1) Let’s get to know Nazlı

1. To start, let’s introduce you: Who is Nazlı Yırtar, what do you do today, and what do your days look like lately?

I’m a music industry leader specialising in creative strategy, marketing, and streaming. I work as Head of Marketing for Emerging Markets at Warner Music Group.

Day to day, I shape global marketing and promotional strategies for priority artists from markets such as Nigeria, Poland, and Egypt - helping grow their international reach and fan bases. At the same time, I work on expanding audiences for global superstars like Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, and Charli XCX across the international markets I lead.

My role sits at the intersection of culture, data, and creativity, translating audience insight into campaigns that travel across borders.

2. Your career has moved across music, tech, and consulting. What’s the common thread behind these transitions — what has always pulled you forward?

The common thread behind my career decisions has always been human behaviour. From my earliest roles - even during internships - I was drawn to environments where I could observe how people think, choose, and engage, and then make decisions grounded in human insight and data. While music is a personal passion, my roles across the music industry were never just about taste or creativity; they were about understanding audiences - how discovery happens, how emotional connection forms, and how behaviour translates into measurable outcomes. Across every transition, that focus on human behaviour has been the constant driver.

3. From Istanbul to Milan, and now London — what motivated each of these moves and pushed you into the “next chapter”?

From a young age, I’ve been motivated by curiosity - a desire to experience different cities, cultures, and ways of life. Living abroad has always felt like a natural extension of how I explore, learn, grow. My first experience living outside Türkiye was at 20, through an internship in Frankfurt. It was a defining chapter indeed professionally, socially and personality wise - and it confirmed that I thrive and want to be in fast-paced, international environments. Istanbul is where my roots belong to, where I proudly come from and the city that deeply shaped me. Its energy, cultural richness, and constant motion is incredibly inspiring, and I was very happy building my life and career there. That chapter could have continued - until I received an offer for what was, at the time, my dream job: joining Spotify as a music editor in Milan. That move was a clear decision to follow ambition and passion. Milan offered a different rhythm - a high quality of life and a strong connection to nature (really miss my weekend hikes). It was a grounding chapter that helped me mature personally, and it’s where I developed a balance I still value today. London, however, has always felt inevitable. I’d been coming back and forth since 2013, and when I finally based myself here, it felt like the right balance of professional opportunity and personal belonging. As one of the global culture hubs, London is one of the cities to be for a music industry professional. London’s scale, diversity, and openness reward ambition - you can pursue as much as you’re willing to build. It’s the city where I feel most at home now, and the chapter I’m most excited to continue.

4. What does it feel like to be part of a global brand like Warner Music Group?

Definitely exciting. What stands out most at Warner is the people: both the great roster of artists, and the teams behind them. Collaboration, creativity, and kindness - which all makes it a genuinely rewarding environment to work at. I appreciate the healthy work-life balance here, but also clear room to grow if you’re ambitious and proactive - something that’s enabled by a supportive and trusting culture. Professionally, being part of a global network has been invaluable. Working across markets and cultures has constantly challenged and expanded how I think, and it’s an ideal environment to build an international career. The combination of people, scale, and creative ambition is what makes the experience distinctive.

2) Milan / London: Work culture & everyday realities

5. From the outside, working in London looks fast and highly competitive. What has your experience been like from the inside?

From the inside, London is fast but also highly self-directed. The pace largely reflects how much you choose to engage and invest. For ambitious people, it’s an incredibly stimulating and rewarding environment. Competition is real, but it’s balanced by access. If you build the right networks professionally and personally, London offers an unusual openness. In my experience, it’s one of the easiest European cities to form a strong support system, thanks to its diversity, shared language, and cultural acceptance of different backgrounds and ways of thinking. What makes London distinctive is that it allows you to be both ambitious and authentic. That combination is what has made my experience here not just intense, but genuinely sustainable.

