Beer Group President / CEO (Genel Müdür), Anadolu Efes Biracılık ve Malt Sanayii A.Ş.
Anadolu Efes Türkiye Genel Müdürü Onur ALTÜRK
Değişen iş dünyası ve beraberinde değişen gündemler...
Başarılı kariyer yolculuğunun adımları,
Çalışma hayatında yenilikler,
Yöneticilik ve liderlik karşılaştırmaları,
Yeni liderlik kavramları,
Farklı kuşaklarla birlikte çalışabilmek
Şirket gündemi ve tüm merak edilenler....
Kendi günümüzde ve saatimizde🚀
Umut KILINÇ ile 12 Buluşmaları'nda #Linkedin live canlı yayın konuğu Anadolu Efes Türkiye Genel Müdürü Onur ALTÜRK⭐
#insankaynakları #ik #yönetim #işdünyası #kurumsal
About Onur Altürk
Onur Altürk, Beer Group President and CEO of Anadolu Efes Biracılık Ve Malt Sanayii Aş, participated in several interviews and podcasts between December 2022 and February 2025. In a February 2025 podcast for the Anadolu Efes Startup Fest, Altürk discussed the company's approach to entrepreneurship, stating that the company seeks solutions to real problems through internal and external entrepreneurship, and has found effective, fast, and affordable solutions. He expressed excitement about the potential of artificial intelligence to bring new innovations and accelerate processes. Altürk also noted that the company has an open innovation platform called True Future, where they listen to and pilot projects with startups, and have reached the purchasing stage with two of them. In a March 2024 interview, Altürk discussed his career journey, including his background as a 1975 Konya native who studied at Middle East Technical University. He emphasized the importance of teamwork, continuous learning, and raising children as global citizens with technology, digitalization, and foreign language skills. He stated that he has seen very few people who worked hard without receiving corresponding rewards, and advised that hard work has no alternative. In a December 2022 interview, Altürk described companies as living organisms that are dynamic rather than static, and emphasized the value of diverse perspectives and intergenerational collaboration, noting that a company with people of the same age and background cannot be successful. He also reported that 2022 was a difficult but successful year for the company, with all targets met despite challenges such as supply chain issues, raw material inflation, and decreasing purchasing power.
Transcript (66 segments)
N
Narrator0:00
[Music]
Companies are living organisms—they breathe, feed, grow, and evolve. Like any living being, they are not static but dynamic. They contribute to life as products and services, create value, meet needs, and go beyond just fulfilling them to enrich and diversify life. Change and renewal within these organizations are natural processes.
Over the past year, he has been responsible for defining the strategies that will carry the company securely and confidently into the future with strong growth—ensuring thousands of employees work with high motivation, focus, and dedication toward a common goal in this highly competitive market. He successfully manages interconnected processes including production, marketing, and sales, ensuring Anadolu Efes is a leader not only in its own sector but across many areas. For four years, he served as Sales Director of Anadolu Efes's Turkey operations, and one year ago was appointed to the General Manager position. Welcome to our 12 Encounters with Umut Kılınç—our live broadcast guest is Anadolu Efes Turkey General Manager Onur Altürk.
U
Umut Kılınç2:19
Welcome.
O
Onur Altürk2:21
Umut, good morning. Hello, how are you? Thank you. How are you?
I came for a pleasant conversation.
U
Umut Kılınç2:30
Yes, thank you. I've set the stage briefly for this sector with its unique characteristics and your role within it. But I want to start immediately with a question I'm curious about. You're marking one year in this general manager role. As we all know, beginnings are very important. How did this period go? Were you able to reach your goals? How do you evaluate this year?
O
Onur Altürk3:04
Umut, thank you first of all for inviting me here. We'd been talking about this for a long time but couldn't find the right time—if you ask why, it was because of that busyness. We tried hard but had to postpone it. 2022 was a very intense year, a very interesting year for me.
