Sevdil Yıldırım, one of the successful female managers who has made a name for herself in the public and private sectors in the fields of economy-finance, investment banking and industry in her 36-year professional career, has been serving as the CEO of KITA Logistics since January 2024. Yıldırım said, “I am happy to take part in the corporate growth journey of KITA Logistics, one of the well-established organizations of our logistics industry.”

Can you tell us about your education life, the profession you dreamed of as a child, and your career plans?
I am a graduate of Middle East Technical University (METU) Faculty of Business Administration. After starting his business life, respectively; I completed the master’s program at METU Department of Economics, the master’s program in Finance at London Business School, the Sustainability and Circular Economy Program at Cambridge University and finally the International Functional Medicine Academy Coaching Program.
I have always been very interested in international issues, team sports and folk dances. In general, I have always been a very successful and admirable student in my classes. When I reached high school age, mathematics and physics were by far the fields I enjoyed the most, so while I was thinking of becoming a computer engineer, I entered METU Business Administration with high scores. Afterwards, I continued in this field because I loved both my school and my profession after graduation.

36 YEARS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTOR
How did you climb the career ladder in business life?
In my last term before graduating from METU Business Administration, I decided to work in the field of economics and the public sector. After months of preparation, I started working at the Capital Markets Board. More than half of my nearly 36 years of professional life, where technical equipment and merit are the main criteria at each stage, have been spent in capital markets and investment banking, first in the state and then in leading domestic and foreign institutions of the private sector. After my investment banking period, I worked as senior managers in domestic and international capital companies in the manufacturing industry and consumer goods sectors, service sectors such as aviation and logistics, infrastructure sectors such as renewable energy, and investment sectors such as venture capital and real estate management. In addition to working as a director, coordinator, and deputy general manager, I also served as a Board Member and CEO in leading organizations in their sectors, mostly public companies.

How did you step into the world of logistics after economics-finance, investment banking and industry?
My first encounter with the logistics industry was during my investment banking period, thanks to the port privatizations initiated by the Turkish state for the first time. At Yapı Kredi Investment, where I was the Deputy General Manager, I served as an advisor to local and foreign strategic investors, first in the privatization of Mersin Port and then in the privatization of Izmir Port projects. Since there was no private port yet at that time, I learned a lot from the local and foreign strategic investors I worked with. Later, a holding company in which I was a senior manager was the strategic partner of a company that was already a leader in refrigerated air transportation, and I took part in corporate finance solutions related to the financial growth processes of this company. Again, in the investment company of the same holding, we aspired to privatize bridges and highways. In this privatization, which was the world’s 2nd largest infrastructure project at that time, the consortium of which I was the Project Leader won the tender; Even though it was canceled later, I did very valuable work on the logistics industry with valuable technical consultants around the world. The fact that the logistics solutions of MDF companies, which are heavily importing and exporting, or food companies, which also have extensive domestic distribution, where I work as CEO, are largely carried out in-house, has required me to always be close to the logistics industry.
In January 2024, I joined the corporate growth journey of Kıta Logistics, one of the well-established organizations of our logistics industry. As the CEO of KITA Logistics, which contributes to Turkiye’s foreign trade in land, air and sea transportation on all continents, I am very pleased to be able to create value together with many female managers and employees for the sake of my fellow humans.
As KITA Logistics, almost all of our turnover is foreign trade; Therefore, as the reliable and preferred solution partner of our customers, we have to think and do business in international standards. Currently, we can say that the male-female density within the company is 50 percent to 50 percent and is quite balanced. Not only at the expert level, but also in my position as CEO, there are many senior and middle-level female managers; I’m very proud of them. We will have new projects to set an example not only for Turkiye, but also for our global competitors, in terms of the ratio of female employees and managers. In order to make a difference in global trade; There are many beautiful projects that we will realize with the meticulousness, inclusiveness, risk and cash management, emotional intelligence, resource efficiency and creativity of women. We will do all this with the cooperation of men and women, as KITA.

THE IMPORTANCE OF MERIT AND TALENT HAS INCREASED
What are the easy and difficult aspects of being a female manager?
There are a few points I would like to emphasize on this subject. First; Institutions and organizations that believe in rational management and want to create value look at professional merit. As the successive crises not only in Turkiye but also in the world increased the importance of technical equipment, emotional intelligence, financial management and risk management, as well as the unpredictability in the markets, the importance of merit increased and the need to bring people with different competencies to the table became more evident. This situation created awareness about women’s participation in the workforce and decision-making processes.
One of the difficult aspects of being a female manager; First of all, the struggle you have put in to overcome the obstacles you have faced to get to this point, the extra effort and overtime you have put in. However, when you do all of these with skill and overcome obstacles, you will actually be able to combine much more competence than a male manager in the same position as you.
Another challenge of being a female manager is society’s tendency to judge according to stereotypes. Even in developed economies today, they still consider your female identity ahead of your professional competencies, not only in companies but even in normal social life. As reported in research by international organizations such as the World Bank, female managers often do not have the same financial opportunities as male managers doing the same job. As international research and studies were shared by leading organizations and individuals, and as world-class universities such as Harvard showed interest in this issue, the unfair treatment faced by female managers began to become more evident.
One of the easy aspects of being a female manager; Women’s high sense of empathy. Women’s better language and communication skills and their motherly spirit can make the solution much easier in situations that require teamwork and inclusiveness. Women can be much more successful leaders in today’s world, where “collective intelligence” is even more important; Because he can focus not only on his own success but also on the success of the entire team. In today’s world, a female leader can perform these competencies called “soft skills” naturally.

‘SOLUTIONS ARE MULTI-FACED LIKE THE PROBLEMS’
What kind of manager are you?
I am a manager who attaches great importance to merit, competencies, justice and good will, regardless of whether they are men or women. My colleagues say that my sense of empathy is very high. It is a production that attaches importance to strategic and analytical thinking, creating value, and managing micro as well as macro. I emphasize teamwork and collective benefit; What is essential for me is to bring the team to a point where it can perform at its highest level for the “benefit of the collective”. I try to approach events and problems from multiple perspectives, but in the end I act decisively. I attach importance to early risk detection and crisis management skills as well as being able to evaluate growth opportunities well. I am open to different competencies and perspectives, but I attach importance to principles. Generally, I give great importance to being a good listener, getting to the root cause, process analysis, using resources efficiently and creativity. I think that solutions can be multifaceted, just like the problems.