Can you tell us about your background?
I was born and raised in Ankara. After I graduated from high school, I was accepted to the Faculty of Mining Engineering at Çukurova University and went to Adana. After college, I decided to move to Istanbul to be with my brother. I wanted to finish my military service as soon as possible without wasting time. Until my military service, I spent some time exploring Istanbul and seeing the possibilities of a city completely different from Ankara. During this period, I experimented with working in many different sectors I was curious about. For 6 months at a time, I worked on sets for TV shows, in the kitchen of a first class restaurant, at a start-up… Post-military, I started working in a company that designs marketing and customer loyalty programs.
How was your start with Boni Global and why did you join the company?
I was working at another company when Boni Global was founded. I wanted to leverage my experiences and knowledge for our own company and support Sarper so I joined Boni Global in 2013.
How are you balancing work and life as a new dad?
I can’t wait to go home every day after work? Out daughter Deniz is 20 months old now. The pandemic and working from home actually gave new parents the opportunity to spend more time with their children, so it was a good experience for me. I didn’t struggle a lot because after the pandemic, the process of transitioning into work life was slow. Because she expects a lot of attention, I enjoy working all day at the office and then going home and spending time with my daughter.
You were working on finding a new office space and setting everything up during the quarantine. How was this process and what kind of challenges did you face?
After the first cases were identified in Turkey, we immediately started working remotely as a company. In this period, we decided to move from a plaza environment to our own space and found our new office. The pandemic reminded us the importance of getting fresh air, so we decided to move to an office with a backyard. We did the repairs and renovations for the office very carefully, with only 3-4 people working together at a time and using masks and disinfectants constantly.
What kind of protective measures were implemented in the office?
We made sure the layout of the offices were done according to social distancing rules. We have hand sanitizers at every desk and at the entrance of the office as well. We try not to have guests at the office often these days and wear masks when needed. We also have regular cleaning and disinfecting at the offices.
What are some of the new procedures and processes implemented at the new office?
Our flexible working policiy is still in place. We are a 20 people team but the number of people wh come to the office at any given day is around 8 to 10. We never pressure our team members about this issue.
How do you think managers should deal with a crisis? How can they ensure their team stays motivated?
There is a solution for everything. It is important that we try to see many perspectives and ideas to come up with a solution, rather than fueling up the crisis and making it seem impossible to get out of.
How do you see the future of Boni Global in the coming years?
We have an amazing team, our products are functional and beneficial for all. Our ability to adapt rapidly to newly developed technologies differentiates us. We have an understanding of the real needs of our clients and solve their problems, which makes our clients trust us. I believe that in the near future, we will have rapid growth in the international aren as well.