I've been working in Turkey since 1998. Every year has different characteristics, but this year was truly interesting—the difference between the beginning and the end was enormous. Very serious inflation, rising numbers, declining consumer purchasing power—dealing with all that while a war broke out nearby, bringing import-export difficulties, supply chain breakdowns, resources being disrupted or not reaching us. It was truly an interesting journey, and I already knew it would be from the start.
Leading such a large, influential company that has left its mark on Turkey's social life was truly very enjoyable, very special, and very proud for me. But from a business perspective, it was a tough year for all companies in Turkey and indeed around the world. I think it was somewhat even more difficult for us due to Turkey's own specific problems. But at the same time, it was very enjoyable—exhausting but enjoyable.
In general, people learn a lot during role changes early in their careers. Even at 23, 24 years into my career, I learned a great deal. It was very enjoyable for me because so many new things came into my life, so many new responsibilities. I felt I was learning and developing myself. I rediscovered the pleasure of learning—that bombardment of information.
U
Umut Kılınç5:15
What was the most important thing you learned? Is there something you could summarize in a sentence?
O
Onur Altürk5:23
I really enjoyed it. Think about it—after graduating from university, you start a job. I worked at four companies and changed departments frequently—commercial marketing, sales operations, field sales. Each role change teaches you something. In your career, you should never say 'I don't want this responsibility.' I was always like that. Every new role gives you a chance to learn—you learn so much, and your responsibilities grow. I rediscovered that pleasure. With so much information bombardment and the size of the organization, that learning pleasure gave me a wonderful feeling—like a beautiful taste returning from the past. I rediscovered the joy of what I do.
Targets and numbers are one thing, but for 53 years this company has supported Turkey's social life, cultural life, sports, cinema, theater, agriculture, and farmers—adding value everywhere it has touched. Working at such a historically significant and impactful company in Turkish history is very proud. It was exhausting but that pleasure truly reminded me of it again. It was exhausting but equally enjoyable.
U
Umut Kılınç6:59
We've talked about your career journey—different departments, different management positions, a successful career path. In recent years, the business world—especially since the pandemic—has made this distinction between management and leadership very popular. Beyond classic definitions, as someone living this professionally: when people say 'the management era is over, the leadership era has begun,' what are the similarities and differences for you? Do they intersect, or are they completely different worlds?
O
Onur Altürk7:56
These are very broad questions that could take three days to discuss. Leadership is an incredible topic—we've been thinking, discussing, and debating it for a long time. About a month ago, we recorded a podcast with Serdar Kuzuluk specifically on leadership. But it was so broad that we had to split it into two episodes. It's a vast, constantly evolving topic that has occupied people's minds since the beginning of history. So creating a single framework or definition is truly difficult—I don't think one can remain correct because it changes over time.
If we try to draw a framework, the fundamental difference between leadership and management—what makes leadership extraordinary—is that it's not a fixed characteristic. It's dependent on the person. Being very smart doesn't mean it, being very strong doesn't mean it, being very resilient doesn't mean it. In management, I think those definitions remain more fixed. Every leader probably needs to have been a manager at some point, but leadership is evolving into something else. A leader is about time—a changing spirit of the times. As that spirit of the times changes, leadership becomes what emerges in that context. It requires contextual intelligence—capturing that context and creating opportunities within it.
Today's leadership is different from yesterday's. For example, social media usage—new leaders must use social media very well, keep up with the digital world, support digitalization, and guide the organization in that direction. In the past, management was more about keeping the boss and shareholders happy. Now in new leadership, you need to keep all stakeholders in the system happy—you must explain to everyone why you do this work and motivate them. Especially the new generation is looking for meaning, which is very normal and correct. It's not just performance anymore—it's what that performance is for, what purpose it serves.
Leadership is changing colors, changing form, becoming contextual. The leader demonstrates that contextual intelligence and gathers people around a vision to move the organization forward. Management skills are perhaps still needed for people management and other areas, but leadership is evolving into something else—you need to go beyond that. If you ask me for the difference, I'd say the early stages were administration, but the shift has become so clear that only those who adapt are called leaders now.
