Sevdil Yıldırım, CEO of KITA Logistics: A Woman's Success is hidden in her DNA!

In her 36-year professional career, Sevdil Yıldırım, one of the prominent women executives who has made a name for herself in the fields of economy-finance, investment banking, industry in both public and private sectors, has been CEO of KITA Logistics since 19 January 2024. "A woman can be a much more successful leader in today's world where collective intelligence is even more vital; because she can fulfil the competencies called 'soft skills' such as cultivating and growing with labour and patience, and putting the interest of the collective ahead of her own ego in her own natural way." said Yıldırım and summarized the characteristic features of women's career journey as professional merit, intense labour and determination. 

Could you tell us about your academic life, the profession you dreamed of as a child and your career plans? 

I graduated from Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ) Faculty of Business Administration. After starting my career, I completed the master's programme at ODTÜ Department of Economics, the master's programme at London Business School Finance, the Sustainability and Circular Economy Programme at Cambridge University, and finally the International Academy of Functional Medicine Coaching Programme. As a child, my career plan was to avoid becoming a banker like my parents. Of course, this remained a beautiful memory that I look back on with a smile. Because in the 1980s, during my university years, when the economy underwent major restructuring, and in the 1990s, when the financial sector flourished, the capital markets and investment banking profession became very attractive.

I don't recall considering a specific profession when I was young, but I do remember having fun playing with the beautiful trucks that my uncle, who was a banker in Germany, brought to my brother as a gift, which at that time were unique in Turkey, both as toys and as real vehicles. I have parked many trucks on the road-patterned Turkish carpets in our house and made deliveries (here she laughs). Likewise, I loved games involving buying and selling and food trade.

I have always been very interested in international issues, team sports and folk dances. When I reached high school age, while I was thinking of becoming a computer engineer, as mathematics and physics were by far the fields I enjoyed the most, I entered ODTÜ Business Administration with a high score, due to the misfortune of the ÖYSS system at that time. Afterwards, I continued in this field because I loved both my school and my profession after graduation.

36 YEARS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR 

How did you climb the career ladder in your professional life?

In my last semester before graduating from ODTÜ Business Administration, I had decided to work in the field of economics and in the public sector. The Prime Ministry Capital Markets Board, which you could enter after months of preparation and days of multi-stage exams, was an institution with a strong emphasis on merit and professional excellence. In the same period, I also successfully passed the exams of the Central Bank Money Market; however, I preferred the Capital Markets Board. This was the beginning of my professional life, which was characterized by an intense pace. 

More than half of my nearly 36 years of professional life, during which technical competence and merit were the main criteria at every stage, was spent in capital markets and investment banking, first in the state and then in leading domestic and foreign organisations of the private sector. After my time in investment banking, where I worked as a senior manager of investment institutions from Turkey and the USA, I worked as a senior manager in companies with domestic and international capital in the manufacturing industry and consumer goods sectors, such as food, MDF, glass, service sectors such as aviation and logistics, infrastructure sectors such as renewable energy, investment sectors such as venture capital and real estate management. In addition to my roles as director, coordinator and assistant general manager, I also served as a member of the Board of Directors and CEO in leading companies in their sectors, most of which are publicly traded companies.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MERIT AND TALENT HAS INCREASED

What are the easy and difficult aspects of being a female manager?

Books could be written on the difficulties of being a woman in business life. There are a few points that I would like to emphasise more methodically here. Firstly, institutions and organisations that believe in rational management and want to create value take professional merit into account. In the early years of my professional life, public and private sector organisations that were differentiated in the fields of economy and finance were the ones that implemented this best, not in name but in practice. Over time, with the impact of increasing market competition, internationalisation/globalisation and technological development, the shift towards rational management has emerged as a serious need in other segments of the industry and service sectors. As the consecutive crises experienced not only in Turkey but also in the world have increased the importance of technical competence, emotional intelligence, financial management and risk management, as well as the unpredictability in the markets, the importance of merit has increased and the need to bring people with different competences to the table has become more evident. This, in turn, has created an awareness of women's participation in the labour force and decision-making processes.

One of the difficult aspects of being a female manager is the extra effort and overtime you put in to overcome the obstacles you face in order to reach this point. However, when you fulfil all these with perseverance and overcome the challenges, you actually become capable of harbouring much more competences than a male manager who occupies the same position as you. 

Another difficulty of being a female manager is the society's tendency to pass judgement according to stereotypes. Today, even in developed economies, they still see your identity as a woman in front of your professional competences, not only in companies but also in ordinary social life. As reported in the researches of international organisations such as the World Bank, women managers often do not have the same financial opportunities as male managers in the same positions. Some 15 years ago, even a complaint by a female manager on these issues was a topic that was unpopular in society. However, as international research and studies have been shared by leading organisations and individuals, and as universities around the world such as Harvard have taken an interest in this issue, the unfair treatment faced by women managers has come to light more and more.

One of the easy aspects of being a female manager is that women have a high sense of empathy, as proven by scientific studies. Of course, I must emphasise that we are talking in general; this situation may vary on an individual basis. Women also have better language and communication skills, and their maternal spirit can facilitate solutions in situations that require teamwork and inclusiveness. In today's world where "collective intelligence" is even more important, a woman can be a much more successful leader because she can focus not only on her own success but also on the success of the whole team. Women are able to "cultivate and grow with labour and patience like tilling a field thousands of years ago" and put "the interest of the collective" ahead of their own ego. In today's world, these competences, which are called "soft skills", can be fulfilled by the woman leader naturally.

