Sector Leaders Meet at "The Success of My Career" Panel

Career Success Panel Brings Together Industry Leaders The 6th International Cosmetics, Personal Care, Detergents and Home Care Products Components, Raw Materials and Technologies Fair, the 5th International Food, Nutrition Components, Ingredients and Technologies Fair and the 5th International Pharmaceutical Components and Raw Materials Fair under the "Life Sciences Ingredients/Life Sciences Ingredients" Fair umbrella took place at Istanbul Exhibition Centre. At a panel organized during the fair, executives with international careers in the chemical industry shared the secrets of their success. The panel, moderated by Gökhan Ata Okutan, Director of Human Resources and Shared Services at Akkim Kimya, featured Gökhan Oran, CEO and EMEA Executive Board Chairman of Barentz, Mine Enüstün, EEMEA Region Director at Croda, Nilay Midilli, Europe-Middle East-Africa Trade Director at Univar Solutions, and Sema Keskin Altınoluk, Personal Care Chemicals Turkey-Middle East-Central Asia Region Manager at BASF.

Be Bold and Demanding, Don't Miss Opportunities

Nilay Midilli, Europe-Middle East-Africa Trade Director at Univar Solutions, noted that working at local or international firms is equally challenging, and offered advice to young professionals starting their career journeys: "First, get to know the company you work for well. If you focus only on your own regions, you may miss some opportunities. I asked for my current role by identifying the need from a speech my manager gave. Being demanding is important. We Turks tend to be hesitant about such matters. You need to have confidence in yourself and make demands. Be bold, there is no disadvantage to being demanding. When it comes to language, you need to learn whatever language that company uses. If you are a middle manager, you need to develop someone to take your place so that you can take advantage of the opportunities that come your way," she advised. Sema Keskin Altınoluk, Personal Care Chemicals Turkey-Middle East-Central Asia Region Manager at BASF, said: "Positive and open communication is very important for success. A good team enables not just you but the entire group to reach a better place. English is essential, but you also need to learn the company's primary language." Gökhan Oran, CEO and EMEA Executive Board Chairman of Barentz, noting that in his 23-year career he has never worked with a Turkish manager or Turkish company, said: "After graduating from a university in Turkey, it is possible to do a master's degree abroad and find a job. I have never submitted a job application to this day. Whenever a job opportunity came my way, I always had two or three alternatives. I never chose the job with better pay; I always chose the manager and team I would get along with better." Oran added: "Never lose your curiosity. Learning a language is not enough; if you want to speak a foreign language well, first learn your native language very well; then you will be able to express yourself very well in a foreign language too." Mine Enüstün, EEMEA Region Director at Croda, who said that Turks perform better in difficult and complex regions, stated: "Turks have resilience, we fall, we get back up, after a while we don't notice that we've fallen. There are failed plans every day, and coping with them trains us in management as well." Gökhan Ata Okutan, Director of Human Resources and Shared Services at Akkim Kimya, who moderated the panel, added to the panelists' remarks: "There are three important factors to build a career. These are sustained good performance, strong know-how and luck. You need to seize the opportunity. The ball doesn't hit someone who isn't on the field."