Rana Akkurt

Marketing & Communications Executive at DefineX | Competitive Sailor

Türkiye

About

Two things run my life in equal measure: the marketing and communications work I lead at DefineX, and racing sailboats. At DefineX I sit on the Executive Committee and report to the CEO, leading brand, communications, PR, demand generation, thought leadership, and executive positioning across B2B financial services and technology, in Türkiye and international markets. I tend to build things that keep working after launch: research, executive events, a weekly B2B marketing newsletter read by 800+ people, communities, and the marketing systems and AI workflows behind them. My background spans financial services, technology, SaaS, consulting, and healthcare, over more than ten years. The rest of the time I am racing. Offshore and in the J70 class, and through the season on sponsored boats in regattas. IRC One Class winner across 700+ miles.

Experience

  • Lead of Function, Marketing & Communications at DefineX
    Apr 2023 - Present · 3 yrs 4 mos

    As Marketing Leader and Executive Committee Member at DefineX, I oversee the company’s global marketing, communications, and demand generation strategies, driving DefineX’s ambition to become a recognized global voice in digital finance. From the headquarters, I lead an integrated marketing function that unites brand, content, and growth under a single strategy, directly reporting to the CEO and collaborating closely with the ExCo on strategic priorities.

  • Head of Demand Generation at Akinon
    Jun 2022 - Dec 2022 · 7 mos

    Led the end-to-end B2B marketing and demand generation strategy for the MENA region, driving growth through an integrated approach across events, ABM, digital, and paid media. Built and led the company’s first in-house marketing and communications function, establishing the full Martech stack (Salesforce, HubSpot) and managing multi-million-dollar budgets. Unified brand, voice, and content strategy across all channels, and delivered the company’s first international event, positioning the brand as a regional thought leader.

  • Digital Marketing Manager, APAC & MEA, Agriculture and Industrial Biosolutions at Novozymes
    Oct 2021 - Jun 2022 · 9 mos

    Drove measurable business growth through digital engagement and high-quality lead generation, optimizing MQL processes and performance. Designed and executed a data-driven digital marketing strategy across APAC and MEA, aligning paid, content, and automation channels under a unified framework. Led cross-functional teams in content, design, and video production, delivering cohesive brand storytelling. Managed Salesforce Marketing operations, establishing scalable workflows and analytics-driven decision-making.

  • Senior Customer Insight Specialist, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa at Medtronic
    Jun 2021 - Oct 2021 · 5 mos

    Managed digital project management, analyzing project requirements. Applied consumer perspective to marketing decision-making through market analysis. Measured program performance and analyzed past campaigns for improvement. Built a digital marketing strategy for the region, managing Pardot reporting, project tools, and Adobe Experience Manager.

  • Mercer (3 yrs 1 mo)
    • Senior Campaign Execution Specialist, Asia, Middle East & Africa | Digital Marketing Expert
      Mar 2021 - Jun 2021 · 4 mos

      Reported directly to Global Demand Generation Headquarters, overseeing all regional digital marketing activities. Structured and optimized Marketo and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) to enable scalable campaigns and seamless customer journeys. Executed high-impact digital campaigns across channels, including social media, landing pages, and webinars. Led continuous optimization through A/B testing for emails and landing pages, driving engagement and conversion rates. Delivered detailed KPI and performance reports to global leadership, ensuring alignment with overarching demand generation goals.

    • Campaign Execution Specialist, AMEA & Digital Marketing Executive
      Apr 2020 - Mar 2021 · 1 yr

      Oversaw day-to-day demand generation activities on the website, social media channels, and emails. Managed website and landing page creation and optimizations. Reported KPIs and performance to the Global Demand Generation Leader.

    • Customer Experience Representative, Turkey & Africa
      Jun 2018 - Apr 2020 · 1 yr 11 mos

      Educated and supported the Sales Team as a regional Salesforce expert. Managed Lead/MQL qualification processes and supported digital marketing. Maintained data hygiene on Salesforce and Marketo, generating detailed performance marketing reports for the regional CMO.