U
Umut Kılınç11:35
Exactly, I was about to bring that up. Yes, while we used to talk about situational leadership, suddenly the term 'compassionate leader' emerged. Then collaborative leadership appeared—those Harvard Business Review articles about a new type of leadership. Which one would you describe your own leadership as? Compassionate? Collaborative? Is there a definition you'd apply?
O
Onur Altürk12:13
A leadership model? Am I collaborative? Let me think about it together. None of these models is exactly right on its own, but I do have a model I always measure myself against. It evaluates across five areas—I'm not hung up on the specific numbers, just where I stand personally.
One is expertise—do you know what you do, do you master the fundamentals of your work? There's a warrior leader—competition is naturally one of the qualities a leader needs. Then there's a nurturing leader—the third area—nurturing the people working with you, being inspiring. In recent times, there's also a spiritual dimension that's emerged. The fourth area is visionary leadership—can I set enough vision and gather people around a purpose? The fifth, which relates to what you mentioned about compassion, is about what's at the center of that circle: wise leadership. I always look at these five criteria and try to measure myself against them. There needs to be a balance—you can't just be an expert or just be nurturing while the other areas are lacking.
When you look at it that way, I'd say collaborative leadership. I'd like to be that way. As I said, having worked in many positions across four companies, I learned one thing: you're only as strong as your team. That definition of leadership evolving—maybe we can also look at it this way. Previously, leadership worked through command and control in a single area, but now there are so many connections, so many areas to master. I always come back to this: you're as strong as your team, and many things need to be gathered there. This collaboration—and there are two concepts: diversity and inclusion, these are the things this era demands.
More voices, more democratic leadership—hearing all kinds of ideas, hearing every kind of thought—there's no such thing as a stupid idea—and gathering that from every level of the organization. From entry-level newly graduated employees, from your own team, from the leadership team—you need to hear and evaluate all of that. When people talk business, I believe titles should be set aside. Everyone is equal, everyone can say everything, there are no stupid ideas. And you learn so much from these people too—especially from Gen Z, who were born into innovation. So much is coming from them, so much information and data—you must listen to them and collaborate with them. Otherwise, you can't catch the times, you can't capture the spirit of the times, and you risk falling behind.
U
Umut Kılınç16:02
Speaking of Gen Z and teams—'you're as strong as your team' is a great definition. A leader's success fundamentally depends on bringing different people and teams together toward a common purpose. But this isn't easy, because 'different people and teams' now includes different generations. Let me share a statistic: by 2025, Gen Z is expected to make up 27% of the workforce in developed countries and one-third of the global population. We used to talk about Millennials as the largest generation, but now Gen Z is overtaking them. We have Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and now Alphas are preparing for careers. I conducted a survey before this broadcast: if you had a choice, would you prefer teammates and managers of the same age or different age groups? 26% said same age, while 74% said different age groups—a significant majority clearly wants to work with people of different ages. How do you evaluate this result?
O
Onur Altürk18:00
I think the expected result has come out. If I had voted, I would have been in that 74%. These topics have truly evolved. Diversity and inclusion—those two concepts I mentioned—actually encompass different ages, different cultures, different backgrounds, different disciplinary experiences across sales, marketing, production—all that diversity. And this is no longer a secret: it's a richness. Good ideas, good practices come from this diversity and difference. Companies are now actively pursuing this. Teams that are all from the same mentality, same background, talking about the same things—it's very hard for something new to come from them. Innovation is important in today's world, and it comes from these mixed groups.
Think of a project team—we're really thinking hard about this. We work with very different generations together. Being a 53-year-old company serving many different areas, we work with many different generations. I've experienced this firsthand as a great richness. We set up project groups with Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z—each bringing very different characteristics and ideas to the table. Gen X had more responsibility, longer hours, less digital world. Gen Z was born into innovation—they know everything, they're very adaptable, very flexible. They can move quickly between topics, but having a Gen X person in that project group can bring it all together. I see all of this as richness and believe it produces great results. You shouldn't be too hung up on age differences—times have changed. What matters is putting that diversity and inclusion on the table.
