Hande graduated from Koç University with a B.A. in Economics in 1999. She joined Net Holding as marketing executive in charge of all touristic retail stores in Turkey. Completing the master program in hospitality administration at Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in 2008, she was responsible for marketing operations of Inter Tourism & Travel. Joining PKF hotelexperts based in Vienna in 2010, she was responsible for developing the Turkish market; she set up the liaison office in Istanbul in 2012.