Ela Kulunyar is a graduate of Saint-Benoit French High School and the Istanbul University Faculty of Business Administration. She began her career with the Management Trainee Program at Beymen, subsequently serving as Assistant Manager at the Beyoğlu store. Following 1985, she held various positions in foreign trade and sales within the Koç Group for 15 years.

Starting in 1997, she managed human resources operations for the Koç Group’s foreign trade division (covering both domestic and international operations) and, from 2003 onwards, for the companies within the Food and Retail Group.

Between 2008 and 2016, she served as the Director of Human Resources and Process Management at Doğuş Otomotiv Group.

From November 2016 to 2024, as a member of the Doğuş Otomotiv Executive Board and General Manager of Human Resources and Process Management, she oversaw human resources and process management functions for the Automotive Group and led initiatives to develop human resources processes across the authorized dealer network.

Since September 2025, she has been providing management consulting, training, coaching, and mentoring services through her own company.

In addition to these roles, she serves as a Board Member for PERYÖN (People Management Association of Turkey) and YKKD (Association for Women on Boards).