Conflicts will arise too—they must arise. What matters is healthy conflict—a comfortable discomfort, if you will. Growth requires these things. I think they resolve quickly and easily now. People have become more understanding. A Millennial in a project group has learned a lot from Gen Z colleagues—we now understand that too. When I first started, I ran a reverse mentoring program—I listened to people from different levels, ages, and experiences across the organization. I spoke less and listened more. It was extremely beneficial. I'm still trying to listen more and learn more.
The key thing here is learning. We have a lot to learn from Gen Z and Millennials, and they can bring a great deal as part of the team to the table. Conflict is very normal—when healthy frameworks are established and a safe working environment is provided, it becomes fuel for innovation, good ideas, and field implementation. I see this as great richness. I actually find it very dangerous when it's missing—a company where everyone is the same age, same background, talking and thinking about the same things cannot be very successful, especially in this period.
U
Umut Kılınç22:27
Yes, openness to new perspectives and ideas is very important, and that requires new talent. Now, there's a brain drain worldwide and especially in our country—a significant loss of talent. Young generations are leaving, across many different professions. We went from the Great Resignation to the Great Quiet, but talent has become much harder to find and retain. How do you evaluate this situation, especially for young people?
O
Onur Altürk23:17
Finding talent and retaining them was always difficult. Our employees and talent are companies' greatest asset, their strongest muscle. Finding that talent and benefiting from it while keeping them inside has always been important. But in recent times, this has become even more crucial. The examples you gave are right—we've talked a lot about brain drain. It's not just young people—very serious professionals are leaving too, 20-year veterans. I've seen many friends leave. This period has made it even more important. We need to think about it differently, perhaps with different methods.
Finding talent and retaining them is now more important than ever. We need to talk a bit about 2023 and the future—it will be tough. We know that. The difficulty of 2020 was different, and 2023 is coming with different challenges. But I understand why talent is leaving—I used to get angry at friends, asking where they're going, but now I understand. The situation has changed. But I look ahead with great hope—I believe it will be very good.
The future will be very good. Turkey has gone through many such difficulties—looking back, it has been very crisis-resistant, has overcome many challenges and turned them into opportunities. I was working during the 2001 crisis, during 2008. The world isn't used to this—I think that's the problem. As you mentioned earlier, supply chains broke down, inflation rose worldwide to levels not seen since World War II in many developed countries. But Turkey has experienced very similar things before. I was in the working life and saw these, so I'm not worried. I believe we can again create opportunities and produce great work.
My biggest personal expectation is to create space again for these talents here in Turkey, to ensure they have a say in Turkey's future, to stop the brain drain if possible, and to start reverse migration. This is one of our most important tasks.
U
Umut Kılınç25:59
That was the world agenda. Now I'd like to ask about the company agenda. We're entering a new year—what is the current company agenda before this new year begins?
O
Onur Altürk26:14
Let me summarize our company agenda and share what's on my mind. We've discussed this with teams, but let's talk about it here too. 2023 will be a tough year—same things we're carrying from 2022: supply chain issues, raw materials, inflation, declining purchasing power. I don't want to paint too pessimistic a picture, and I'm not pessimistic. We closed 2022 very well, reached all our targets. It was a tough but successful year.
For 2023, what my team and I see when we look at what to focus on—first, a simplification agenda to help us focus on what matters and commercial opportunities. Second, agility, which was crucial in 2022 during the pandemic. Being an agile company—seeing opportunities in time, reacting quickly, turning commercial opportunities into cash, implementation, and service. Companies that had this agility won in 2022. The third is taking ownership—standing behind your work and always trying to do better. Even if it sometimes leads to mistakes, I'd rather make mistakes aiming for something better than do nothing. I want to learn from those mistakes.
These three areas will be our focus in 2023, but we've put something even before all of them—a compass. We did this in 2022 too: the consumer. There's no surprise there—it's always been like that, but this time the consumer is more important than ever. We want to listen to the consumer, do everything the consumer says, and not insist on anything the consumer doesn't want. So consumer insights will be one of the key differentiators in competition in 2023. That's the path I've roughly drawn.
