Geçtiğimiz Perşembe sabahından beri kendime bunu tekrar edip duruyorum: Başka Bir Dünya Mümkün...
14-17 Ekim tarihleri arasında konferans için Antalya’daydım. Öyle yoğun geçen günlerin ve gecelerin ardından hem bir ortam değişikliği hem de temponun yavaşlaması bana iyi geldi. Hele bir de 16 Ekim öğleden sonrasında sunumum güzel geçince iyice bir rahatladım. Ama yine de öyle aman aman rahatlayamamış olmalıyım ki, son akşam plajdaki karaoke partisinde sahneye çıkmaya cesaret edemedim.
Her neyse, sorunsuz geçen bir etkinliğin son bölümünde bavulumu toparlayıp check-out yaptıktan sonra havuz başına inip bir kahve keyfi yaptım. Yazdan kalma güneşli Antalya havası ile bildirimleri kapatılmış Outlook’un verdiği rahatlık birleşince şöyle çevremi bir gözlemledim. En sevdiğim tatil aktivitesi olan güneşin altında öylece yatan Rus turistleri Ekim ortasında görünce kendime günün gerçeğini hatırlattım: “başka bir dünya mümkün”.
Havuz başındaki kahve keyfi öncesi Insta'ya atılan son hikaye
Otelden ayrılırken, uçakta ve havaalanından eve dönerken de bir kaç kez kendime bu telkinde bulunurken buldum kendimi. Hatta belki başarılı da olmuş olabilirim ki Perşembe gecesi bilgisayarı açmadan erken yattım. Ancak Cuma günü sabahtan bir başka gerçek ile uyandım: yeni pozisyonumda benden bir çok beklenti vardı. Gelen mailler sorular ve istekler içeriyordu ve topladığım enerjiyi adeta emiyordu. Altı gibi yürüyüşe çıkıp rahatlamayı planlasam da o sıralarda gelen bir başka maille yine keyfim kaçtı ve molayı ancak akşam yemeği ile verebildim. Gece bilgisayarı zorunlu bir sistem güncellemesi sebebiyle kapattığımda saat 1’di, yani yeni güne girmiştik.
Bugün biraz kendimle başbaşa kalıp neden bu kadar yoğun ve ne beni bu kadar yoruyor diye kendime sordum. Adeta biraz kendimi tanımaya, kendimle mülakat yapmaya adadığım o anlarda bulduğum cevap şu oldu: özellikle pandemi döneminde kariyerimin en zevk aldığım sorumluluklarına adamışken kendimi hep yalnız ve dedike çalışmıştım. Ancak bugünlerde çok fazla kişiyle yollarım kesişiyor, başka paydaşlarla mutabakata varmak, fikir alışverişinde bulunmak, bilgi alıp, karar vermek gerekiyordu ve bu da klasik Volkan’ın çalışma tarzından farklıydı. Buna alışmak, bu dönüşümü yönetmek beni yoruyordu. Durumun değerlendirmesini yapmak bana iyi geldi, en azından haftasonu bu satırları yazarken iyiyim. Pazartesi sabahı yine bana yüklenen, benden bir şeyler talep eden o mailleri alıp kendi yapılacaklar listemdekilere vakit ayıramadıkça stres yaşayacak olsam da bazı şeyler artık benim için daha net. Bu günlerden de hayırlısıyla geçip güçlenerek çıkacağımı düşündüğümde çok daha iyi hissediyorum. O halde bir kez daha tekrarlayayım: başka bir dünya mümkün.
Rutinlerimi seviyorum ama bir kaç günlüğüne rutinlerimin dışına çıkmayı da seviyorum.
I can hardly believe it has already been three years since I embarked on an incredible journey with PMI Duty Free as a Finance Manager. Looking back, it's remarkable to see how much has changed, both in my professional life and personally.
