Kumsal Bayazit

As Chief Executive Officer, Kumsal Bayazit is a strong advocate of research and innovation, leading Elsevier’s teams in their mission to help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society.

Kumsal was appointed CEO of Elsevier in February 2019, joining from Elsevier’s parent company, RELX(opens in new tab/window), an R&D-driven FTSE 15 company, a global provider of information-based analytics, data services and decision tools. Since joining RELX in 2004, she has held multiple management positions in Legal, Risk and Exhibitions divisions, and served as Chief Strategy Officer of RELX. Until 2023, Kumsal also served as Chair of the RELX Technology Forum, responsible for technology, risk management and cyber security strategy across the Group’s 9,000 technologists and data scientists. Under her leadership, Elsevier is applying artificial intelligence technologies such as generative AI to high-quality, curated content and extensive datasets to deliver innovative solutions for the research and healthcare communities.

Prior to joining RELX, Kumsal spent several years at Bain & Company in their New York, Los Angeles, Johannesburg and Sydney offices. She earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she received a bachelor’s degree in economics with honours. She also serves as a non-executive director of Preqin, a global leader in alternative assets data, tools and insights, and of Associated British Foods, a diversified food, ingredients and retail group.