U
Umut Kılınç28:52
Listening to employees was especially critical. During the pandemic, we always talked about applications aimed at employees—increasing engagement and happiness, especially retaining talent, and with new generations, companies' criteria for being preferred have changed. Strengthening the employer brand through various applications—what can you tell us about the current applications for employees at Anadolu Efes?
O
Onur Altürk29:31
All companies have been doing things since the pandemic, and we closely follow them. You know this from HR too—we work on the same team. What we've always expected, especially at a company like Anadolu Efes that values its employees, has been to focus on this. Employee engagement—we've done it in previous years and continue trying in everything. I personally follow all the areas that come out of this—whether actions are being taken. We've divided into groups, added employee representatives, broken into small groups, and formed working groups. We try to take action on every issue that comes up, and where we can't, we try to explain openly.
But the pandemic brought something completely different. We all realized that employees' mental, social, and physical well-being became very important. We all remembered the importance of health once again. So many programs focused on this area emerged in companies. We started a program too—'All Well.' As you know, we had many social clubs, sports teams, and daily activities. We brought them all under one roof, added company support—music, yoga, running, food, cinema, many things, including sailing as I recall. We tried to support them with bonuses and added various applications.
Our main goal here was for employees to feel better, to cope with stress—both raising awareness and supporting them as a company. We continue to improve this based on feedback from employees, and we'll keep investing in it. This is now part of our working life. It started with the pandemic, but I think it will continue even after the pandemic. I support this and believe it should continue. We all work very intensely, and in that intensity, we miss things—work-life balance. These activities remind us and give us breathing room. I believe this will and should continue.
U
Umut Kılınç32:08
Speaking of employee applications, questions are now coming in. What is being done for those who want to work at Anadolu Efes, or how does one get to Anadolu Efes? What suggestions would you have?
O
Onur Altürk32:28
[Music] We try to meet young people on many platforms. For example, we try to meet through the entrepreneurship platform. Since we're a very social company, I speak wherever I go and try to respond to messages from social media.
We care about this—working together. We have many university programs. Let me share some numbers: our friends worked very hard on this. We held 76 events with university students across 13 provinces and 27 universities, reaching a total of 23,000 students—an incredible number. We go and talk to people about Efes, about what it means to be part of Efes. These are very enjoyable conversations. I also participated in a program at my own university, talking with young people and answering their questions.
We also have an award-winning internship program called 'Project Future.' We received over 6,000 applications from 31 different universities, and 100 university students have started work at our company through this program. I'm very happy about this—it's a program that received an award. My recommendation is to participate in these opportunities. When I graduated in 1998, such opportunities didn't exist. I don't want to sound like an old person, but they truly didn't exist—no internship programs, no digital world, you couldn't find or access them. These internship programs are very important for young people. I invite all young friends to look into these—our university events, and all our channels. As a digital company, we've come a long way in our digitalization journey, and we try to answer everyone who reaches out through those channels.
U
Umut Kılınç34:45
We have a nice question here—I'll take it. The person's name isn't shown, but they ask: 'You say you're as strong as your team, but how much importance do leaders actually give to this?'
O
Onur Altürk34:59
That's something I believe in—that's why I said it. It's not something very programmed or something I wrote down to say, but you learn this over time. It comes with experience. Your talent lifts you up, your team pulls you down. There's always that saying—a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Leaders who don't give this enough importance won't remain leaders for long, or the organization won't reach success. You're as strong as your team, so you must invest in your team members' personal development. I'm trying to be a collaborative leader—I try to listen to everyone on my team, make time for them. We make all decisions together with the team—democratic, with everyone's ideas on the table.
Thank you very much. These are wonderful comments—it's great to hear them. Seeing the reflection of our work outside, seeing it resonate, is wonderful.
In 2023, we'll continue adding value—this is at the top of our company's mission. We have a vision like every company, but Anadolu Efes has always been more than just a business. I mentioned at the beginning—for 53 years, this company has held an important place in these countries' histories, in their social lives. For 40 years, it's been an agricultural company working with farmers. Supporting cinemas, theaters, organizing festivals—this company has left its mark on Turkey's social life. That taste it leaves will continue. This is one of our responsibilities. We will continue adding value wherever we touch Turkey's social life. This is something we will never give up—it's the company's strongest attribute.