When I joined the team (on June 1st, 2020) amidst the challenging times of the pandemic, I made a bold decision to move from the beautiful city of Izmir to the vibrant metropolis of Istanbul. It was a leap of faith, but one that has undoubtedly paid off. Embracing this change has not only broadened my horizons but also allowed me to contribute to the growth and success of PMI Duty Free Finance.
During my time here, I have been fortunate to receive recognition for my hard work and dedication. I am humbled to have received the "Excellence Award" and the prestigious "ABCD Award" for my achievements during the transformation of PMI and Duty Free. One particular highlightwas our Finance Transformation initiative in the Duty-Free, which led to our team winning the coveted SFS Co-Pilot Team Award. These accolades serve as a testament to the collaborative spirit and innovative mindset that thrives within our organization.
Looking ahead, I am excited to share that I have set my sights on embracing more global responsibilities. With a passion for expanding my expertise in global finance, I am actively working towards this objective. I firmly believe that by continuously challenging myself and staying abreast of the latest industry and digital trends, I can contribute to the growth and success of PMI on a global scale.
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities, support, and mentorship I have received during my time at PMI. None of my achievements would have been possible without the amazing colleagues and leaders who have inspired and guided me every step of the way.
As I reflect on the past three years, I am filled with a deep sense of pride and gratitude. I am eager to continue this remarkable journey, making meaningful contributions and driving success for Philip Morris International.
Thank you to everyone who has been a part of my journey so far, and here'sto the next chapter of growth, challenges, and achievements together!
Let's remember some of the key take-aways from these three years:
Vay be, sürdürülebilirliği kişisel ve profesyonel yaşamlarımıza entegre etmek için yarıştığımız 4 haftalık bir
maratonu başarıyla bitirdim. Şimdi biraz gözlerimi ve parmaklarımı dinlendirme zamanı.
Mart ayında Philip Morris International (PMI)’ın
sürdürülebilirlik çalışmalarını raporladığı 2022 yılı Entegre Raporu yayımlanmadan
önce şirket içerisinde “IR22 Challenge” (Integrated Report 2022 Challenge) duyuruldu. Sürdürülebilirlik konusunda
herkes kadar sorumlu olduğum için ben de öncelikle çevreme bu yarışmaya
katılmaları konusunda çağrıda bulundum. Smart Work koşullarında uzaktan çalıştığımız için
b en iyi yöntem Yammer diye düşünüp Duty Free ekibimize şirket içi
sosyal platformumuzdan davette bulundum.
Yarışmanın başlangıç
tarihi yaklaştığında kayıtla ilgili hatırlatmada bulunup arkadaşlarımın işini
kolaylaştırmak istedim.
Hatta biraz daha
abartıp, sürdürülebilirlik konusunda farkındalık yaratmak için raporun lansmanının
yapılacağı gün için video bile çektim.
5 Nisan’da PMI’ın
entegre raporunun yayımlanmasını takiben başlayan ve 5 Mayıs’a kadar süren
yarışmamızda her gün bireysel challenge’lar aldığımız gibi, Salı ve Perşembe günleri
de 2022 yılı Entegre Raporumuzdan seçilen bir konu ile ilgili spesifik
challenge’ları tamamladık. 4 haftalık bu süreçte #DoGood adlı uygulamayı
kullandık ve challenge’ları tamamlamak için hem yazılı hem de görsel içerikler yükledik.
Yüklediğimiz bu postlar tıpkı Twitter ve Instagram'da olduğu gibi diğer kullanıcıların
önüne düştü. Paylaşımlarımız tüm kullanıcıların yorum ve beğenisine açık olduğu
için dünyanın farklı yerlerinden PMI çalışanları ile sürdürülebilirlik konularında
görüş alışverişinde bulunma fırsatımız oldu. Yeni insanlar tanıdığım gibi yeni
yaklaşımlardan da haberdar oldum. Tabi ki tüm challenge’lar iş odaklı değildi.
Bireysel olarak sürdürülebilirlik için alabileceğimiz aksiyonları da paylaştık.
