Courage, getting familiar with the unknown, and finding the right place : The Story of Duygu Altuntas (EDHEC Master 2008)

Duygu Altuntas has an eye for talent, an international profile, and a truly fascinating career tale to tell. Her fifteen-year career in Executive Search and Leadership Consulting started with a ‘meet cute’ worthy of a Hollywood movie and finally landed her in London where she currently works as an Associate Director at Coulter Partners, a leading global player in Executive Search and Leadership Advisory. We caught up with her to talk about her fascinating career trajectory, the lessons she’s learned from living and working in four different countries, and – of course – the myriad benefits she reaped from her time at EDHEC.     

After obtaining a BA in her native Istanbul, Duygu flew north for an Erasmus exchange at Stockholm University, Sweden. She then secured a full Jean Monnet scholarship from the European Union and headed to EDHEC’s Nice campus to pursue an MSc in Marketing Management. And that was when the stars began to align…

“Studying at EDHEC was a wonderful opportunity,” explains Duygu, “as it opened doors for me and put me on the path to where I am now. I appreciated how the school brought together great minds with similar values from every corner of the globe. There was so much discussion and many opportunities to learn from real-life professional situations.”

Duygu also speaks highly of EDHEC’s Career Development department. “The people there were so supportive and encouraging; they have a crucial role to play in ensuring students make the right next move for them. The EDHEC name helped me attract the attention of global and regional HR/recruitment teams at leading industry players in the midst of an economic crisis and paved the way towards being invited to an assessment day in London.” On the return flight from London to Istanbul, Duygu found herself seated next to the Turkey Managing Partner of Heidrick & Struggles, one of the largest players in the Executive Search and Leadership Consulting field. A casual airborne chat led to an interview on the ground, and then a decade with the company. It was during this time that Duygu made her move from Istanbul to London. 

“I wanted to live and work in an international environment, meeting people from different backgrounds and expanding my horizons. It was time for a change, for me to get out of my comfort zone. However, it was not an easy decision at all. In this industry, your greatest asset is your network, and I basically left that behind in Turkey when I moved to a new country. I had to recreate an even broader network and that was the hardest part of the move. It was however, the best decision of my life.”

Duygu’s resilience was tested further when, after just three months in her new role and new country, she needed to tackle an unexpected and serious health issue. “It was already a very tough time, going through the recovery process, and then we went into lockdown due to a pandemic!” After an unexpectedly stormy couple of months, and a wave of restructuring and redundancy, Duygu’s path eventually crossed that of Coulter Partners, where she seized the opportunity to undertake a bigger role in a dynamic, inclusive and collaborative environment. 

As Associate Director, Duygu is currently overseeing the company’s Leadership and Team Assessment/Development solutions while co-leading and contributing to a variety of projects across the executive search and leadership consulting domains. Coulter Partners, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2023, has a solid reputation for delivering top-quality executive search and leadership consulting services globally, operating at the intersection of health, science, and technology fields. “I love being a consultant,” says Duygu, “as it offers a huge amount of variety in terms of types of clients, assignments and challenges. I am in constant interaction with various smart and inspiring people with remarkable career journeys, and I cannot imagine doing a job with less of that kind of connection. It’s also what makes it challenging. People can change their minds, and surprise you. They are hard to predict and can really send you a curveball at times, but that’s also what makes the job exciting. Every day is full of surprises!”

Duygu credits her impact in Executive Search and Leadership Advisory in large part to her people skills. “I genuinely value these conversations and actively listen,” she explains. 

“I value the individual or the client I’m collaborating with. I believe adopting a transactional approach in our work, lacking authenticity, soul and spirit, damages our reputation as an industry. I’m often told that I have a healthy judgement and intuition; especially in interviewing, assessing and coaching others. And, of course, I am always trying to learn, grow, and get better at what I do.”

Duygu’s strength, resilience and commitment to excellence provide an inspiring example to future generations of EDHEC graduates, to whom she offers this advice: “Throughout my studies and career, I learned that you have to be planted in the right soil in order to blossom. You can be a seed full of potential, but in the wrong place you will not take root and grow. I wouldn’t advise people to hop from one job to the next, as that can be tricky, especially when you’re young and less experienced. However, you are responsible for finding the right environment for you and people who are willing to empower you and help you grow, and who are eager to grow and learn with you.”