Yusuf Tokdemir

I always believe that leaders must have absolute integrity. They must be open, honest and worthy of trust. Of course, their abilities to innovate, execute and being a strong role model for their staff are in top priority in today's hypercompetitive business world.

Clearly, I have to say that the success of a business and/or operations depends on the capabilities of a leader that reflects a cluster of skills, knowledge and behaviors. If the level of capabilities is great, the operational excellence and organisational agility will create competitiveness.

Ülkemiz tarım sektörünün gelişmesi, rekabet gücünün artması ve daha çok ihracat yapmamız, ülkemizin ekonomik olarak gelişmesi ve halkımızın refahı için son derece önemli.

Today, companies are competing to produce food with high levels of safety and free from contaminants and disease. They are taking actions in food security and apply safety standards to achieve a strong, safe, stable and healthy food system. Regulatory structures are being very strict and consumers are increasingly concerned with the safety and ethical production of food products.

We are entering a hypercompetitive business world. It brings rising complexity, uncertainty and risk . Companies are competing to create more market shares, making M&A, entering new markets, making joint-ventures, establishing networks, developing and launching new technologies, products and services according to the customer needs.

İnsanlarla konuşurken yakınlarından pek çok kişinin hastalıklarla uğraştığını öğreniyoruz. Genelde gıdaları suçluyorlar. Hastalıklara baktığımızda ise kronik hastalıklara yakalandıklarını görüyoruz. Hatta bazı müşterilerim, el yapımı %85 kakao içeren butik çikolatalarımızı alırken “diyet yapıyorum, bir tane bile yiyemem, kilo alırım” diyor. Hâlbuki 10 gram %85 kakaolu çikolata, düzenli tüketildiğinde pek çok yararı var. Buradaki ana sorun fiziksel aktivite eksikliği. Sadece diyet yaparak kilo probleminin çözüleceğini sanıyorlar!

I believe that every agrifood company must create a strategic growth plan, lead and improve their profit margins. The Turkish labour force is 28.8 million and 25% of this workforce works in agrifood sector. I know that Turkey has enormous opportunities in agriculture and food industry. It accounts for 7.1 percent of the country’s GDP. The sector’s financial contribution to the overall GDP increased 43 percent from 2002 to 2014, reaching USD 57.2 billion in 2014. Clearly, Turkey is one of the largest exporters of agricultural exports in the region and it has a USD 5 billion of trade surplus.

Uzun yıllar ilaç ve gıda sanayi üretim, Ar-Ge ve tedarik zinciri yönetiminde çalışmış biri olarak inovatif yeni ürünler geliştirmenin Türk ekonomisine büyük değer katacağına inanıyorum. Gıda ve tarımsal ürünler üreten firmalara ve fabrikalara yaptığım ziyaretlerde yeni ürün geliştirme konusunda iyileşme yapılması gerektiğini gözlemliyorum.

As an agrifood industry supply chain and manufacturing operations expert and consultant, I visit, consult and support many companies. I see that many company owners want to develop and launch new food and drink products to the Turkish and global markets. Of course, this is an excellent way.

When I was in a company, I saw that they prepared a lot of documents with the rules and regulations that must be read and applied during the operations. They were complex. The top management had complaints about the people. I saw that they injected a mechanistic process, boredom and drudgery. I know that everything should be clear, open, practical and simple to apply.