Örneğin, duşta müzik dinlemeyi seven biri olarak arkadaşlarımın önerileriyle banyodayken
suyu en az israf edebileceğim pek çok şarkıyı Spotify listeme ekleme şansım
oldu. Tüm bu paylaşımları yaparken bitirdiğimiz challenge’lar, aldığımız ve yaptığımız
yorumlar ile beğeniler sonucunda bir puanlama yapıldı. İlk 2 haftasında lider
olduğum yarışmanın son 2 haftasında ise ikincilik koltuğunu deneyimleyip
yarışmayı ikinci olarak bitirdim.
Bu süreçte her hafta
içerikler içerisinden en’ler belirlendi. Paylaştığım içeriklerin en’ler arasına
girmesi beni uygulamada daha çok vakit geçirme konusunda motive ettiği gibi
takdir edildiğini görmek de hoşuma gitti.
Bu noktada belki de challenge’a
ilişkin tek eleştirim olabilecek konu olan zaman yönetiminden bahsedebilirim.
Telefonumun ekran süresi özelliğinden verilere baktığımda, yarışmanın son 3
haftasında haftalık olarak sırasıyla 19, 23 ve 20 saatlik sürelere ulaştığımı gördüm. Ekran
başında geçen sürenin bu kadar fazla olması, dış dünyadan kopma ve özel
zamanımda ailemin yerine telefonumla ilgilenmem açısından bir dezavantajdı
ancak neyse ki kısıtlı bir süreydi ve yarışmanın bitmesi ile ekran sürem de
yine standardıma döndü. Yarışmanın ciddi bir bölümü Ramazan ayı içerisinde gerçekleşti ve sahura kalktığımda yeni günün challenge'ını tamamlayıp arkadaşlarımın challenge'lara verdikleri cevapları okumak ve yorumlamak adeta benim için bir ritüel haline gelmişti.
Peki bu dört haftalık
sürecin sonunda yeni insanlar tanımak, şirketimizin sürdürülebilirlik
çalışmalarını öğrenmek ve bireysel olarak ne gibi sürdürülebilirlik aksiyonları
alabileceğimi görmek dışında bana ne katkısı oldu? İşte o da bu yarışmanın
ödülü ile Cambridge Institute of Sustainability’ten seçeceğim bir Liderlik
alanında eğitim almak olacak. Yani yolculuk devam ediyor. Şimdi önümde 8 haftalık
yeni bir challenge var.
Bakalım çıkacağım bu
yeni yolculuğun bana ve çevreme nasıl katkısı olacak. Paylaşmaya devam
edeceğim.
Bu arada haftalık ödüllerde
de şirketim yine fark yarattı. Proje ekibimiz sunduğu ödüllerin biriyle treedom
üzerinden adıma ağaç dikerken, diğerinde ise World Wild Life (WWF)’dan sembolik
olarak penguen evlat edinmeme yaptıkları bağışla aracılık ederek doğaya en
güzel hediyeyi verdi. Sürdürülebilirlik adına çok ince düşünülmüş bu hediyeler
için minnettarım.
Unutmadan, şirketimizin
sürdürülebilirlikle ilgili atmış olduğu adımlardan kendi radarıma girenleri
geçtiğimiz günlerde paylaşmıştım. Burada paylaştıklarım günlük challenge’larda fikir
bulmak açısından işimi çok kolaylaştırdı. İşte o fotoğrafları paylaştığım
içerik: Volkan
Yorulmaz: Capture PMI's Transformation Journey towards Sustainability
Yeri gelmişken PMI’ın sürdürülebilirlik konusundaki
hedeflerine, attığı adımlara ve örnek vaka çalışmalarına aşağıdaki linkten ulaşabilirsiniz.
Pau Garcia Milia is a renowned
speaker, entrepreneur and innovation expert who recently held a conference on
innovation that I had the opportunity to join. The conference in Dubai was attended by a large number of PMI Duty Free
employees who were eager to hear Pau's insights and thoughts on innovation.
