Derya Matras, Vice President for Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the United Kingdom at Meta, visited Canary Wharf to deliver an inspirational speech titled “Navigating Life’s Mountains: A Path to Meaning and Impact”. Speaking to a community of aspiring UCL students, alumni, staff, and the Canary Wharf Connect community, Derya shared her journey and expressed her ongoing gratitude to her loving family, who have continued to be her role models.
Derya grew up in Türkiye, where it was considered culturally normal for young girls and women to stay at home, cook, clean, and do chores, while boys went to school and men went out to work. As Derya’s mother had been denied an education, she was determined for Derya to break societal norms and instead pursue an education that would help her reach her full potential in life.
For Derya, a job was never just a job. If she were to lose it, she would have lost her visa, her friends, and would have needed to relocate. She viewed stability as something that had to be earned, believing she needed to perform at her best by being resilient and staying true to her values and beliefs. She had always seen leadership as a way to uplift others and support her community to grow.
Referencing The Second Mountain by David Brooks, Derya explained that there are two peaks in life. The first peak is usually marked by success, something astonishing happens, you may get into a good school, secure a good job, have your first child, or win an award. Everything may seem perfect. Then you encounter your second peak, characterised by something negative, losing a job, a divorce, or the passing of a friend, which causes you to fall down. She described how it is only at this stage that you learn your full potential: whether you collapse or move forward in life. This second peak, she explained, creates clarity in decision-making. Understanding where her own value and purpose lay, namely being close to her family, she had declined many incredible job offers. Instead, she said yes only to opportunities that created a more meaningful way of life.
When discussing resilience, Derya quoted, “Success in life is not determined by how you deal with it on a sunny day; it is how you deal with the storms, disruption, and failure.” She emphasised the importance of failing in order to succeed. With every mistake made, she said, you can do better next time. Analysing what went wrong, why it happened, and what to do differently next time is key. To Derya, failures were future chapters in a book she hoped to pass on to the next generation, shifting from a victim mindset to a growth mindset, and recognising what kind of impact truly matters.
Resonating with the audience, Derya continued her talk by emphasising the importance of self-awareness and self-discovery. She said that one aspect of being successful is knowing your own capabilities and not pushing beyond them. There will always be someone who can juggle more, but if you know what is important to you, as family was to her, you can ensure you do not overextend yourself.
Concluding the event, Derya left the audience with an inspirational Meta quote: “This journey is less than 1% finished.” She encouraged attendees to stay resilient, to know their priorities because time is precious, and to remain open to learning, as every day is a new day, no matter how bumpy the road may be.
