Ugur is a partner with Oliver Wyman, based in New York. He is currently the vice chairman of the Financial Services Practice and the head of Government and Public Institutions for the Americas, where he leads content development and new client acquisition, and steers the firm’s strategy and implementation projects. Prior to this role, he led the Finance and Risk, and Corporate and Institutional Banking Practices in the Americas, and the firm’s Digital Assets platform globally.
He has advised senior executives and public policy leaders at some of the largest banks, US agencies, government-sponsored enterprises, multilateral development banks, regulators, private equity firms, asset managers, (re)insurers, crypto-native firms, energy companies, and healthcare organizations to tackle strategic, technical, operational, transformational, and organizational challenges.
I'm fascinated by the rapid changes and challenges that come with uncertainty — both epistemic and aleatory — in financial markets, macro policies, geopolitics, pandemics and everyday life. I'm drawn to finding hope and opportunity through informed, calculated risk-taking
In addition to project work, Ugur has made significant contributions to industry discussions in risk management and analytical modeling. He has published several articles, including his most cited paper, “Reconcilable Differences,” which has been incorporated into Basel II, III, and IV — the capital requirements framework used by banking regulators worldwide. This paper is widely regarded as a breakthrough concept in credit risk measurement and has also been published as an independent chapter in four books.
Ugur also led the analytics behind Pandemic Navigator — our forecasting tool that provided projections and scenario planning to inform decision-making during the COVID-19 pandemic. Along with academic and industry models, our model and forecasts were featured at the CDC's forecasting hub during the pandemic, and are recognized as one of the most accurate forecasts available. His expertise in dynamic modeling and strategic consulting has empowered clients to make informed decisions and adapt to rapidly changing circumstances, ultimately enhancing their resilience in the face of uncertainty.
Ugur has a PhD in engineering from Princeton University. He taught applied mathematics and engineering at Princeton University and Turkey’s Koç University before joining Oliver Wyman.
Off the clock, you might find him on the basketball court.