Levent SÜMER, Ph.D., PMP, MRICS

• SMR Strategy, Founder
• Boğaziçi University, Executive MBA Program/Construction Engineering and Management Programs Part-Time Lecturer
• International Project Management Institute, Chairman
• Author of "The World Economy and Financial System: A Paradigm Change Offering a Sustainable Approach" and "The Global Housing Crisis: A Sustainable New Home Financing Model" books.

Levent.sumer@pt.bogazici.edu.tr, +90 530 969 8174

Dr. Levent Sümer is a strategist, author, and scholar. He is the Founder of SMR Strategy, an international investment and management consultancy company, and teaches at Boğaziçi University in the Executive MBA and Construction Engineering and Management Master's Programs. Before establishing the SMR Strategy, Dr. Sümer held C-level positions at reputable real estate companies. Dr. Sümer is the co-founder and the Chairman of the International Project Management Institute (UPYE), founded in 2010 to extend project management knowledge in Türkiye. He is also a PMP-certified professional from PMI, the Project Management Institute, and a professional member (MRICS) and assessor of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Dr. Sümer worked in mid- to senior-level positions and completed projects totaling more than 3 million sq m of construction area. As a guest lecturer and keynote speaker, he has also delivered lectures and speeches at many reputable organizations and has written articles for newspapers and international journals. Dr. Sümer is also a member of the investment committees of various real estate and venture capital investment funds.

Dr. Levent Sümer graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Civil Engineering Department. He earned his master's degree in construction engineering and management from the Illinois Institute of Technology and holds a Ph.D. degree from Boğazici University. He developed an interest-free financing model for large investment projects by combining interest-free real estate capital market instruments with pension funds.

Dr. Sümer is the author of "The World Economy and Financial System: A Paradigm Change Offering a Sustainable Approach" and "The Global Housing Crisis: A Sustainable New Home Financing Model," both published by Palgrave Macmillan (Springer). He also recently completed “The Guide for Decent Housing for the Poor in the OIC Countries”, which will be presented and published in November 2025. His areas of interest and research include project management, international construction contracts management, real estate finance, Islamic funds, pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and political economy. His studies mainly propose alternative sustainable economic and financial systems to replace flawed capitalism. Dr. Sümer is married and the father of a lovely daughter.

Research Areas: Project Management, International Construction Contracts, Strategic Management, Real Estate Finance, Islamic Finance, Pension Funds, Sovereign Wealth Funds, Sustainability, Political Economy

EDUCATION

• Ph.D., Civil Engineering (Real Estate Finance) Boğaziçi University, 2017
• Master's Degree, Construction Project Management Illinois Institute of Technology, USA, 2004
• BSc. Civil Engineering Istanbul Technical University, 2003

PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE

• SMR Strategy, Founder & Chairman 2019-Present
• AE Arma-Elektropanç, Deputy General Manager (Strategy, Contracts, BD) 2015-2018
• Torunlar REIT, Planning and Cost Control Manager, Executive Committee Member 2011-2015
• Bahadır Construction, Business Development, Planning and Contracts Manager 2007-2011
• Çalık Holding, Business Development and Contracts Specialist 2006-2007
• Masonry Company, US, Project Manager 2005-2006
• Kasktaş, Subsidiary of ENKA, Project Engineer 2002
• Altınok Engineering and Consultancy, Project Engineer 2001
• Yüksel Construction, Site Engineer 2000

ACADEMIC WORK EXPERIENCE

• Boğaziçi University, Part-Time Lecturer 2019-Present
• İstinye University, Faculty Member 2019-2022
• Boğaziçi University BÜYEM, Lecturer 2016-Present
• Abdullah Gül University, Part-Time Lecturer 2017-2019
• Yıldız Technical University Part-Time Lecturer 2014-2017

COURSES AT BOĞAZİÇİ UNIVERSITY

• Construction Contracts Management (CEM 595)
• Development of Construction Projects and Investment Management (CEM 517)
• Cost Estimation (CEM 516)

OTHER COURSES

• Project Management
• Real Estate Finance
• Financial Management
• Strategic Management
• International Political Economy and Emerging Markets
• Global Business Trends
• Investment Analysis
• Risk Management
• Feasibility and Valuation

