Basak Akdemir

Professor Basak Akdemir previously served as the Chief Executive of MLA College, a private higher education institution in the UK focused on the marine and maritime sectors. She was also the Executive Director of the United Nations CIFAL City of London and is a Fellow of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

She holds a PhD from De Montfort University, where her thesis, “Improving Supply Forecasting within the Shipping Industry,” introduced a forecasting model using neural networks to identify sudden market changes—a novel approach in the field.

With a career that spans both the maritime industry and academia, Basak has over 25 years of experience, including partnerships with ship-owning companies in the dry bulk and tanker sectors. She has also served on the Board of Governors at Piri Reis University.

Currently, she is a shareholder in Range Shipping, a London-based dry bulk owner and operator. Additionally, she serves as a Trustee of the Turkish Maritime Education Foundation, an Associate Fellow of the Nautical Institute, and a Fellow of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science, and Technology.