Pau began the conference by highlighting the importance
of innovation in today's fast-paced world. He explained that innovation is no
longer a luxury, but a necessity for businesses and individuals to stay ahead
of the curve. He also emphasized the need for continuous innovation, as the
world is constantly changing and evolving.
One of the key takeaways from the conference was Pau's
discussion on the role of technology in innovation. He stressed that technology
is an enabler of innovation, but not the only driver. He also talked about the
need to understand the user and their needs, as the ultimate goal of innovation
is to solve real-world problems and improve the quality of life.
Pau also spoke about the importance
of failure in the innovation process. He encouraged attendees to embrace
failure as a valuable learning experience, and not to be afraid of taking risks
and trying new things. He also emphasized the need for a culture of
experimentation, where failures are seen as opportunities to learn and improve.
In conclusion, the conference on
innovation by Pau Garcia Milia was a valuable learning experience for all
attendees. Pau provided a fresh perspective on innovation and the role of
technology, while also encouraging attendees to embrace failure and take risks
in their pursuit of innovation. If you have the opportunity to attend one of
Pau's conferences in the future, I highly recommend it! Thanks to PMI Duty Free Connect Conference organization team to have Pau in our event.
PS: The content including the text
and image is mainly created by the technique shared by Pau in the conference and certainly, there are some personal touches on the text and image. Personally
I am not new to Chat GPT and Canva but the way Pau used these tools in his
speech confirm that I should keep on benefiting from these tools.
I was in the spotlight of Philip Morris International Business Solutions Newsletter for August 2022. I answered 7 key questions so that my colleagues had the chance to know me better. You can find the answers and questions below. Also, a video content about it is here:
1.To start with, can you tell us something unusual about yourself?
Generally, people think about finance professionals as solely analytical persons who are strong at working with numbers, not the words. Yes, I also like to work with the numbers and take actions based on data but working with words, telling stories and experiences are what I am passionate about. I am currently writing for four blogs and creating contents is my favourite spare time activity. Creating interactions with people upon sharing content is like a mystery. I love to share my perceptions, feelings and experiences, and when people read and react, that makes me feel heard and highly satisfied!
2.What was your first job?
My first job was an associate position at PwC. Just after completing my MBA, I started to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and I learnt a lot there in three years. Having the opportunity to see various companies from different sectors and working in cooperation with different team leaders opened the way for learning on the fly. PwC added some key experiences like acting as a well-disciplined professional, becoming a team member and then leading a team. On top of that, I invested in myself and gained CPA certification and passed Capital Markets exams when I was working in PwC. When I was a senior associate, I received a job offer from General Motors (GM) and then I moved from audit to automobile sector. I started as an Accountant in GM and it was a move from one side of the table to the other side: I started to exercise the profession that I audited before, I got familiar with the tax declarations, CRM systems for financial reporting and worked cooperatively with different functions of the business. When I was leaving GM, I was the Internal Controls Coordinator, and this role enabled me to have a presence against the Management Team.
3.How long have you been at PMI and what is your current role here?
When I check my LinkedIn profile, it says that I am working for PMI for the last 9 years and 3 months. Instead of counting the years behind, I am much more focused on the gained experiences and the success stories that we will have altogether. PMI’s smoke-free future vision is so broad, and I believe that each and every colleague has a special role in achieving this objective.
