Tamer Özmen
CEO, Microsoft Turkey
Our growth has been double the addressable market in Turkey, which has also been growing at 9% on average. We have grown about 21% annually on average over recent years. With that, Microsoft Turkey’s prominence has increased in the Microsoft system. More Microsoft resources have also started coming into the country. Microsoft then started to evaluate different R&D opportunities in Turkey, especially in the education arena. We have already invested in the Koç University R&D center, ATOM, and some other university projects. Also, we have an innovation center in Microsoft Ankara office where we support start-ups with our technologies. We believe that the FATİH project, an initiative to get more technology into public education, also creates R&D opportunities focused on education. With 20 years of experience in Turkey, Microsoft has a strong presence in the country through its partnership network, and currently has around 11,000 technology partners, both small and large.
Yuichi Aoki
Turkey Representative, Mitsui
We consider our business as providing more value to society. That is a key point of the continuation of sustainable business. Sometimes we fail. However, if our businesses add value to society, it is difficult to fail in the long term. This is one of the key factors in the sustainability of our business. I believe that it is one of the main considerations that has enabled Mitsui to continue as it has for 130 years. Our business model has not remained the same throughout our history; we change it on a case-by-case basis depending on the needs of society. We always consider our business decisions in relation to society, so that we can continue to have success. Domestic energy resources are a good example of this. Turkey clearly needs domestic energy; so if we could provide it, our business would be guaranteed.
Rainer Genes
President & CEO, Rainer Genes
Turkey is becoming increasingly important for the global automotive business. The Turkish automotive industry fulfills the demand in domestic and export markets. The interest of foreign investors in this sector is increasing continuously. The reason for this is that Turkey has a highly educated and competent workforce, favorable labor costs, solid know-how, and a growing domestic market. This adds up to a promising commercial environment, and we seek to strengthen our position in it. Of course, the labor costs in Turkey aren’t as favorable for us as they are in certain Eastern European countries, but the combination of factors like the quality of the workforce, the level of competency, and labor costs makes the environment highly attractive. In the last 10 years, we experienced a very successful period in Turkey driven mainly by the real estate and construction business, and also private consumption, which are the main pillars of growth.
Axel Hamann
CEO, Bayer Türk
We operate in over 140 countries, but Turkey has long ranked among the top-20 countries for Bayer in sales terms. As a sizable country, it, therefore, holds a prominent position in the Bayer universe. Turkey’s greatest opportunity lies in its underlying macro-economic parameters, with demographics being one of the driving factors. The average age of Turkish citizens is 28, which differentiates Turkey substantially from other European countries. The number of people who need access to medicine, therefore, is also growing, which looms large in terms of our healthcare offering. Hence, we support and do business with farmers keen to increase their yield. Turkey is also a major base for the automotive, textile, electronics and construction sector. Bayer’s Material Science subgroup is aiming to further grow its market share in these areas to continue to be the primary supplier with its innovative solutions and technical know-how.
Raouf S. Ghali
President of International Project Management, Hill International
We have extensive experience in real estate, as well as infrastructure, and I expect both to remain quite active in Turkey. On the real estate front, Turkey has many major developers realizing megaprojects inside and beyond Turkey. We can add value to these as the funding institutions most of the time require independent management to ensure compliance with funding conditions. Prior to this, most developers were funding and constructing their own projects, leveraging their construction arms. Today there are consortiums of developers and investors coming together to create projects. The market dynamics have changed, and when you have different partners you definitely need an objective observer, someone who knows how to report independently and record on progress, as well as ensure the quality that stakeholders expect to get out of the project.
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