Festivals will continue, support for arts will continue, support for cinema and culture will continue, support for agriculture and farmers will continue, and Anadolu Efes will continue providing benefits to all stakeholders in this ecosystem. Sustainability is a topic we work on intensely—we've set very serious targets for ourselves, including the proportion of women among employees, which is very important to us. We've set challenging targets and will continue pursuing them. Anadolu Efes will continue being Anadolu Efes in 2023.
U
Umut Kılınç38:31
A question came in: 'What will Mr. Onur's own +1 be in 2023?'
O
Onur Altürk38:42
Good questions coming in. My own +1 in 2023—as I mentioned earlier, we closed 2022 having reached all our targets. It was a tough but successful year. 2023 will also be tough—there are many uncertainties ahead. By the end of 2023, I hope to be +1 beyond 2022, both in numbers and other areas. Since taking on this role, I've been working on certain things and want to make more progress. I hope the opportunities—both our agenda, macroeconomic conditions, and our country—will allow us to have a better year than 2022. We're ready to work hard. Our plans and programs are set. I believe we'll go one step further. As we've always been, +1. 2023 will definitely be 2022+1—at least for us it will be.
U
Umut Kılınç39:44
That's a wonderful definition. Now, before I close every program, I ask one final question. For young people who haven't yet entered the working life or are in its very early years—their future—what would you say to them as a final message?
O
Onur Altürk40:05
I'd tell my young friends...
...there are libraries and research platforms, and what comes from these is incredibly valuable. They should be hopeful. I'm very hopeful about young people. In 1919, Turkey's greatest leader said, 'All my hope is in the youth.' If Atatürk could be so hopeful during that war era in such a country, we should always have even more hope. Today's conditions are very different, but I believe in a very good future.
My advice to friends is to know themselves very well. We sometimes miss this. Some things may sound cliché—like when you're in job interviews, they ask 'Where do you want to be in one year, three years, five years?' It sounds cliché, but it's not. When people ask themselves these questions—not in a job interview but genuinely—these are meaningful questions. They should try to bring these out. Be sure about what you love, what you enjoy. Read about it, research it, develop yourself. People who develop themselves and become global citizens will win.
Look at which professions will exist in the future—there's incredible research out there. And it shouldn't only be in Turkish. That's why I want them to learn languages—I recommend it. Research from foreign sources too. What will the future look like? Where are things heading? Which professions are going somewhere, which will cease to exist? I'm reading about this now and learning very fascinating things. They need to look into this, do the research, read a lot, and don't be lazy—work hard and research.
To summarize: follow their curiosity. If they know themselves and follow that curiosity, everything else falls into place. Some friends might say it's hard to find a job, pointing to market conditions—but the things I've described are exactly what differentiate you. I know it's not easy to do, but the opportunities are there. The only thing needed is to be hardworking, curious, follow that curiosity, develop yourself.
For my own children, what I envision is global citizenship—with foreign language skills, knowledge, and experience. I know it's hard, but there's an incredible world out there. They should research opportunities to see different experiences abroad—places where you can go affordably or with scholarships. Expanding that perspective and knowledge will become important. My advice is: read, research, and follow through. My advice to Umut: don't just wait for luck—sometimes you need to create your own luck.
U
Umut Kılınç43:56
Thank you very much for joining us.
O
Onur Altürk43:59
Thank you. Thank you so much for having me, for making time. Thank you, take care, all the best.
U
Umut Kılınç44:06
Goodbye. Until next time.
N
Narrator44:14
Today in our 12 Encounters with Umut Kılınç, we were with Anadolu Efes Turkey General Manager Onur Altürk. We discussed new agendas in both the business world and working life, popular topics, and the company agenda. We've come to the end of our 12 Encounters with Umut Kılınç. Thank you to everyone who joined. You can find all our broadcasts later on the Umut Kılınç YouTube channel. Thank you everyone, goodbye.
[Music]
[Applause] [Music]