EXPERTISE

• International Construction Contracts (FIDIC, AIA, JCT, NEC)
• Real Estate Investment Funds
• Venture Capital Investment Funds
• Capital Markets
• Investment Management
• Claims Management
• Project Management
• Strategic Management

PUBLICATIONS

Books

• Sümer L. (2025). “Küresel Konut Krizi: Sürdürülebilir Yeni Bir Konut Finansman Modeli” Albaraka Kültür Sanat ve Yayıncılık A.Ş. Ahead of print
• Sümer L. (2024). "The Global Housing Crisis: A Sustainable New Home Financing Model", Palgrave Macmillan Cham, by Springer Nature, ISBN 978-3-031-72603-3, E ISBN 978-3-031-72604-0
• Sümer L. (2023). "The World Economic and Financial System: A Paradigm Change Offering a Sustainable Approach", Palgrave Macmillan Cham, by Springer Nature, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27530-2, ISBN 978-3-031-27529-6, E ISBN 978-3-031-27530-2

Journal Publications:

• Sümer H.N., Yaşar Akçalı B., Sümer L., Hepşen A. (2025). “Investing in Housing vs REIFs: Türkiye Real Estate Investment Fund Index”. International Journal of Strategic Property Management, Ahead of Print, (SSCI, Scopus)
• Sümer L. (2025). “Intertwined Policrises: Refugee Inflows, Natural Disasters, Financial Instability, and Housing Market Dynamics in Emerging Economies”, OPUS– Journal of Society Research, Crisis Entangled – Reimagining the Social in Turbulent Times Special Issue, Ahead of Print (TR Dizin)
• Sümer L. (2025). “Predicting Housing Prices in Istanbul Using Artificial Intelligence: A Comparative Analysis of ARIMA and LSTM Models”. Muhasebe Bilim Dünyası Dergisi, 27(3), 235 – 252. (TR Dizin)
• Sümer H.N., Yaşar Akçalı B., Sümer L., Hepşen A. (2025). “Comparison of REIT and BIST 100 Index Performances Using the Sharpe Ratio under High Inflation Periods” . İşletme Araştırmaları Dergisi, 17(3), 2230-2240, https://doi.org/10.20491/isarder.2025.2092 (TR Dizin)
• Sümer L., Bayrak M., Kiraz F. (2025). “The Perception of Employees About the Digital Transformation of Türk Telekom Company”, OPUS-Journal of Society Research, 22(5), 1061 – 1075. (TR Dizin)
• Sümer L. (2024). "The impacts of refugees and immigrants on Turkish housing sales and rental prices". Journal of Construction Engineering, Management & Innovation, 7(4):266-280 (ESCI, TR Dizin)
• Sümer L. (2023). "Hedging Abilities of Stocks, Gold and Real Estate Funds Against Inflation During COVID-19: Evidence from Türkiye" Doğuş University Journal, 24(2): 479-496 (TR Dizin)
• Sümer, L. (2023), "An alternative interest-free home financing model", International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, Vol. 16 No. 2, pp. 408-425. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJHMA-02-2022-0027, (Scopus, ESCI)
• Sümer L. Arditi D. (2022) "Turkish Building Construction Contracts vs. FIDIC Contracts", Journal of Construction Engineering, Management & Innovation 5(2):107-118 DOI 10.31462/jcemi.2022.02107118 (ESCI, TR Dizin)
• Çamlibel, M. E., Sümer, L., & Hepşen, A. (2021). "Risk-return performances of real estate investment funds in Turkey including the Covid-19 period." International Journal of Strategic Property Management, 25(4), 267-277. (SSCI, Scopus)
• Sümer, L. and Ozorhon, B. (2021), "Investing in gold or REIT index in Turkey: evidence from global financial crisis, 2018 Turkish currency crisis and COVID-19 crisis", Journal of European Real Estate Research, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 84-99. (ESCI, Scopus)
• Sümer L., Ozorhon B., (2020), "The Exchange Rate Effect on Housing Price Index and REIT Index Return Rates", The Journal of Financial Researches and Studies, 12(22): p.249-266 (TR Dizin)
• Sümer L., Ozorhon B., (2019), "The Shortcomings of Pension System in Turkey: Solutions with a New Model Proposed." International Journal of Islamic Economics and Finance Studies, 2019(2): 23-48 (TR Dizin)
• Sümer L., (2019), "IT Governance in the Real Estate Industry: A Framework Suggestion. Journal of Business, Economics and Finance (JBEF), V.8(4), p.215-222. (Other Indices)

