People Development and Financial Services Expert

Gamze "Gigi" Kalay

Scrum Master | Scrum.org Trained | Agile Team Facilitator | Financial Services | Cross-Cultural Facilitation Expert | L&D Expertise | SAFe® Scrum Master (SSM) in progress

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Gamze Kalay
Client Reviews
4.7
(163)
★★★★★

"Gamze's expertise in Agile transformation completely revitalized our team's workflow. Her unique approach to combining financial acumen with Scrum principles is a game-changer for our department."

SJ

Sarah Jenkins

Director of Engineering, Fintech Corp

★★★★★

"Working with Gigi was an absolute pleasure. She didn't just facilitate meetings; she built a culture of continuous improvement that persisted long after her contract ended."

MR

Michael Ross

Product Owner, TIAA

★★★★★

"Her cross-cultural facilitation skills are unmatched. She bridged the gap between our US and Turkey teams seamlessly, ensuring everyone was aligned and productive."

AK

Ahmet Kaya

Operations Manager, Global Tech

★★★★★

"Gigi brought clarity to our chaotic processes. Her training sessions were engaging, and the 'FINRA as a Second Language' program she developed was brilliant."

EL

Emily Lawson

L&D Specialist

About Me

The most dangerous assumption in agile transformation? "Anyone can facilitate a sprint." But successful Scrum isn't just about following ceremonies—it's about understanding how people learn, adapt, and collaborate across cultures to deliver real value.

I'm Gamze "Gigi" Kalay, Scrum Master trained by Scrum.org with a unique advantage: 20+ years of learning and development expertise that transforms how teams embrace agile methodologies. While most Scrum Masters focus on process, I focus on people—helping diverse, cross-cultural teams not just follow Scrum, but truly master it.

Here's what makes my Scrum mastery different:

  • 1. Learning-Driven Agile Adoption: I don't just implement Scrum—I help teams understand WHY each ceremony matters and HOW to continuously improve. My proven track record includes creating "FINRA as a Second Language" at TIAA, which increased certification success rates by addressing learning barriers—the same approach I bring to helping teams overcome agile adoption challenges.
  • 2. Cross-Cultural Team Facilitation: Having led university programs in Istanbul and coached professionals across the U.S., I excel at facilitating diverse teams where communication styles and decision-making approaches vary dramatically. I turn cultural diversity into a competitive advantage for agile delivery.
  • 3. Financial Services Agile Expertise: My financial licenses (Series 6, 63, SIE) and enterprise experience at TIAA give me deep understanding of regulatory constraints and stakeholder management that many Scrum Masters lack. I know how to implement agile in highly regulated environments.

My Scrum Approach:

  • ✅ Sprint Planning: Design collaborative sessions that leverage diverse perspectives and learning styles
  • ✅ Daily Standups: Facilitate meaningful communication across cultures and time zones
  • ✅ Sprint Reviews: Create learning focused retrospectives that drive continuous improvement
  • ✅ Impediment Removal: Use coaching skills to address both process and people challenges

Background: Scrum Master trained by Scrum.org, Cambridge CELTA, financial licenses, (Series 6, 63, SIE), and proven track record facilitating teams at enterprise level.

Languages: English (native), Turkish (native), Spanish (basic) - enabling global team facilitation

Ready to transform your team's agile performance? Connect with me to discuss your Scrum implementation challenges.

Because the best Scrum Masters don't just manage process—they develop people, and people deliver products.

20+ Years Experience

Why Choose "GiGİ"?

Learning-Driven Agile

Moving beyond simple ceremony facilitation to deep learning adoption. I design frameworks where teams understand the "Why" behind Agile, creating sustainable self-organization.

Cross-Cultural Expert

Bridging the gap between diverse global teams (US, Turkey, Europe). I turn cultural differences into competitive advantages for seamless collaboration and delivery.

Financial Domain Mastery

Rare combination of CPA/Financial Advisor background with Scrum mastery. I understand regulatory constraints (FINRA, TIAA) and speak the stakeholders' language.

Gamze Gigi Kalay

How can "GiGi" help you?

Agile Transformation & Coaching

Guiding teams from Waterfall to Agile/Scrum. I facilitate ceremonies, remove impediments, and coach team members to embrace an iterative mindset for faster delivery.

Cross-Cultural Team Alignment

Bridging communication gaps in distributed teams. I use my multilingual background to ensure clarity and alignment between US-based stakeholders and global development teams.

Custom L&D Program Design

Designing tailored learning curriculums like "FINRA as a Second Language". I combine instructional design with agile principles to increase certification rates and skill adoption.

Financial Process Optimization

Identifying bottlenecks in financial workflows. As a CPA and Series 6 holder, I apply Lean thinking to streamline audits, reporting, and customer service processes.

Professional Timeline

Jan 2023 — Present

Senior Customer Advocate | Program Developer

TIAA · Denver, Colorado

  • Develop FINRA as a second language program to facilitate better customer service; applying agile principles to train and coach associates which increased certification success rates by addressing learning barriers
  • Facilitate cross-functional collaboration between departments to resolve customer issues, applying agile principles to reduce resolution time by 15 percent
  • Coach team members on iterative problem-solving approaches, resulting in improvement in first call resolution rates
  • Serve as impediment remover for customer service processes, identifying and eliminating blockers that prevent efficient service delivery
  • Apply servant leadership principles to support 2000 customers annually, achieving a high satisfaction rate through a collaborative, people-first approach
Agile Coaching Program Development Cross-Cultural Communication Servant Leadership Team Facilitation
Feb 2022 — Present

