AFS 2024 Speakers
Mahir Namur
Cultural Manager, Existential Coach & Psychological Counselor
Speaker – Denis de Rougemont Labs – Making Sense? on Monday, 13 May 2024 | 11.00 – 15.00
Conceptualiser and Facilitator – Care Share workshop on arts and well-being on Tuesday, 14 May 2024 | 9.00 – 12.00
Born in 1967 in Ankara, grown up in Kuwait, Turkey Malta and Libya. Studied BA in Civil Engineering in Istanbul Technical University, and MA in Construction Management and Economy in Vienna University of Technology. After working in the construction sector for several years he turned his carrier path towards cultural communication, cooperation and development and later also to personal development, coaching and psychological counseling.
Between 1994-97 he worked in Strabag Austria, for the development and implementation of international construction projects (Turkey, Ghana, Malawi). In 1999 he established Istanbul based Chameleon PM and Design, a project management company in arts and culture. He developed and managed several international cultural, educational and communication projects for private companies, cities and NGOs. He was the founder president and is now the general secretary of European Cultural Association, founded in 2003 in Istanbul, which was engaged in fostering cultural cooperation between Europe and Turkey in its first years and later in the empowerment of the civil society and culture oriented development at local national and international levels in Europe. He developed and coordinated several European cooperation projects such as Europist, City and Art, Collecting the Future, Social Entrepreneurship and Design for Sustainable Urban Development in cooperation with European universities, NGOs and cities and organised several conferences and Fora. Since its establishment in 2005, he is one of the key figures in Sinopale, International Sinop Biennial, HAL Center for Creativity, Social Entrepreneurship Sustainable Development Project as well as Sinop Sustainable Development Association. He is a member of Brussels based European House for Culture and a Strategy Group Member of “A Soul for Europe” Initiative.
Since 2010 he coaches and trains individuals and organisations. He completed an NLP based coaching certificate training in Istanbul, Elemantary Existential Analyses Course in Existential Academy Istanbul, Logopaedagogik (based on Logotherapy and Existential Analyses) in Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna, Advanced Existential Coaching in Existential Academy in London and Psychological Counseling Training from European Institute for Logotherapy and Psychology in Linz.
He holds cultural management, project development and career development courses in Yeditepe University, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and Okan University in Istanbul; gives personal development seminars and workshops internationally in universities and NGOs, coaches art and design students, artists and cultural managers. (a.o. London University ıf the Arts London, BBK Berlin, Unarte Bucharest, Castrum Peregrini Amsterdam, Fabrica die Pensula Cluj, Halle Academy of Arts, Porto ESMAE, Vienna Academy of Fine Arts, Cluj Cultural Center, Goethe Institut Bucharest, European Festivals Association, A Soul for Europe) and coaching individuals in English, Turkish and German languages.