Alumni of the Year 2020: Helena Hed and Meleknur Alevcan

Meleknur Alevcan has helped hundreds of elderly with free therapy during the corona pandemic.
Helena Hed has a long and successful career at Sweco, and will soon take over as President and CEO of listed PE Teknik & Arkitektur.
Now the two former students have been named Alumni of the Year at Luleå University of Technology.

The title Alumnus of the Year is awarded to someone who has been a student at Luleå University of Technology and then achieved particularly great success in their career.

This year it is Meleknur Alevcan, with a degree from the Bachelor's program in Psychology, and Helena Hed, Master of Science in Civil Engineering, who receive the honorable award from their old university.

- "For me, this is a great honor. It feels fantastic and I really want to share the award with all my colleagues at Sweco," says Helena Hed.
- "It feels so good! I am surprised and proud and feel honoured," says Meleknur Alevcan.

International career with Boden as a base

Meleknur Alevcan, born in 1989 and raised outside Istanbul, Turkey, has a university degree in Russian and literature from her home country, where she worked as an interpreter and translator. In 2013, she received a scholarship to study in Sweden. After just one year of studying Swedish, she applied and was accepted into Luleå University of Technology's Bachelor's program in psychology. "It was an active choice to look far north," says Meleknur.

- "I saw it as a different adventure to have the opportunity to experience snow, winter sports and the northern lights. As a non-native Swedish speaker, the first year of the program was challenging, but my teachers and classmates were very supportive.

After graduating, she first worked in local psychiatry in Luleå but now runs her own business as a consultant and CBT therapist in her new home town of Boden, with both companies and individuals as clients. She offers online therapy and has clients in Sweden, Russia, Turkey and the USA.

When the corona pandemic struck, Meleknur thought about how she could help older people who felt isolated and anxious.
- "I thought I could offer them free online therapy, and now I've had contact with over 100 older people. Many have been depressed, anxious and lonely. CBT can be a good method," says Meleknur and continues:
- "I have received a fantastic response from the elderly and also from their relatives. They are very grateful and it makes me happy and motivated in my work.

Takes over as CEO at the turn of the year

Helena Hed, born 1975 and from Boden, graduated from the university's civil engineering program in 2001. She then embarked on postgraduate studies, but a job in the business world beckoned and she joined Sweco as an environmental consultant. At the company, she has held a number of different positions, including group manager, regional manager for water and environmental activities in northern Sweden, responsible for railway activities in Stockholm/East and most recently as CEO of Sweco's entire project management business.

At the turn of the year, a new role awaits her, when she takes over as President and CEO of the listed consulting company PE Teknik & Arkitektur, with over 1000 employees throughout Sweden.

- "It is with great pride that I take on this assignment.

Helena Hed remembers her student days with warmth. She got to know two of her closest friends during her years at Luleå University of Technology, she studied abroad - at Glasgow University in Scotland - and had an instructive internship and thesis period at SSAB.

- My education as a civil engineer has opened up many opportunities for me. I had great years at the university. It is a good university - I have proudly employed many from Luleå University of Technology.