also serves as investor and consultant in domestic and global artificial intelligence ventures; working on integration of next-generation technologies into the business world.

Areas of Support

Digital transformation strategies
Marketing technology (MarTech) structuring
Artificial intelligence-enabled marketing strategies
Digital marketing and growth models
Brand transformation and customer experience design
Social media strategies and reputation management
Data-driven marketing systems
Restructuring of marketing organizations
AI ventures and technology investments
Marketing team capability development
Digital products and technology-focused business models
Training, workshops and transformation programs

Key Areas of Expertise

Yiğit Kalafatoğlu