When I joined PMI, it was 2013 and I started as a General Ledger and Tax Analyst in Philsa (production company in Turkey, now it is called PMTM). The key challenge in those years was adapting our financial statements to Turkish Financial Reporting Standards which was a new requirement starting from 2013 fiscal year. Those early days in PMI were so hard with adaptation to a new company, new people, new way of working but also it was one of the best times of my career because we really had fun when we worked together till the midnights. Then in 2017, I was promoted to the Senior Tax Analyst position in the newly found Tax department in Philsa. One of the key skills this role taught me was storytelling or in other words narrating with insights. While tracking the new tax legislations and their impacts on our business, I had to present it clearly to the management team on time and provide not only the highlights but also potential actions to be taken. While I was working as a Senior Tax Analyst, I had the opportunity to work as a Guest Auditor in Corporate Audit during Romania taxation audit. That experience made me find out that working in an international environment was a perfect match for me. Then in 2020, I moved from domestic affiliate to duty free affiliate in Turkey (PM Travel Retail Turkey, PMTR-T) as Manager Finance Legal Entity. All job experiences gave me the opportunity to come out of my comfort zone, meet new people and enrich my perspective. In Manager Finance Legal Entity role, I was able to learn about a unique business-like Duty Free from different angles. The move was a transformation because I not only moved from Domestic affiliate to Duty Free affiliate, but I also moved from my hometown to Istanbul during the hectic pandemic period. For the first time in my career, I reported to a non-Turkish manager who is not located in Turkey and my responsibilities made me start to work in a global environment with different teams from all over the world.
After the Finance transformation within Duty Free, I was promoted to the Manager Finance LE & R2R. I started to supervise the finance analyst in Hong Kong Duty Free affiliate so that I also started to learn from her experiences. Now with Finance as co-pilot, I am as close as possible to the business. I attend regular weekly meetings with Eurasia commercial team and have a space to deliver my expectations and reminders but also provide my comments and guidance on key issues to my stakeholder. Besides, this role teaches me to negotiate and talk with other heads of functions, and provides exposure to other departments like Commercial, Legal, Procurement, Business Solutions, CoE Finance, etc. I am so happy to be a part of PMI Duty Free and I feel “space to deliver” here, thanks to our DF Finance team for showing their full support to the initiatives I bring. That makes my efforts meaningful.
4.Lately, you have submitted an initiative to the Innovator’s Club. Can you please tell us what drove you to come up with your initiative and what was the final result of your submission?
In Turkey, we need to document contracts which are subject to stamp tax calculation and then before the closure of the year, we need to notarize this list of contracts. Previously this process was followed up in ordinary stamp tax book by handwriting. Managing a stamp tax book required a lot of manual actions. It was not possible to share certain pieces of information with other colleagues without taking pictures of the pages. A repository was created for all contracts initiated in PM Turkey with the help of Microsoft Lists. In the newly created list, we can easily maintain key information such as contract date, name of the party, subject, start and end dates, tax base, tax amount and status. In addition, MS Lists has a feature to embed links, so we can maintain the link to the soft copies of contracts or CLM where we can see the approval status in the contract lifecycle management platform.
As a meaning creator, I like to share my key learning with my teammates and colleagues. The Innovator’s Club opens the way for knowledge and experience sharing and it motivates followers by the success stories of other colleagues. This motivated me to share my quick win with a wider audience through the Innovator’s Club. When I saw that my submission was prized in R2R that made me extremely happy.
5.Would you recommend other colleagues at PMI to take part in Innovator’s Club and if so, why?
Certainly, I would recommend my colleagues at PMI to take part in Innovator’s Club so that they can create meaning for other colleagues as well. The Innovator’s Club is a great tool for spreading the good examples and let our colleagues know about them! It is a living repository where people can be inspired from while benefiting from the wins of their colleagues.
6.If you could have lunch with one person ever living in this world - who would it be and why?
I would like to have this special lunch with Jeff Bezos. Although I read the book “The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon”, I feel like there are still a lot that I can learn from his mindset. The skillset he applied in his leadership is so brave and uncommon. I would also like to ask him about the negative feedback (on his management style) he receives from his employees. And possibly, I can’t stop myself asking which areas to invest in both for personal growth and financial freedom.
7.After hours, what are you passionate about?
