CIFAL City of London

UNITAR

Established in 2022, CIFAL City of London is hosted by MLA College in London, United Kingdom. The center provides a range of learning opportunities, exchange best practices, support the improvement of decision-making and leadership in the maritime sector to promote sustainability.

Scope: Europe and maritime sector.

Thematic Areas:

Economic development
Social inclusion
Gender equality
Environmental sustainability
Maritime-related affairs.

CIFAL City of London Director

Prof. Başak Akdemir

Prof. Başak Akdemir

Professor Başak Akdemir is the Chief Executive of MLA College, Executive Director of CIFAL City of London and a Fellow of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. CIFAL City of London and MLA College work together to make positive changes in the world of sustainability.

She has worked within the maritime industry and academia, served as the managing partner of a ship-owning company and acted as a Board Member of the Turkish Chamber of Shipping and a member of the Board of Governors at Piri Reis University. She is a board of trustee member of the Turkish Maritime Education Foundation.

Professor Akdemir was awarded a PhD from De Montfort University with the thesis "Improving Supply Forecasting within the Shipping Industry"; the forecasting model developed in this programme of study made use of neural networks and employed novel methods to identify sudden changes in the market. It provided a mechanism of corrective action when the fluctuations in the market were considered excessive.