Royal Holloway has awarded an Honorary Doctorate of the University of London to Ece Özdemiroğlu in recognition of her exceptional contribution to environmental economics and her work to help society understand, value and protect the natural world.
Ece is an environmental economist and activist, whose belief that economics can help us understand the value of the natural world and allocate society’s resources accordingly has driven her remarkable career.
For more than three decades, Ece has helped governments, businesses and NGOs understand that the natural world is not simply something we enjoy, but something that underpins our wellbeing and prosperity.
Her journey to becoming an environmental economist began in Turkey, where she developed an interest in environmental activism while studying for a BSc in Economics at Istanbul University.
Inspired by meeting pioneering environmental economist Professor David W Pearce, who gave her a copy of his book, Blueprint for a Green Economy, Ece was inspired to focus her career on environmental economics.
She came to the UK to study for a Masters in environmental economics and natural resource management at University College London. Two weeks after completing her MSc, and encouraged by her father, she set up her own consultancy, eftec, with one of her classmates.
Ece has played a leading role in encouraging natural capital accounting, developing practical methods that enable decision-makers to account for the benefits provided by ecosystems and biodiversity. Her work has helped establish standards and best practice now used internationally.
She has also worked with organisations including Defra and Forestry England, demonstrating how sound economic thinking and care for the natural world can work side by side.
In 2004, she co-founded the UK Network for Environmental Economists, a not-for-profit platform and journal designed to cultivate collaboration between research providers and users, academics and consultants. The network has since provided a model that has been emulated in Italy and widely admired across Europe.
Her creativity extends beyond economics. Ece has written several books and uses creativity and performance to explore challenging subjects and spark meaningful conversations.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Gül Berna Özcan, Reader in International Business and Entrepreneurship from the School of Business and Management, said: “Ece is an outstanding environmental economist, activist, and entrepreneur. She is also a theatre maker who brings scientific ideas into role‑playing and collective agency.
“Her work is deeply interdisciplinary, weaving together economics, ecology, the social sciences, the arts, and community engagement. Through her extensive networks across government bodies, NGOs, academic institutions, and international organisations, she creates spaces where diverse forms of expertise can collaborate and speak to one another.
“We look forward to working with Ece and building new connections between our research community, our students, and the broad networks she brings with her.”
