about
ceylan thomson
Ceylan Thomson is an accomplished commercial executive with a top-tier MBA from IESE Business School and 23 years of business experience. She has achieved consistent success growing global brands for Fortune 500 companies and scaling early stage to growth stage startups in Europe, North America and Africa.
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Ceylan is available for Marketing Consulting and Fractional CMO services.
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Beyond the boardroom, she is passionate about sustainability. Whether guiding social impact initiatives, driving purpose-driven campaigns, measuring the impact of CSR initiatives, or promoting renewable technologies, she is committed to shaping a more sustainable future.
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Ceylan spends her time between San Francisco and Cape Town where she lives with her husband, two kids, their grandma and the family dog. When she's not consulting, you'll find her in nature or decorating.
Professional experience
2023-Present: Ceylan Thomson Marketing Consulting, Founder & Consultant, Cape Town, South Africa
2023-Present: Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), Active Member & Incoming Board Member, Cape Town, South Africa
2021-2023: TooMuchWifi, Chief Marketing / Experience Officer, Cape Town, South Africa
2017-Present: Craft+Graft, Owner & Managing Partner, Cape Town, South Africa
2014-2018: SAP, Sr Director / Director, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
2011-2014: SAP, Sr Product Marketing Manager, San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
2010-2011: TRX, International Project Manager, San Francisco, CA, USA
2008-2011: CleanTechies, Founder & CEO / CMO, San Francisco, CA, USA
2007-2008: Johnson & Johnson, European Marketing Manager, Hamburg, Germany
2006: Boston Consulting Group, MBA Intern, Barcelona, Spain
2006: Xing, Marketing Strategy Consultant, Hamburg, Germany
2001-2005: DHL, Global Media / Marketing Communications Manager, Bonn, Germany
2001: Porter Novelli, PR Trainee, Dusseldorf, Germany
educatioN
2005-2007: IESE Business School, Master of Business Administration, Barcelona Spain - Haniel Foundation Scholarship
1999-2000: Ohio State University, Master of Arts, Columbus, OH, USA - Ohio State University Scholarship
1998-1999: Bogazici University, Graduate Studies in History and Politics, Istanbul, Turkey
1996-1998: Freie Universitat Berlin, Bachelor of Arts in North American Studies, Berlin, Germany
recognitions
mybroadband
Leading industry publication recognizes TooMuchWifi as a leading Internet Service Provider, 2023
sap
Aspiring Leaders Program 2017
Fast Track Program, 2016
Leadership Excellence Acceleration Program, 2015
gold hermes award
Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals recognizes Ariba Spot Quote Video in Video/Motion Graphics Service category, 2015