Bediz Eker is currently Managing Director of Strategy and Insights at VMLY&R’s New York office. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of strategy across brand, consumer experience and social in his business unit. Before getting relocated to New York two years ago, he worked as the Chief Strategy Officer in Y&R’s Istanbul office, where he had several noteworthy accomplishments. He was the strategy lead of the team that won Turkey's first ever Grand Prix in Cannes. He was responsible for leading his team to become Europe’s Most Effective Agency and the World’s 8th Most Effective Agency. Prior to joining Y&R, he worked in BBDO Turkey and Alametifarika.

But his career in advertising started in Paris, where he took his first agency job at Euro RSCG Worldwide’s European Business Development department in HAVAS Global Headquarters. Before finding an internship in the same department, he had no intention to work in advertising while planning to become a political communications consultant. It was his political communications project that helped him achieve French Government’s Scholarship – “Bourse d’Excellence” after his BA in Political Science and Public Administration in Galatasaray University and brought him to France where he had an MA in Management and Business Administration of Communications.

Today he gives back to academia as a guest lecturer in Baruch College and Fordham University. He’s also on the Advisory Board of Rutgers Business School’s Marketing Department. Since he moved to New York, Bediz has been writing a monthly column in Mediacat (Turkey’s best-selling marketing industry publication) to share his experiences abroad.