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Diversity & Inclusion in Istanbul

Hosted by: Coca-Cola Peak Games

On Friday 7th November The Chapman Consulting Group, in conjunction with the EMEA BeathChapman Team in Istanbul, co-hosted their 2nd and 3rd HR Leaders’ Networking Sessions in Turkey. The theme of the discussions was Diversity & Inclusion, and its impact on business at all levels, which stimulated valuable discussions and sharing on what co-hosts, Coca Cola and Peak Games, as well as other attendees, are doing in this space. With an audience representing a wide range of sectors, those in attendance represented a number of both large and small firms including Baxter, Deloitte, Estee Lauder, GE, LeGrand, L’Oreal, Merck, Mitsubishi, Nestle, Unilever, Sandoz, and Stryker.

One of the highlights was a presentation by Nurhayat Ulucan, HR Director for LeGrand, in which she shared invaluable experiences and input on improving D & I. Over the past several years, Nurhayat has been working extremely hard to achieve a gender balance in her organisation, primarily at a blue-collar level, in what can best be described as a male-dominated sector. One notable feat has been a programme to introduce female electricians to the company. After an unsuccessful first attempt, she has altered the programme, and she’s hopeful it will be a success early in the New Year. Her passion for gender equality, combined with her uncompromising standards, will no doubt enable Nurhayat to achieve her desired results.

Burcu Cantekinler, HRBP Finance, HR and Legal with Unilever, also shared some innovative practices the company has been implementing over the years, including flexi-hours, maternity/paternity leave, mentoring programmes, all designed to attain the ‘right’ gender balance. Another success story was shared by healthcare company, Eczacibasi Baxter, via a presentation from Asli Dizdar, HR Director. Clearly a passionate HR Leader, Asli provided a detailed look into the many programmes she has been developing, resulting in several ‘wins’ on many levels. Thanks to a number of long term programmes Asli has implemented, over 70% of current employees are female, from the leadership team right through the organisation.

Andrew Bailey, Managing Partner of BeathChapman EMEA, was pleased to see how far many organisations have come, in terms of providing a sound ‘diverse and inclusive’ environment for their employees. “It is mostly the large global players who lead the pack in this area; however, it was pleasing to see some of the larger local firms also embracing a diverse work culture for their employees,” said Bailey. Following a week of HR Networking sessions across Europe, Tim Rayner, a Director of The Chapman Consulting Group based in Spain, was also impressed with the progress made in the Turkish market on this topic. “The calibre of Senior HR talent in Istanbul was evident in these sessions, and the effort that has gone into some of these D & I programmes is purely first class,” added Rayner.

Special thanks goes to Tapaswee Chandele, HR Director for Coca-Cola Turkey, Caucasus, Central Asia Republics, Eurasia and Africa, for a wonderful presentation, and Eda Azaroglu, HR Director for Peak Games, for accommodating us in their excellent conference/academy facilities. We look forward to our next Istanbul HR Leaders’ Networking Session, which will be conducted in February 2015.

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Key Contributors:

Matthew Chapman
Matthew Chapman

Founder

Global Management
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Matthew Chapman
Global Management

Matthew Chapman

Founder

Matthew (Matt) Chapman is the Founder of ChapmanCG.

He has also created the Thrive HR Exchange, a global community platform for people leaders and HR professionals to find and exchange inspiration, ideas and insights. Discover some of his interviews with HR leaders here.

Matt has a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Business Law from the University of New South Wales, Australia. He is a Singapore Citizen and divides his time between Asia Pacific, the Americas and EMEA.

Matt is a wellness, self-improvement and fitness addict. He has completed six desert, 250km ultra-marathons in Chile, China, Egypt, Antarctica, Namibia and Madagascar.

EA Registration Number: R1111550 Licence Number: 08S3543
Tim Rayner
Tim Rayner

Managing Director

Consulting Team
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Tim Rayner
Consulting Team

Tim Rayner

Managing Director

Tim is a Managing Director with ChapmanCG, based in Spain. He conducts local, regional, and global HR searches for ChapmanCG’s European client base. Tim is originally from the UK and his roles have spanned the UK, continental and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Australia.

Throughout his 20-year executive search career, Tim has been deeply involved in recruitment, talent management and consulting within HR. His extensive broad business exposure has helped him build a strong knowledge base across a variety of professional disciplines and sectors on a local, regional, and global basis. Prior to joining ChapmanCG, he was General Manager for Hudson in Australia.

Tim has a BA (Hons) in Business and Tourism Management from the De Montfort University in the United Kingdom and is currently learning Spanish. He also has significant experience as a lifeguard for Surf Life Saving Australia.