Başak Bilgin is the Assurance Coordinator at the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). She holds a bachelor’s degree in English Language Teaching; however, during her undergraduate studies, she discovered her interest in climate change research thanks to the course “The Age of Sustainability” and decided to change careers. She studied in Sustainable Tourism Management master program at Boğaziçi University, specializing in climate change and tourism studies. In her master’s thesis, she investigated the impact of climate change on tourist comfort levels in popular coastal destinations in Türkiye. With a strong commitment to sustainability, she aims to further her work in the future by focusing on climate adaptation and mitigation strategies in the face of climate change for the tourism sector. As the Assurance Coordinator, she supports GSTC’s strategic goals and the Assurance Director’s policy leadership, focusing on assurance management through executing assurance services, developing GSTC Criteria, supporting Türkiye’s Sustainable Tourism Program, training auditors, conducting research, aiding micro and small business certification, and managing administrative tasks.