How do you evaluate the concept of "glass ceiling" in women's career journey?

In their career journey, women face inequalities of opportunity or inequalities of value due to both social conditioning and the fact that the business world is mostly male-dominated in the form of a "boys club", closedness to different talents and competencies, and capital structures based on individuals and heritage. As companies become institutionalised by enriching their competencies in the face of competitive conditions, the "glass ceiling" can be broken by determined and committed female managers. However, in any case, this process takes place with great sacrifices. It is very crucial for a female manager to receive support from her family and close environment in her career journey, which can be quite challenging. A woman who works and manages does not have to give up her "womanhood"; she does not have to lose the chance to be a very good wife and mother. However, sometimes due to the simplicity of the society, sometimes due to the low level of education and awareness, the female manager may face social judgements as if it is not enough to put extra labour, brains, hours and perseverance to reach certain points. There is a lot that can be explained sociologically on this subject, but it may not fit in an article...

'SOLUTIONS ARE MULTIFACETED LIKE THE PROBLEMS' 

What kind of a manager are you?

I am a manager who attaches great importance to merit, competences, justice and goodwill, regardless of gender. My colleagues say that I have a very high sense of empathy. I have a structure that attaches importance to strategic and analytical thinking, creating value, and managing the micro as well as the macro. I emphasise teamwork and collective benefit; the indispensable factor for me is to bring the team to a point where it can show the highest performance for the "benefit of the collective". I try to approach situations and problems from multiple perspectives, but in the end I act decisively. I attach as much importance to early risk identification and crisis management skills as I do to making good use of growth opportunities. I am open to different talents and perspectives, but I emphasise principles. I generally value being a good listener, getting to the root cause, process analyses, efficient use of resources and creativity. I believe that solutions can be as multifaceted as the problems. 

How did you step into the world of logistics after economics-finance, investment banking and industrial sector? 

The first time I came together with the logistics sector was actually during my time as an investment banker, thanks to the port privatisation initiated by the Turkish state for the first time. At Yapı Kredi Investment, where I was an Assistant General Manager, I worked as an advisor to domestic and foreign strategic investors, first in the privatisation of Mersin Port and then in the privatisation of İzmir Port. Since there were no private ports at that time, I learned a lot from the domestic and foreign strategic investors I worked with. Later on, I worked as a senior executive at a conglomerate, which was already a strategic partner of a leading company in cold storage transportation, and I took part in corporate finance solutions related to the financial growth processes of this company. In this privatisation, which was the second largest infrastructure project in the world at that time, the consortium in which I was the Project Leader won the tender; although it was later cancelled, I made valuable studies on the logistics sector with very valuable technical consultants around the world on this occasion. The fact that the logistics solutions of MDF companies, which import and export intensively, or food companies with intensive domestic distribution, where I served as CEO, are largely carried out in-house, required me to always be close to the logistics sector.

In January 2024, I joined the institutionalisation and growth journey of Kıta Logistics, one of the well-established companies of our logistics sector. As the CEO of Kıta Logistics, which contributes to Turkey's foreign trade in all continents in land, air and sea transportation, I am very pleased on behalf of both sexes to create value together with many female managers and employees. 

'WE WILL HAVE NEW PROJECTS FOR WOMEN'

Sevdil Yıldırım stated that Kıta Logistics is an institution that provides equal opportunities for women and men, rewards value creation on the basis of merit, and values the strengthening of the social position of women: "As Kıta Logistics, almost all of our turnover is foreign trade; therefore, as a reliable and preferred solution partner of our customers, we have to think and do business at international standards. Currently, we can say that the density of men and women in the company is 50 per cent to 50 per cent and quite balanced. Not only at the expert level, but also in my position as CEO, there are many senior and mid-level female managers; I am very proud of them. We will have new projects to set an example not only for Turkey but also for our global competitors in the ratio of female employees and managers. In order to make a difference in global trade, there are many beautiful projects to be realised with the meticulousness, inclusiveness, risk and cash management, emotional intelligence, resource efficiency and creativity of women. We will do all these with the cooperation of men and women, as KITA." 

''PROGRESS CANNOT BE STOPPED!'' 

Sevdil Yıldırım said that it is an undeniable fact that there are geographical and cultural differences in the conditions of access to quality education for girls in Turkey. Yıldırım said, "In their career journeys, I take great pleasure in seeing women who participate in business life with much more awareness than yesterday; who value their professional and personal development and the value they add to society in a way that is not any less than their aesthetic appearance, and who embrace their lives with passion." Yıldırım emphasised that despite all the resistance encountered, progress cannot be stopped. Stating that women are getting stronger in business life and adding more value to the society as they get stronger, Yıldırım added: "I commemorate with love and respect all enlightened people, both men and women, who have fought against gender discrimination, who have set an example for their time and those who came after them so that women can look forward to a bright future with our heads high, especially our ancestor who saved Turkish women from the darkness of history."