I love to walk by the seaside. Thanks God, İstanbul is a lovely city with great walking paths. While I am listening to my favorite podcasts, I walk and reach my daily walking target. Apart from its positive impact on my well-being, I also have space to think about my projects and plans while walking. When I am at home, I read books from my e-book reader. Since 2019, I am mostly reading from e-book reader because I can take notes and highlight sections of the books. After completing the book, I work on these notes and convert them into blog posts. Writing is my passionate hobby. You can read my notes from the books I read in my blog dedicated to such contents: MyHighlightz.blogspot.com
Cesar Pavese wrote, "We do not remember days, we remember moments." 2022 June was filled with such lovely ones because together with the enthusiastic organization team, we organized PMI Duty Free Global Conference on 14 and 15 June 2022 in Istanbul. Our objective was to create a memorable event for PMIDF staff to connect with their colleagues and build together a successful future for the organization. In Istanbul, Madrid, and Bang Kong hubs, we as a project team organized a hybrid event including interactive webcasts, inspirational guest speakers, interactive and off-site team activities.
After having an excellent global conference with “Connect” theme, it was great to know that our colleagues in Istanbul, Madrid and Hong Kong were highly satisfied and glad to re-connect after those hard pandemic days. Following this successful planning and event management, PMIDF operation team recognized the efforts behind this event.
Our role, commitment, and enthusiasm in the organization of the CONNECT 2022 Duty Free Conference is recognized and honored by the Recognition of Excellence award.
It is almost three months over the event and what I can tell about PMI Duty Free Global Conference is that it was an event with moments to remember. And once again, I want to underline that I thank God to be a part of PMI Duty Free team and we will make history together in PMI’s journey to deliver a smoke-free future.
In PMI Duty Free, there is an initiative which has been developed
by the Finding Balance, Building Connections Project Team to address the need
of providing more opportunities to Duty Free organization to interact with the
Operations Team members with smaller groups and at the individual level and get
to know them as a person and as a leader more closely. During these sessions,
we have the time and the opportunity to interact 1:1, ask questions and share
views.
On 2 March 2022, I had the chance to join the Icebreaker Session
with Martin Jobin. Martin is currently working as Global Head Consumer
Experience, Marketing and Digital in PMI Duty Free. He previously worked as Content
and Activation Director Europe in Nissan Motor Corporation, Digital and
Communication Manager in Infiniti Europe and Global Digital Senior Manager in
Volvo Car Group.
Before the meeting, I just had the chance to google “Martin Jobin”
and saw that Volvo still publishes his comments on their official site. Martin
stated that “We are becoming a centre of excellence in interactive marketing”
for Volvo. This is truly a transformation in automotive sector. After reading
this statement, I decided to ask Martin the question below:
“How do you transfer the knowledge you gained from automotive
industry to our smoke-free future vision? When you turn back to your career in
PMI, which project or success story makes you most proud of?
Thanks to Martin, he answered my question frankly and shared some
key digitalization projects in PMI. He told that all success is a team effort.
He also highlighted that Scandinavians were so good at digitalization in early
2000s. He made us remember Nokia and Flash, and stated that Volvo was a cutting
edge in automotive industry in those years.
We were 11 colleagues together with Martin during the session. My
colleagues asked personal, professional and corporate level questions and I
learned a lot from Martin’s answers. Leaving the business-related topics away,
let me write down his recommendations on career management. Here are some of my
key take-aways from this session:
·Don’t
overestimate the other industry. In every industry, we need to adapt so many
things. Don’t think that things do not change, they do.
·When you are
new to an organization, first understand the organization. Learn who does what.
·Make sure you
always work on interesting projects. Ask yourself these questions:
oWhat do you
want your CV to show in 20 years from now?
oWhat is my
elevator speech?
·Be mobile,
reach different experiences, be curious about business needs. Make sure you
understand the business roles and think about what is required to make it
happen.
·Continue
learning not to fall behind. Always grow yourself.
·Don’t stop
planning for the future.
·Empower your
team. Make sure you have an exit to relax, spend time with friends and spare
time for sport.
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