BUSINESS LIFE / TÜRKİYE'NİN EN ETKİLİ 50 CFO'SU

SPECIAL REPORT

Anadolu Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Onur Çevikel says, "Our balance sheet is much more resilient than before." Divan Group Deputy General Manager for Finance and Business Development, Ali Kemal Bak, states, "We created a strategy based on realities." Eksim Holding CFO Bora Çermikli highlights that they managed to access credit with low margins. Amgen Turkey Finance Leader Güven Duran emphasizes the importance of predicting scenarios in advance. Mey Diageo CFO Özlem Yeşildere reminds us that they were selected as the team that created the most value. Enerjisa CFO Dr. Philipp Ulbrich states that they maintain strict cost discipline. SAP Turkey and Southern Europe CFO Buluş Fidan Tüfekçi says, "We have integrated artificial intelligence into financial processes." PepsiCo Turkey Senior Director of Finance İpek Süzmetaş mentions their focus on agile management. Enerjisa Üretim CFO Mert Yaycıoğlu states, "We have digitized 90% of our recurring financial processes." Uludağ Energy Group CFO Duygu Tokgöz draws attention to the importance of staying liquid. Based on our research of Turkey's best-managed companies, here are Turkey's 50 Most Influential CFOs.

Özlem Yeşildere

Mey Diageo Deputy General Manager Responsible for Finance and Digital Transformation

Mey Diageo CFO

"We Were Selected as the Team That Created the Most Value"

"On a global scale, Diageo Turkey's finance team won awards for being the team that created the most value and for expertise in cash management. Drawing from my experiences in Turkey, I successfully led the Global Cash Council in addition to my role in Turkey."

The recent period was one of high inflation and instability. Agricultural products, which are the cornerstone of our industry, saw even higher price increases. Additionally, due to the sector's dynamics, excise tax hikes led to an increased need for working capital. In this unbalanced and liquidity-constrained environment, the most critical need was to focus on structural improvements to reduce costs.

"We Engaged in Strategic Revenue Management"

We streamlined our product portfolio and supported it with innovation. Through strategic revenue management, we aimed to manage channels and product specifics correctly to generate additional income. Effectively managing inventory, debts, and receivables to reduce working capital needs, while being meticulous and balanced in customer portfolio and channel management, was a critical success factor for us. Supporting this with digital transformation was also key. As a result of all these efforts, Diageo Turkey's finance team won global awards for being the team that created the most value and for expertise in cash management. Drawing from my experience in Turkey, I successfully led the Global Cash Council along with my responsibilities in Turkey. Inflation creates a very inefficient and complex performance landscape for institutions and increases the importance of finance managers. My most significant contribution was identifying the sales channels and products that would make a difference in the big strategic picture, enabling detailed work, increasing sales and profitability while reducing working capital needs and costs. Ensuring high returns on expenditures and investments was also crucial.