Book Chapters

• Hepşen A., Sümer L. (2025). “Türkiye’de Konutun Finansmanı: Sorunlar & Çözümler”, In: N. Yılmaz (ed) Güncel Finans Analizleri: Teorik ve Pratik Yaklaşımlar, Efe Akademi Yayınları. pp 169-195.
• Sümer, L. (2024). "Risk-Return Performances of Sustainability and REIT Indices: Evidence from the Turkish Real Estate Market". In: Calisir, F., Khasawneh, M.T., Durucu, M. (eds) Industrial Engineering in the Sustainability Era . GJCIE 2023. Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54868-0_8
• Sümer, L. (2023). "The Impacts of COVID-19 on Turkish Real Estate Industry: Perception vs. Reality". In: Calisir, F., Durucu, M. (eds) Industrial Engineering in the Covid-19 Era. GJCIE 2022. Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-25847-3_19
• Sümer, L. (2022). "The Digital Future of the Construction Project Management". In: Calisir, F. (eds) Industrial Engineering in the Age of Business Intelligence. GJCIE 2021. Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-08782-0_20
• Sumer, L., Kiraz, F. (2022). "The Problems of Project Management Companies in the Turkish Construction and the Real Estate Industries". In: Calisir, F. (eds) Industrial Engineering in the Internet-of-Things World. GJCIE 2020. Lecture Notes in Management and Industrial Engineering. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-76724-2_2
• Sumer L., Kiraz F. (2021), “Yeşil Finans Uygulamaları ve Covid-19 Sonrası İçin Politika Önerileri” Sürdürülebilirlik ve Değer Yaratan Yeşil Uygulamalar, Editör: Dr. Ümit Deniz İlhan (Nobel Yayıncılık) pp.209-230, ISBN: 978-625-7677-71-4

Conference Papers:

• Sümer L. (2025). “Public Perception Towards a
  New Economy and Financial System Model”. The 10th Academic Studies Congress (X. ASC), Faisalabad, Pakistan, October 16-18, 2025.
• Sümer L. (2025). Intertwined Shocks: Socioeconomic Impacts of Refugee Inflows and Post-Earthquake Housing Price Dynamics in Türkiye. 52nd EBES Conference – Istanbul, Türkiye July 3-5, 2025.
• Sümer L. (2025). Cointegration of Housing Prices and Bitcoin
  and Tokenization of Housing Certificates. GLOBAFA, Global Banking Conference, Budapest, Hungary, May 30-31, 2025.
• Sümer L., Bayrak M., Kiraz F. (2025). “Dijital Dönüşüm Parametrelerinin Telekomünikasyon Sektöründeki Algısının Araştırılması: Türk Telekom Örneği”. IX. Uluslararası Akademik Çalışmalar Kongresi, İstanbul, Türkiye 16-18 Mayıs, 2025.
• Sümer H.N., Yaşar Akçalı B., Sümer L., (2025). Risk-Return Performance Analysis of the Turkish Real Estate Investment Funds. International 10^th Socrates Education, Business, Economics and Social Sciences Congress, London, UK. ISBN: 978-625-6997-61-5, pp. 85-92.
• Sümer L. (2023), "Risk-Return Performances of Sustainability and REIT Indices: Evidence from the Turkish Real Estate Market", Global Joint Conference on Industrial Engineering and Its Application Areas, Istanbul Technical University&Binghampton University, 14 - 16 August 2023
• Sümer L. (2022), "May Real Estate Investment Funds and Venture Capital Investment Funds Hedge Inflation: Evidence from Turkey", SASE 34^th Annual Meeting, July 18-20, 2022
• Sümer L. (2021), "Digital Future of Construction Project Management", Virtual Global Joint Conference on Industrial Engineering and Its Application Areas, Istanbul Technical University, 30 - 31 October 2021
• Sümer L. (2021), “Kentleşme Sorunlarının Çözümüne Yönelik Yeni Bir Finansman Modeli Önerisi: Mardin Örneği” I. Uluslararası Artuklu İktisadi, İdari ve Siyasi Bilimler Kongresi Mardin Artuklu Üniversitesi, 20-21 Kasım 2021
• Sümer L., (2021), "May Covid-19 Change the Rules of Home Financing: A Bank Loan-Free Model Proposed", SASE's 33rd Annual Meeting, Online Conference, July 2-5, 2021
• Sümer L., Arditi D., Baskaya M. (2020), "Payment Considerations in Turkish Building Construction Contracts vs. FIDIC Contracts", 6th International Project and Construction Management Conference (e-IPCMC2020), Istanbul Technical University, 12-14 November 2020, Istanbul, Turkey
• Sümer L. (2020), "Is There Really an Alternative to Capitalism: A Model Suggested", SASE Annual Meeting, Amsterdam, July-18-21, 2020
• Sümer L., Ashava A. (2020), "Can Takaful Contribute to Social Justice: A New Model Proposed" International Conference on Real Estate Development and Management, January 30-February 2, 2020, Ankara University, Turkey
• Sümer L., (2020), “Sporun Finansmanı İçin Yeni ve Sürdürülebilir bir Finansman Modeli Önerisi”, 1. Uluslararası İzmir İktisat Kongresi, 15-16 Şubat 2020, İzmir, Turkey
• Sümer L. (2019), A Model Suggestion for IT Governance in the Real Estate Industry, Istanbul Finance Congress, Beykent University
• Sümer L., (2019), “Konut Stoklarını Nasıl Eritiriz: Sürdürülebilir Bir Konut Finansman Modeli Önerisi”, İTÜ Ulusal Gayrimenkul Konferansı (October 4-5, 2019)
• Sümer L., Ozorhon B. (2018), “Yeni Yatırım ve Fİnansman Modeli: Türkiye Varlık Fonu’na Yeni Bir Yaklaşım” International Real Estate Development and Management Conference, Ankara University
• Sümer L., Ozorhon B., (2017), "Macroeconomic Factors Affecting Islamic Banking Share of Profits in Turkey", ICSF – International Conference on Sustainable Futures, 26-27 November, Applied Science University, Bahrain
• Sümer L., Ozorhon, B. (2016) "A Comparative Return Analysis of Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) Index and Major Indexes in Istanbul Stock Exchange", 12th International Congress on Advances in Civil Engineering, 21-23 September, Boğaziçi University, Istanbul

