Ferruh Girgin about Central Asian market
Only Kazakhstan alone is the 8th biggest country! He is the country manager for all of Central Asia — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia. Ferruh has spent almost 20 years in Arcelik and has worked in many different locations. We asked him about his experience and the challenges he faces in his job.
It’s a big pleasure for me to be responsible for such a big region and develop our business here in Central Asia as well. Today, Beko offers products and services to many different regions of the World. No doubt all starts are challenging, however when you think of over 40,000 employees throughout the world and remember the success then you fully believe that there is no reason to think it’s hard. We are here to succeed and all challenges are accepted for success.
It had been almost 20 years that I worked for Arcelik and such a nice coincidence that at the very beginning of my Arcelik career Uzbekistan was the first country that I was responsible for. I graduated from Eastern Mediterranean University, Business Administration Faculty. After my university degree, I moved to California, USA. I got my Marketing Certificate from the University of California, Irvine and meanwhile, I had started to work as a franchising director for a medium-sized company. After second year I had decided to start my MBA at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Then I moved back to Istanbul, and started to work for Arcelik Company as a sales representative.
As I mentioned Uzbekistan was the first market that I was responsible for. Compared to that time and now – there is a huge change, huge development in the country. During my career path, I have been responsible for many other regions, countries. After the Uzbekistan sales representative role, I had been Manager of CIS countries. Then for middle East countries — Israel, Palestine, Syria, and Lebanon. My career developed and I was appointed as the manager of 28 countries in Central Africa, like Nigeria, Gabon, etc. After this, I went to Western and Eastern Europe and was the manager for Benelux countries, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, and Hungary. Last year as of 1st September I was appointed as a Country Manager for Central Asia based in Kazakhstan. I had moved to Almaty alone at the beginning due to pandemics however this year my family had also moved here in Almaty.
In the very beginning, there were only four people — me, our finance manager, sales representative, and marketeer. But today we are one team of 21 people in our new office. Besides our local team, we also take all the support from the headquarter in Istanbul. So, we are having new ties to the region.
Why did you choose Arcelik 20 years ago?
Arcelik is such a brand that does not only offer the most advanced technology, the best service, and products, it adds value. As an individual who grew up with the value that the Arçelik brand adds to our country, I wanted to join this great team because I want to be a part of this success. The day I had started to work for the international sales department, the export part was 30-35% of the sales, now it's 70%. We acquired a lot of companies, one of the biggest is Hitachi. I truly believe Arcelik is the best place to work. It gives options to the people to grow within the company. If I went back to my 20s at the beginning of my career, I would choose Arçelik Company again.
Well, there are many achievements that we did with all team during these last 20 years. We had a big success in numbers and I was also the one who had reached numerical achievements in the regions that I was responsible for. But for me the main achievement is to be agile with all changes. I have managed more than 50 countries – each country has their trade rules, law, sales & marketing competition. To adapt all newness each time and reach targets without losing motivation and passion is a real achievement.
I mostly worked on emerging markets, those markets are not always flat, there are always ups and downs. During the period that I was responsible for Europe, I realized it can be so different when everything is flat, and you are just slowly increasing your market share. However, it's not the same in emerging markets and to be honest I love this challenge.
We are a global company shaping the future and it's amazing to be a leader in this change.
Tell us more about your team
We are a very new team. I am happy to share that each of us has great experience and talent as well as the excitement, passion to be successful. Each of them has full competence in their fields, and now is the time to connect with each other as a team and achieve success in harmony. And I am so proud that the team has already started to achieve this – soon to be showing in numbers.
We are targeting to be one of the main players on the market, especially in Kazakhstan, both in quantity and volume. Our company’s main target is to be in the top three of the brands of the country. Now we are around the 5th position — depending on the product group. So first, we will be #3, and then #1.
You manage such a big region; how often do you have to fly?
Quite a lot, but less than before. I miss flying without PCR tests or vaccination certificates! I have 6 countries; I have to go to each of them every quarter or at least half a year. So, I make 10-15 visits, on top of that I go to the Arcelik headquarter and on a personal vacation, so I fly 20-25 times a year, every two weeks.
What kind of connections do you have with Russia?
We are supplying refrigerators and washing machines from Russia, also we are supplying from Turkey and from China. I’m reporting to the director of Russia, Mr. Orhan Sayman.
We became a part of Russia as of January 1st, 2021, and right now we are in the same region — Russia, Belorussia, and Central Asia. We are having great support from all members of the Russian team and there are nice achievements in Russia we would like to be in parallel.
Kazakhstan is very similar to Russia in many senses (organized retail chains, customers behavior), so we are trying to copy-paste some successful solutions.
What about the rest of the markets? Are there any similarities to the Russian market?
Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia are very different, we have a lot of challenges there. The logistic solutions are also difficult in Central Asia due to no seas in those countries. Low GDP is also another challenge. Most of their income is dependent on Russia, people work there and send money back home. Unfortunately, due to pandemic conditions, we had a hard time last year. But Russia has opened borders and companies have had a chance to restart construction and other businesses. Among all countries our second focus is Uzbekistan and the third is Mongolia. Those countries have great potential. I think those countries will soon have more financial freedom. The Silk Road that is going through Central Asian countries to Istanbul and Europe will be flourishing again, that’s where all the investments of the countries will go.
Yes, I had a chance to visit Russia last April and have to say that Moscow is an amazing city. Looking forward to visiting again.
How would you describe your region in a few words?
Challenging, Promising, Sustainable, Target oriented
What kind of leader are you?
Arçelik is always with you in the changing world. And as the leader of this beautiful team, I would like to say that I am here to change the market dynamics with togetherness, passion, and respect all together with my team. My door is always open to each of my colleagues. Whenever they need support, questions, or disagreements, I prefer to communicate. Business in emerging markets is like a zigzag so we should be open to each other and communicate.
I want everyone in the team to be happy and excited because I fully believe that it's when you do all your best to achieve your goals. This is what I do for the last 20 years…
