Dow Turkey and Central Asia President Mr. İhsan Necipoğlu

We conducted an engaging interview with Ihsan Necipoğlu, President of Dow Turkey and Central Asia. Necipoğlu answered our questions about Dow Turkey's innovations and initiatives.

"Our company, which provides effective infrastructure solutions offering energy efficiency and contributes to the competitive strength of our customers, continues its operations in a structure fully aligned with our country's growth targets."

Could you tell our readers about yourself?

I joined Dow in 1983 and began my career at Dow Turkey as Sales Manager in our plastics division. Throughout my career spanning more than thirty-five years, I have held various positions in the company's commercial and geographic structures both within and outside the country. Before my current appointment, I served as sales director for plastics and later performance materials in the Middle East and Africa, India, and Eastern Europe regions. Since 2012, in my role as President of Dow Turkey and Central Asia, I oversee the determination and implementation of geographic strategy, and ensure the implementation of the most efficient and sustainable solutions for our customers in collaboration with our business divisions and management functions.

Could you tell us about the success story of Dow Turkey from its establishment to today?

Our company, founded in 1897, has a rich history spanning over 120 years. Today, as Dow, we provide a wide range of high-technology-based products and solutions to our customers in high-growth-rate markets such as packaging, infrastructure, and consumer solutions. Dow Turkey has been operating in our country since 1971, and this year marks its 48th year of operations. Our company initiated its activities with the goal of becoming a market leader in Turkey by developing a business model based on efficient logistics, initially in Gebze. By expanding its business volume in this way, Dow gained the trust of leading sector players and increased its production investments with the Polyurethane System Center and STYROFOAM production facility. With the acquisition of Rohm&Haas in 2009 and the establishment of DowAksa in 2012 through collaboration with the Akkök Group, Dow made progress in localization initiatives and strengthened its position in insulation, coating materials, construction, wind energy, automotive and other sectors. Our company, which provides effective infrastructure solutions offering energy efficiency and contributes to the competitive strength of our customers, continues its operations in a structure fully aligned with our country's growth targets.

Could you provide information about Dow Turkey's policies and principles?

Our company, established by our founder Herbert Henry Dow, an American entrepreneur, embraces today the philosophy of "If you can't do better, why do it?" that defined him. The three core principles we have established across all geographies where we operate guide us. First and foremost, we operate within our company and in the societies where we work with respect for people. In all our production processes and in the solutions we implement, we are mindful of protecting the world. We deliver all of this with integrity to all our stakeholders. As Dow, inclusivity and diversity are at the core of our corporate culture. In all our activities, we aim to provide solutions to the world's most pressing problems. To this end, we need to bring together the world's best minds and their collective knowledge to make innovation sustainable. For this, we must create an environment where all our employees are respected and valued, and provide our employees with equal opportunities to develop and advance in their careers. The employee networks within our company form the backbone of developing this understanding together. These networks are established and managed by our employees and focus on many issues such as disability rights and empowerment of women in the workplace on a global scale.

Could you tell us about your environmental policies and sustainability initiatives?

Chemistry has unlimited potential in creating value for society and the environment. In this sense, as Dow, we are in a very special position to provide value to both the business world and our planet. 95% of products manufactured in the world are produced with inputs from the chemical industry. To benefit from chemistry's potential at the highest level, we see no other way than making sustainability an integral part of our regular operations. Indeed, the understanding of chemistry's value and potential in society is critical in building trust in the industry.

Our company, established by our founder Herbert Henry Dow, an American entrepreneur, embraces today the philosophy of "If you can't do better, why do it?" that defined him.

As Dow, we continually increase the competitiveness level of the value chains of many sectors where we provide customer-focused and innovative solutions. We bear particular responsibility for the sustainability performance of the business partners we work with. While continuously improving our solutions in line with demands and guidance from our business partners, we also achieve results that influence and improve their sustainability performance. With our sustainability strategy, which began with our environmental, health and safety targets in 1995 and is now shaped by our 2025 sustainability goals, we provide solutions in every geography where we operate that are competitive and sustainable for society and business. Within the scope of our established targets, we will continue to reduce our carbon footprint, create increasing value for our customers and society through our products and solutions, and continue to create a model for a sustainable world and society.