Thesis Completed Under My Supervision

• Bayrak M. (2022). Researching the perception of digital transformation parameters in the telecommunication sector: The case of Türk Telekom, Istinye University

Other Publications

• Tokenizing Real Estate: The Digital Way to Buy a Home with Small Savings, Sanayi Newspaper, August 08, 2025
• Investment and Financing Opportunity in Organized Industrial Zones with Real Estate Certificate, Why Not? Sanayi Newspaper, July 30, 2025
• Addressing the Housing Affordability Crisis through a Sustainable 4P (Public-Private-People Partnership) Housing Economy Model, Sanayi Newspaper, July 14, 2025
• Lessons from the Istanbul Earthquake: Project-Based Real Estate Investment Funds Should Be More Prominent in Urban Renewal, Sanayi Newspaper, April 28, 2025
• A New Housing Financing Model, Emsal.com, April 2022
• An Overview of Turkish Real Estate Industry in 2021, 361 Degree Journal, January 2022
• A New Approach to Turkey Wealth Fund, Dunya Newspaper, January 2018
• An Overview of Turkish Real Estate Industry in 2017, Dunya Newspaper, February 2018
• A New Investment and Financing Model: Turkey Real Estate Fund, Gayrimenkul Türkiye Journal, November-December, 2017
• Institutionalization Effect for Sustainable Companies, Gayrimenkul Türkiye Journal, January-February 2014
• The Mistakes Made in Real Estate Development Processes, Gayrimenkul Türkiye Journal June-July, 2013
• Expanding the Real Estate Development in Anatolia, Gayrimenkul Türkiye Journal September-October, 2013
• Project Delivery Systems and Contract Types: A Comparison Study of the EU, the US and Turkey, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, 2004
• Productivity Improvement in Construction Industry in Turkey (Journal of Dünya İnşaat, June 2003)

REPORTS & PROJECTS

• Decent Housing for the Poor in the OIC (Organization of Islamic Countries) Guide (November 2025)
• MÜSİAD Affordable Housing Report (January 2025)
• KONUTDER New Housing Financing Model (January 2025)