6. How would you describe the UK work culture in terms of decision-making, communication style, and expectations?

My experience in the UK has always been in international environments - which require being open and relatively direct, driven by the need for clarity across diverse perspectives. Decision-making expectations are high: the market rewards pace, but also values strategic thinking. The challenge — and the skill — is knowing when to move quickly and when to slow down to make the right call.

7. What was the biggest difference when you moved from Milan to London?

London has definitely a higher pace professionally, socially, and personally. London is more welcoming, and not asking you to set certain stereotypes but on the contrary rewarding authenticity. There is a better work life balance probably in Milan, and definitely a better quality of living but I can’t really compare the social life here or the opportunities with anywhere else - probably New York only.

8. While building a new life and routine in London, was there anything you thought: “I wish someone had told me this earlier”?

How slow everyday processes can be - from GP appointments to tax and property. For someone from Türkiye, where things tend to be more practical and fast-moving, it was a culture shock. Life in the UK definitely requires preparation and long-term thinking.

3) Global career transitions: Adaptation, identity & courage

9. When you work in different countries, you naturally redefine yourself along the way. What has a “global career” changed for you personally?

From the early stages of my career, I always aspired to build an international path. I looked up to strong women leaders who influenced regional and global decisions beyond the borders of Türkiye. Having a global career has helped me realise myself and trust that I can achieve the ambitions I set for my life. It has broadened my vision and deeply shaped how I see the world, work, and people today. I genuinely appreciate the perspective this journey has given me, both professionally and personally.

10. For someone who wants to build a career abroad, what are the top 3 most critical things?

Being true to yourself: do you really want this, are you ready to expose yourself into a new culture and learn from it, enjoy it. Cause I see a lot of people living abroad who resent the decision, who can’t integrate in their environments and it’s sad. It takes a lot of courage to leave your family and friends behind and follow a journey on your own. Being open to new people, environments, habits. A lot of patience when faced with daily challenges like finding a new flat, learning the job market you work at if you need to find a new job, building a new social network - basically building a new life. But being adventurous is what helped me to reach so far.

11. What experience helped you grow the most when it comes to navigating cultural differences?

I can’t point to a single defining experience, it’s really been the sum of my professional and personal journey across multiple cities like Frankfurt, Berlin, Rome, Milan, and now London. Being constantly exposed to new people, ways of thinking, and working cultures pushed me to adapt and learn over time. Making the effort to connect with people, learn languages, and stay open-minded has helped widen my horizons and grow my vision. That ongoing exposure is what has shaped how I navigate cultural differences today.

12. What’s your biggest “I’m so glad I did this” moment so far?

Moving to the music industry - which was a bold decision at the age of 30. Looking back now I’m really happy that I followed my passion. Things worked out well in the end :)

4) AI & the Future

13. Where do you think AI will create real value in entertainment and marketplace businesses?

I genuinely believe that in the age of AI, human creativity will matter more, not less - especially in creative industries like music. Original ideas, strong concepts, and cultural intuition will become even more valuable as AI takes over more of the executional and technical layers. Where AI creates real value is as an enabler. It already offers powerful tools that help people develop, test, and scale ideas faster and with greater reach. In that sense, I see AI not as a replacement for creativity, but as a catalyst allowing human imagination to reach new highs.

5) Closing Part

14. Coffee or tea? And did that preference change between Milan and London?

Definitely coffee. Living in Italy set the bar very high, and I still miss Italian coffee. I’m loyal to my moka pot, a very important morning ritual I’ve kept since my Rome and Milan days.

15. What’s one habit you learned in Milan that simply didn’t work in London?

It’s not so much a habit, but a way of living. In Milan, I felt a natural need to adapt, to fit into Italian social norms and cultural expectations in order to feel fully accepted. In London, that approach simply isn’t necessary. The city allows you to be exactly who you are, without having to mould yourself to a single cultural code. I’m actually glad that habit didn’t carry over. London’s openness has been one of the most liberating parts of living here.

16. If you could give just one piece of advice to anyone building a global career from London, what would it be?

Be open to discover your potential and what London offers, a city full of opportunities.