Employee Profile

“I have had a chance to contribute in a lot of different areas (at Cargill). I also work with great people in a positive environment.”

I work on a lot of different projects in Cargill. Each project has its own difficulties, uncertainties, risks and objectives. The key to success is to work with high caliber people, but more important than that is to work as an integrated team. If we work together as a team, support each other and share our knowledge, we can achieve the best results, catch opportunities and develop more fully.

Describe your work responsibilities and the importance of your role.

As Technical Manager for a plant, I am responsible for engineering, maintenance activities and utilities operations. It is an extended responsibility beyond the lifecycle of a project. In other words, I am responsible from both the project phase and operational phase. While the engineering team is executing the projects, the maintenance team is keeping the plant available and reliable. I need to look from both perspectives while doing my job.

Describe your day-to-day activities and the skills needed to perform well.

I work together with the project teams. I attend some of the critical activities of different projects like design meetings, risk assessments, site work follow up, etc. I spend some of my time on maintenance and utilities operations. I periodically attend their meetings, and sometimes join root cause analysis. I prepare project report updates. I follow up on budgets for projects and closely maintain them. In my role, you need to have prioritization and delegation skills to perform well in these areas.

Describe your career path. Where did you start and how did you get to where you are today?

I started first in the automation team as an automation engineer in 1998. At that time, the Orhangazi plant was under construction. I worked on the automation of this new plant. I became the automation coordinator in 2001 and automation manager in 2004. I was assigned as the engineering manager of the plant in 2006. Finally, I became the technical manager in December 2013.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

As a technical team, sometimes we work on projects, sometimes we make changes to improve reliability, sometimes we try to solve a problem or fix something at the plant. Every day brings different challenges. Finding a solution together with my team is the most rewarding thing about my work.

Why did you choose to join Cargill and what keeps you here? In other words, how has a career at Cargill helped you to thrive?

As I was looking for a new job in 1998, my goal was to start working for a multinational company. Cargill was investing in Turkey at that time. I thought that it would be a good opportunity for me to apply for the job advertisement for an automation engineer. I had some experience in process control and I had completed my masters degree in modelling. My role at Cargill has never been repetitive or routine. I have been assigned additional responsibilities every two to three years. I have had a chance to contribute in a lot of different areas. I also work with great people in a positive environment.

What advice would you give someone interested in a career at Cargill like yours?

There are some topics that are more important if you want to have a successful career path at Cargill. You need to show ownership for your personal development, always look for opportunities and try to be a constructive team member.

Share an interesting tidbit about yourself such as hobbies, volunteerism, favorite foods or activities, accomplishments inside or outside of work.

I spend most of my time with my family outside of work. I like traveling with my husband and daughter. We like skiing together in the winter.