• The Solution to Decrease the Import Volume: Technology and Production Fund
• The Real Estate Investment Funds Can Decrease the Housing Surplus
• A New Approach to Turkey Wealth Fund
• New Economy Theory: Sümer Approach
• How to Increase the Volume of International Contracting
• Industry 4.0 and its Implementation inthe Construction Industry
• Africa Contracting Fund
• Sustainable Futures: İstanbul in the 21st Century
• How to Increase the Pension Fund Size
• The Future of Project Management Companies
• Establishing Partnership Funds Instead of Loan Guarantee Fund (KGF)

INVITED SPEECHES

• Financing Urban Transformation Projects, Earthquake and Construction Science Days, İnşaat Mühendisleri Odası, İzmir Branch, Feb 04, 2025
• Financial Analysis of Urban Transformation, Zonguldak Transformation Summit, ZTSO, December 05, 2024.
• A Paradigm Change in Global Economy and Financial System: Suggestion of a Sustainable Model, Galatasaray University, December 09, 2023.
• Sustainability in Construction and Housing Industries, Boğaziçi University & Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı Sürdürülebilirlik Zirvesi, November 01, 2023.
• An Alternative Affordable Home-Financing Model, GYODER 18^th Real Estate Summit, October 26, 2023.
• An Alternative Debt-Free Financing Model for the Reconstruction of our Cities After the Earthquake, GYODER, October 03, 2023.
• The Problems of Turkish Real Estate Industry after Covid-19 and Solutions Proposed, TMMOB, İnşaat Mühendisleri Odası, İzmir Branch, May 14, 2020
• The Problems of Turkish Economy and Real Estate Industry and Solution Proposed, TURKONFED, UNDP, Visa ve Boğaziçi Üniversitesi “İşimi Yönetiyorum Konferans Serisi”, Jan 17, 2020, Mardin
• The Problems of Turkish Real Estate Industry, Bursa Ticaret ve Sanayi Odası, Dec 13, 2019
• Financial Models for Urban Transformation, GİSP, Dec 12, 2019
• An Analysis and the Future of Turkish Real Estate Industry, Cercle d'Orient, Panel on the Transformation in the Real Estate Industry, the New Rules of the Game, February 2018
• New Investment and Financing Model: A New Approach to Turkey Wealth Fund, Ankara University, International Real Estate Development and Management Conference, February 2018
• An Overview of Turkey Real Estate Industry, Abdullah Gul University Civil Engineering Club-UPYE Conference, December 2017
• New Investment and Financing Model: Combined Funding, MUSIAD and TOBB Organization, 1^st Global Participation Finance (GPAS) Summit, November 2017
• Construction Project Management, Boğaziçi University, Real Estate Development Competition, November 2017
• New Financial Instruments, Boğaziçi University, 2^nd Construction Economy Summit, October 2017
• Contracts Management, Boğaziçi University Civil Engineering Department, March 2017
• Advices to New Graduates, Bilgi University Career Conference, March 2017
• Dispute Resolution in Construction Contracts, UPYE Project Management Summit, December 2016
• Time Extension Claims in Construction Contracts, INTES-ISTAC Construction Conference, October 2016
• Project Management from Global Perspective (Balikesir University May 2016, Suleyman Demirel University March 2016, İTÜ MHK CivilCon, Feb 2015)
• Graduation Ceremony Speech for Construction Management Master Program, YTU, 2014
• Real Estate Industry: From Past to Now (İTÜ MHK CivilCon, March, 2014)
• The Past, Today and the Future of Real Estate Industry (UPYE Real Estate Summit, Özyeğin University January, 2014)
• Sustainable Future: İstanbul in 21^st Century, PMI Turkey Project Management Summit, Boğaziçi University, September 2013)
• Do's and Don'ts in Cost Management, UPYE Project Management Summit, Boğaziçi University, May 2012
• The Future of the Project Management from Investors' Perspective, UPYE Project Management Summit, Boğaziçi University, December 2011

MEMBERSHIPS & CERTIFICATES

• UPYE: International Project Management Institute, Türkiye (Chairman)
• RICS: Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, UK (MRICS, Assessor)
• PMI: Project Management Institute, USA (PMP)
• IMO: Chamber of Civil Engineers, Turkey
• GYODER: The Association of Real Estate Investors