Alper Gucumengil was appointed as ISI Academy Lead Expert in July 2025. 

He has more than 24 years of experience in official statistics, capacity development, project management and data governance. His work at UN agencies and national statistical offices has focused on capacity development in statistics and data eco-systems across more than 20 countries, with deep engagement in stakeholder coordination, training programme design and resource mobilisation. 

Alper worked 17 years at the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), where he served as Head of the International Project Management Group from 2007 to 2018. During this time, he successfully managed large-scale international projects across multiple statistical domains, overseeing a total budget of €35 million to modernise statistical services. 

In 2018, Alper relocated to the United Kingdom and transitioned into the role of International Data and Statistics Consultant. He worked with various international organizations, including UN Agencies. His contributions included consulting on SDG monitoring for UNSD in Nepal, Myanmar and Liberia, evaluating global training needs in statistics (UNSD project), drafting the National Strategy for Development of Statistics for Georgia (UNDP project), and providing technical assistance on gender statistics for UN Women projects in multiple countries. Alper also led the SDG Data Review Project (funded by UNDP) in Uganda and developed a detailed report which contributed to mobilising the funds for a joint UN programme on data and statistics for Uganda. 

He played a pivotal role in designing the Food Security and Nutrition Information System for WFP Mozambique and delivered statistical consultancy services for the EU-funded projects in Pan-African and EU Eastern Partnership countries. Alper also served as the Data Governance Specialist at UNDP Headquarters (2022-2025), where he led the development of data governance frameworks/strategies and implemented projects to support evidence-based policymaking by integrating innovative data sources, including citizen-generated data, geospatial observation, and social media information.