Benan began her career in 2009 at Unilever Turkey and has worked in various markets over the years, including Turkey, North Africa, the Middle East (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Morocco, Iran), and Central Eastern Europe (Russia, Poland) in the home care, personal care, and food categories.

During her career at Unilever, she played an active role in the expansion plans for the Clear brand in Turkey, global brand communications for the Domestos brand, and portfolio expansion plans. While managing the food transformation agenda, she oversaw the transition processes for the Knorr and Carte d’Or brands, winning numerous awards in Turkey. As part of the digital transformation of the food category, she managed the establishment of the digital content platform, Yemekte Keyif Var. She also led purpose-driven brand communication efforts for Lipton’s #KonuşalımArtık campaign. In her last role at Unilever, she served as the Marketing Director for Lipton, leading all marketing activities in Turkey as part of the founding team for Lipton Teas & Infusions.

As of November 2023, Benan transitioned to a marketing leadership role for Danone’s Dairy and Plant-Based Products categories, managing the transformation, innovation, and communication efforts for the Activia, Alpro, Danette, Danone, and Tikveşli brands.

Benan completed her undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering at Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) in 2009, and later earned her master’s degree in Management Information Systems with a thesis on the Internet of Things from Boğaziçi University in 2017. With a keen interest in entrepreneurship and the startup world, Benan actively mentors startups.