My Story & CV

Yüksel Arslan

Civil Engineer (METU, 1982) • PMP

44 years in the construction industry worldwide — from site engineer to owner — across Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Georgia. PMP-certified project manager now building AI-powered software.

44+
Years Experience
1.5M
m² Built
5
Countries
PMP
Certified
Education

BSc, Civil Engineering

1982

Middle East Technical University (METU)

Certification

Project Management Professional (PMP)

2001–2004

Project Management Institute (PMI) — USA

Work Experience

From Construction Sites to Code

44 years across Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Georgia — most recent first.

Nekay Construction Management

Owner

10/2016 – Present

İstanbul, Turkey

Construction management and consulting services.

MNG · MAPA

Project Manager

03/2012 – 10/2016

Batumi, Georgia

26,000 m² Grand Gloria Hotel construction.

Apeas Engineering and Construction

Project Manager

10/2011 – 03/2012

İstanbul, Turkey

55,000 m² 5-star hotel construction.

Nekay Construction Management

Owner

10/2010 – 10/2011

İstanbul, Turkey

Construction management and consulting services.

Polimeks Construction Company

Project Coordinator

02/2010 – 09/2010

Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

165,000 m² Ministry of Civil Defense and Military Academy buildings — design and construction management services.

Nekay Construction Management

Owner

10/2008 – 02/2010

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Design development, tender documentation, design review and value engineering, project management services in Almaty.

Turkuaz Invest (Real Estate Investment Company)

General Director

02/2005 – 10/2008

Almaty, Kazakhstan

Business development, land development and project development in Almaty.

  • 155,000 m² Business Class residential complex
  • 200,000 m² Elite Class residential complex
  • 30,000 m² Elite Plus residential complex
  • 20,000 m² office building

Ceylan Limited

Kazakhstan Projects Coordinator

09/2002 – 02/2005

Astana, Kazakhstan

Business development, tender management, and coordinating construction projects across Kazakhstan.

  • 34,000 m² Prime Ministry Administrative Building — design & construction, Astana
  • 18,000 m² Supreme Court Administrative Building — design & construction, Astana
  • 180,000 m² residential & commercial development — Astana
  • 140,000 m² residential & commercial development — Almaty
  • 1,800 m² presidential residence — Zerenda
  • 18,000 m² Presidential Sanatorium renovation — Borovoye
  • 5,000 m² + 13,000 m² office buildings — Astana
  • 900 m suspended bridge (150 m steel + 750 m precast concrete) — Astana

Aysel Construction — Metrocity Millennium Project

Technical Manager

03/2000 – 09/2002

İstanbul, Turkey

210,000 m² high-quality flats, business center and shopping center. Led a 5-member technical office: contract management, scheduling, reporting, cost control and procurement management.

Urban Construction — Presidency Hospital

Project Manager

04/1997 – 02/2000

Moscow, Russia

Renovation of two Presidential Hospital projects in Moscow.

Alarko Construction — Children Oncological Hospital

Deputy Project Manager

12/1994 – 03/1997

Moscow, Russia

80,000 m² Children Oncological Hospital — design coordination and site management.

Alarko Construction — Housing Estate Projects

Site Manager

10/1992 – 12/1994

İstanbul, Turkey

100,000 m² Halkalı housing estates — all on-site construction including underground facilities, roads and landscaping.

Alarko Construction — Wastewater Treatment Plant

Site Chief

10/1991 – 10/1992

İstanbul, Turkey

80,000 m² Küçükçekmece Wastewater Treatment Plant — swamp-area reclamation, site planning, piling and rough construction works.

Alarko Construction — İstanbul Natural Gas Project

West-1 District Site Chief

09/1990 – 09/1991

İstanbul, Turkey

İstanbul natural gas project — steel and polyethylene piping, special crossings and valve-room construction.

Kiriş Hotels — Magic World 5-Star Hotel

Deputy Resident Engineer

10/1987 – 06/1990

Kemer, Antalya, Turkey

60,000 m² 5-star hotel complex — client-side supervision of all construction works.

MNG Group — Holiday Village Project

Site Chief

05/1986 – 09/1987

Side, Antalya, Turkey

40,000 m² holiday village — inspection of all site works from start to finish.

MNG Group — Hilton Hotel Project

Site Engineer

12/1985 – 05/1986

Ankara, Turkey

30,000 m² Hilton Hotel — inspection of concrete reinforcement works.

MNG Group — Fruit & Vegetable Trade Buildings

Site Engineer

05/1985 – 12/1985

İstanbul, Turkey

50,000 m² fruit & vegetable trade buildings — tunnel-form applications, concrete works and steel-roof construction.

OYAK Construction

Site Engineer

06/1983 – 03/1985

Ankara, Turkey

10,000 m² housing project — subcontract coordination, site control and site reporting.

Alhan Gedik Design Engineering

Design Engineer

03/1983 – 06/1983

Ankara, Turkey

Miscellaneous building projects.

Military Service — Mamak Signal Corps

Military Service

12/1982 – 03/1983

Ankara, Turkey

Completed compulsory military service.

Aydın Pelin – Can Binzet Design Engineering

Design Engineer

01/1982 – 12/1982

İstanbul, Turkey

Design of miscellaneous building projects.

Developed Software

A New Chapter — AI-Powered Products

FootballAI

IN DEVELOPMENT

AI-powered football match prediction with real-time scores

footballai.io

TraderPath.io

LIVE

7-step crypto trading analysis with AI insights

traderpath.io

SmartCon360

IN DEVELOPMENT

AI-powered unified construction management platform

app.smartcon360.com

İhale AI

LIVE

AI-powered Turkish public-tender (EKAP) management

ihaleai.io

Paralan

LIVE

Polymarket prediction-market analytics & arbitrage

paralan.trade

Trader AI

IN DEVELOPMENT

AI-powered trading analysis & execution (coming soon)

Why I Started Coding
“Age is not a barrier. With the right tools and mindset, anyone can build software. I'm proof that it's never too late to learn something new.”

After decades managing complex construction projects, I found the same principles apply to software: planning, execution, iteration and continuous improvement. My PMP discipline shapes how I build — every bug is a punch-list item, every feature a work package.

Languages
EnglishWriting: high · Speaking: upper-intermediate
RussianSpeaking: intermediate
TurkishNative
Computer Skills
MS ProjectProject OnlineMS Office 365SharePoint OnlinePrimaveraAutoCADSketchUpVisioAccessAdobe InDesignAdobe XDPowerAppsGoogle WorkspaceGoogle App MakerBIM 360 (beginner)Navisworks (beginner)Dynamo (beginner)

Want to Connect?

Whether you're starting your own journey or want to discuss a project, I'd love to hear from you.