Financial Services Consultant

TIAA · United States

  • Facilitate collaborative planning sessions with 2000+ yearly clients using agile methodology principles to define financial goals and iterative achievement strategies
  • Apply sprint-based approach to financial planning, breaking complex retirement strategies into manageable, measurable increments with regular review cycles
  • Coach clients through adaptive planning processes, helping them respond to changing financial circumstances using agile mindset principles
  • Lead retrospective-style sessions with clients to continuously improve financial strategies based on market feedback and life changes
  • Demonstrate servant leadership by removing barriers to client financial success
Financial Services Agile Coaching Securities Essentials Adult Learning Theory
Apr 2020 — Mar 2022

Relationship Banker

Bank of America

  • Facilitated cross-functional team collaboration to deliver integrated banking solutions, applying agile principles to improve customer experience delivery
  • Led daily coordination meetings with team members to ensure transparent communication and rapid response to customer needs
  • Coached colleagues on iterative customer relationship building, resulting in improvement in team sales performance
  • Applied continuous improvement mindset to banking processes, identifying and removing inefficiencies that improved service delivery speed
  • Demonstrated servant leadership approach to customer service, achieving top performance ranking through collaborative, people-focused methodology
Financial Services Conflict Resolution Product Owner Collaboration Cross-Cultural Communication
Aug 2019 — Mar 2020

ESL Faculty

University of Colorado Denver

  • Facilitated learning sprints for international students, applying iterative teaching methodology to achieve high pass rate on assessments
  • Conducted daily check-ins with students to track learning progress and remove impediments to language acquisition
  • Led retrospective sessions to continuously improve curriculum based on student feedback and learning outcomes
  • Coached students through adaptive learning processes, helping them respond to challenges using growth mindset and iterative improvement
  • Applied cross-cultural facilitation skills to create inclusive learning environment for students from 5+ countries
Coaching & Mentoring Retrospectives Agile Methodologies
Jan 2018 — Feb 2020

Faculty

Community College of Denver

  • Facilitated collaborative learning experiences for students using agile education principles and iterative skill development
  • Led faculty team initiatives to implement continuous improvement in curriculum design, resulting in improvement in student success rates
  • Coached diverse student teams through project-based learning using Scrum-inspired methodology and regular feedback cycles
  • Applied servant leadership principles to support student success, removing barriers to learning and creating psychologically safe learning environment
  • Demonstrated cross cultural team facilitation skills managing classroom dynamics with students from different cultural backgrounds
Servant Leadership Conflict Resolution Class Facilitation
2017 — 2018

Faculty

West Early College · Denver, Colorado

Continuous Improvement Cross-Cultural Team Facilitation Retrospectives
2016 — 2017

Faculty

Colorado Heights University · Greater Denver Area

  • Instruction of English as a Second Language (ESL) to adult students from around the world in various skill levels of learning
  • Identify training needs, develop and write curriculum, implement and maintain course materials
  • Coach junior team members on professional development, presentation skills, and how to work with a diverse student population
  • Monitored learning and academic growth of students through the creation of a monthly mentoring program
  • High engagement with faculty and university leadership, presenting monthly reports to the dean and the ESL director
2015 — 2016

ESL Faculty

LCI · Denver, CO

  • Taught Advanced/Academic English to international professionals who will be transferred to Denver University
  • Facilitated weekly cultural activities for students to help them adjust to life in the United States
  • Provided direct classroom instruction for adults using appropriate learning programs
  • Measured and evaluated the effectiveness of learning solutions through standardized tests
2002 — 2014

EFL/ESL Faculty

Yeditepe University · Istanbul, Turkey

  • Successfully collaborated with the administration and the faculty in the production of curriculum and materials
  • Taught English as a Second Language (ESL) to all levels, specializing in working with international students
  • Helped design and develop university’s English language school curriculum and evolved technology usage
  • Communicated complex information to individuals and groups, made presentations and gave professional speeches
  • Established key relationships with faculty of other departments regarding student needs
Sep 1998 — May 1999

ESL Instructor

Gökdil Language Schools · Istanbul, Turkey

Academic Journey

Sep 2014 — Jan 2015

CELTA, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

University of Cambridge

Multilingual Continuous Improvement Cross-Cultural Communication Team Development Servant Leadership
Dec 2015

Bachelor of Arts - BA, English Language Teaching

Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi (Middle East Technical University)

"The Times Higher Education World Reputation Rankings employ the world's largest invitation-only academic opinion survey to provide the definitive list of the top 100 most powerful global university brands. Times Higher Education of England ranks METU, in other words ODTU, among the best 100 universities of the world." View Ranking
Multilingual Continuous Improvement Cross-Cultural Communication Team Development Servant Leadership

MBA in Ed, Education Administration and Supervision

Yeditepe Üniversitesi

Multilingual Continuous Improvement Cross-Cultural Communication Servant Leadership

Certifications & Licenses

Professional Scrum Master™ I (PSM I)

Scrum.org · Issued Jul 2025

Agile Coaching Scrum Framework Sprint Planning Servant Leadership
Project Management Professional (PMP®) – 35 Contact Hours

Technical Institute of America · Issued Jun 2025

Completed PMI-approved training covering Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid project management.

Project Management Risk Management
Remote and Mobile Notary for the State of Colorado

State of Colorado · Issued Dec 2024 · Expires Dec 2028

Multilingual
Securities Industry Essentials (SIE)

FINRA Investor Education Foundation · Issued Apr 2022

Financial Services Securities Essentials
Series 6

FINRA Investor Education Foundation · Issued Apr 2022

Financial Services Securities Essentials
Series 63

FINRA Investor Education Foundation · Issued Apr 2022

Financial Services Securities Essentials
Certified Court Interpreter

Colorado Judicial Branch · Issued Aug 2016

Multilingual Cross-Cultural Communication
Business Competence

Mira Costa Community College

Financial Services Continuous Improvement

Ready to optimize?

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