Biography

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John Can Gurkan is an ambitious early career professional in International Development with expertise in innovation transfer and participatory development. He has 2+ years’ experience leading multicultural teams in multistakeholder contexts, in both local and multilateral scale, and facilitating USD 300.000 – 1.000.000 funding Innovation for Development. John is skilled in responding to ambiguity and recognized for his ability in systems thinking and politically neutral communication. 

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Currently he is working with Oxford Centre of Technology of Development in partnership with 10+ climate-tech ventures to overcome innovation failures and bridge commercialization. Previously he worked with the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) AI, Digital and Innovation Hub advancing UNDP’s 2022-2025 Digital Strategy, managed matchmaking in the UNDP Digital X scale-up accelerator, and led inter-departmental collaboration piloting innovative country programming methodology. He also worked with the Development Planning Unit (DPU), prominent Brazilian civil society movement MTST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem-Teto), LEGO Group, Lambeth Council in London, and with ATOLYE, IDEO, TOGG in service of the Turkish President’s National Development Plan.

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Complementary to his work, John is an active member of the Institute of New Economic Thinking as well as Chatham House and frequently engages with the ecosystem. His ability to move between theory and execution across domains, combined with his ability to bridge politics and correlate arguments yield strong network capital and strong partnerships extending beyond his immediate domain, encompassing artificial intelligence, arts and culture, trade and finance. He is dedicated to achieving impact at-scale, improving conditions for the bottom of the pyramid, and generate a common sustainable socioeconomic future through transfer innovation among countries and communities to help solve mutual challenges. 

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John Can Gurkan holds an MSc in Development Administration and Planning from University College London (QS World #9). He also holds a bachelor’s in Product and Industrial Design with Diploma in Professional Studies from Central Saint Martins (QS World A&D #2) and two semesters in Innovation Management from London School of Economics and Political Science. John is enthusiastically available for ad-hoc consultancy opportunities and writing commissions.