Oben Akyol is a professional with a background in economics, food and agriculture, sustainability, and social entrepreneurship. After completing his economics education at ODTÜ/METU, he worked in the stock exchange and consultancy sector. Later, he became interested in food and agriculture, which led him to France, where he completed his thesis on food and agricultural economics as a research assistant.

Oben has worked for Nestlé, the world's largest food company, for over two decades in various positions including head of sales and general manager of Confectionary business as a member of the board of directors. In addition to his work at Nestlé, he also served as the CEO of TEMA Foundation, Turkey's leading environmental NGOs, where he helped to promote sustainable development and environmental protection in the country. He is an active member of many NGO and social innovation hubs.

Today, Oben brings his knowledge and experience in business, food/agriculture, category development, civil society, circular economy, zero waste, social entrepreneurship, and sustainability together under the umbrella of Circular Mind, a platform that designs and provides consultancy through tailor-made projects for organizations. In collaboration with its partners, Circular Mind helps many brands adapt to the ‘Creating Shared Value' movement, from advising on company strategy to influencing company culture with an impact-driven mindset.