Japanese Pharmaceutical Giant Takeda Continues to Strengthen

Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda strengthens its position in Turkey with leadership appointments and business model innovations.

With the appointments made, Takeda Turkey's Rare Genetic Diseases and Oncology Business Unit Director position will be held by Gözde Uzuner, Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit Director by Ömer Pekşen, and Medical and Patient Services Director by Dr. Mahir Kula.

Takeda, which develops treatments with the vision of "a healthier, brighter future," operates across 80 countries with its 244-year-old heritage in the fields of Rare Genetic Diseases, Oncology, Hematology, Gastroenterology, Immunology, Neuroscience, Plasma-Derived Therapies and Vaccines.

Takeda Turkey General Manager Nura Aykanat
"We are restructuring our business model in Turkey in line with our updated global strategy. With the changes we are making, we aim to create an agile, dynamic and stakeholder-focused operation. Within this framework, in July we made 3 leadership appointments to support sustainable growth. I believe that our new leaders, who bring different competencies and multifaceted perspectives, will contribute to our institution's strategic objectives and sustainable success." she said.

Takeda Turkey Rare Genetic Diseases and Oncology Business Unit Director Gözde Uzuner
Gözde Uzuner has undertaken important responsibilities at local and international levels throughout her 15-year professional experience in the FMCG and pharmaceutical industries. During her more than 5 years with Takeda in various positions such as Senior Product Manager, Sales-Marketing Manager and Commercial Specialist for the ICMEA Region, Uzuner led product launches and has been recognized with numerous awards at the global level; she also played an active role in cross-functional collaborations and business transformation projects during her tenure.

Before rejoining Takeda, she served as Obesity Market Development Leader within the International Operations Strategy Office at Novo Nordisk. Uzuner, who will lead the Rare Genetic Diseases and Oncology Business Unit with her strategic perspective, stakeholder management expertise and value-driven approach, graduated from Boğaziçi University Department of Economics in 2010 and completed her MBA at Galatasaray University in 2012.

Takeda Turkey Plasma-Derived Therapies Business Unit Director Ömer Pekşen
Ömer Pekşen has been involved in impactful projects in various positions during his more than 12 years with Takeda. Following Takeda's acquisition of Shire, Pekşen successfully implemented his responsibilities within the company and held positions as Commercial Strategy Director for the Emerging and Growing Markets (GEM) Region in Singapore and Plasma-Derived Therapies Brand Manager throughout his career at Takeda.

In his current role as "Commercial Strategy Director" in the GEM Region, Pekşen successfully managed commercial strategy and operations as a strategic partner to the GEM Leadership Team across more than 20 priority markets and more than 10 launches and growth areas. With his forward-looking vision, strong collaborations with his teams and patient-focused approach, Pekşen has made significant contributions to Takeda's regional growth targets. The projects he led added sustainable value not only to business results but also to organizational culture. Ömer Pekşen, who has received global and regional awards for his successful projects, completed his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering at Istanbul Technical University and his master's degree at Boğaziçi University.

Takeda Turkey Medical and Patient Services Director Dr. Mahir Kula
Dr. Mahir Kula, with more than 13 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, has achieved successful work in medical and commercial leadership roles at global companies such as Roche, Baxalta and Baxter. In therapeutic areas including Hematology, Oncology, Immunology, Neuroscience and Ophthalmology, he has demonstrated strong leadership that shaped institutions' medical vision through scientific approach, strategic foresight and team leadership. Beginning his role as Takeda Turkey Medical Director, Kula will lead the development and implementation of the company's medical strategies, contribute to scientific studies, the development of field teams and the promotion of patient-focused approaches.

Mahir Kula completed his medical education at Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine and completed his specialization in Clinical Pharmacology at Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine. Deepening his scientific formation in social and technological dimensions, Kula is continuing the Sociology Undergraduate Program at Istanbul University and the Health Informatics Master's Program at Gazi University. With this multifaceted academic background, Kula will reflect his expertise in strategic areas such as health informatics, digital health, real-world data generation and patient services.