NAVIGATING THE SHIFT FROM HIGH INFLATION TO A STABILIZING ECONOMIC LANDSCAPE IN OUR COUNTRY
This time, I would like to share an interview I conducted with a successful business partner in the electronics and digital sector, highlighting his valuable insights.
Mürsel Özçelik and his team have been our trusted partners for many years, beginning with the merger of our smaller businesses in the same field. By pooling resources and growing together, we achieved significant success. We went public while retaining a controlling stake in Penta, and our growth has continued. My deep trust in the Penta team is well-placed, as we have collaboratively developed a synergy and partnership model defining our approach to business and operations.
In this interview, you will gain insights into Mürsel and his perspectives. You will also discover how he transformed Penta Teknoloji, how he’s navigating the current shifting economic conditions, and what he anticipates for the near future.
- Reflecting on the concept of “individuality” and “becoming the best version of oneself,” how did your journey to becoming the person you are today begin 30 years ago? What kind of family environment accompanied you along the way? Considering the significance of your decisions, how have these values that make “you” today influenced your perceptions of happiness, trust, and loyalty? How have they ultimately shaped your worldview?
From the start, the idea of ‘we’ has been integral to my life, as I was born a twin. Then, being the eldest son of a family with six children, I started working as an apprentice carpenter in my father’s workshop at a young age—around 7 or 8 years old—solidifying that sense of “we” alongside my father and family. By the time I was 11 or 12, I had not only become quite skilled as a carpenter but also started excelling in school, especially in math and science. This gave me a real boost in self-confidence. Growing up in a hardworking yet modest family taught me to value what we had rather than dwell on what we didn’t. We concentrated on working hard and achieving success, which has shaped who I am today.
I believe that individual happiness comes from being part of a “we” and from sharing. I also think that living an honest life is crucial for building trust and loyalty. When I meet someone new, I start with a full measure of trust, but based on my experiences and observations, that trust can shift over time. Essentially, I follow the philosophy that everything a person does is ultimately for their benefit. Whether someone acts positively or negatively, they are ultimately pursuing their own interests—either gaining or losing. Maybe this outlook is why I gravitate toward like-minded individuals who share these values.
- Do you find time during your day to take personalized “short breaks” to support your well-being and find a balance between your work and personal life?
Engaging with young people, especially by supporting their education and having personal conversations with the young employees in our company, provides me with an excellent break. In addition, customer visits and meetings also serve as moments of pause for me. Given my role and age, while I still closely follow the day-to-day business, I no longer have an agenda as packed as before. In this sense, having a strong upper management team makes my life much easier.
- Handling a packed schedule and making top-priority decisions demands effective time management. What’s your approach to this? For instance, how do you plan out your week?
In recent years, I have placed a strong emphasis on empowering upper management and positioning highly competent people in key roles, and I have always planned accordingly. A key decision for me was stepping into the role of executive director with our recent management change. Given my many years of experience in the sector, this move allowed me to step away from the daily grind to some extent, and developing a team of capable individuals has granted me significant freedom in managing my time. Now, I focus my time on guiding efforts that will have a fundamental impact on the company and make significant contributions, whether it’s in financial matters, with customers and suppliers, or most importantly, in technology. I plan my schedule to ensure these initiatives simplify life for both our employees and upper management. The formula here is proper delegation: entrusting tasks to others, ensuring the right people are trained for the job, and making sure they are truly capable of handling it.
- Generating and implementing new ideas is crucial for success. While innovation, creativity, and staying current with trends are important, the real challenge lies in capturing and bringing these ideas to life. How do you create opportunities for this? What is required? What is the upper management’s role in this process? How do you approach this at Penta Teknoloji?
Innovation from a management perspective involves two key approaches: supporting and incorporating the ideas generated by those directly involved in the tasks to elevate the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations. This approach allows us to better understand the tasks and challenges faced by our operational staff, contribute to the process, and occasionally provide solutions from a broader viewpoint. Our core philosophy is to leverage technological opportunities and conveniences in the most compatible way with our business needs, which requires placing both the people managing the processes and those developing the technology in the same space. Given my engineering background, extensive experience in the IT sector, and my role as the founder and long-time manager of the company, I position myself not to delve into every detail but to intervene in the areas I find important. I focus on directing issues to the right areas and improving efficiency, rather than getting involved in each tiny detail.
- Do you believe there is a universal formula for effective leadership? Is leadership a style, or does it encompass various elements? Can you provide insights from your own experience?
First and foremost, effective leadership starts with honesty and reliability. A leader must be consistent, much like maintaining a white surface without a stain—careful attention is required to preserve its clarity. Hence, a good leader should avoid either having or showing personal weaknesses and embody passion, hard work, and a genuine commitment to guiding their team. A leader should be able to explain any rules and address concerns and be open to implementing practices that resolve concerns from employees, including being willing to remove certain rules if necessary. Accordingly, I think leadership involves managing emotions and empathizing with employees while staying focused on achieving success.
- The world is undergoing rapid and radical changes, with the technological revolution posing significant challenges to companies. These changes affect not only our professional lives but our personal lives as well. Are current company cultures adequate for balancing work and personal life? How is this balance reflected at Penta? What is the most important value for Penta in this scope? Does the company need to adjust its values? If we view this as a chain, what are the essential links, and how does upper management support them?
First of all, our sector and experiences guide us in leveraging technology effectively. In this context, we are quite fortunate. At Penta Teknoloji, our culture places the highest importance on the health and well-being of our employees while maintaining a strong commitment to excellence in our work. Penta’s core values, including ethics, diversity and inclusion, trust, success, and most importantly, a focus on people, underpin and support all these aspects.
- Can you share a message that highlights Penta Teknoloji’s vision and mission for both its customers and employees? What does this message stand for and why is it important? Are there any new ideas or upcoming projects for Penta Teknoloji that you haven’t yet revealed?
When we established Penta Teknoloji, our goal was far beyond just starting a business; we aimed to realize our dream of bridging Türkiye with technology. Our vision is to empower our partners, making them stronger and more competitive as we grow together. Essentially, we aspire to be more than just a technology distributor; we strive to be Türkiye’s premier value-added technology distributor.
Our mission outlines how we plan to make this vision a reality. For us, technology is not merely a business—it’s a core value. We create innovative solutions to deliver this value effectively, enhancing our partners’ efficiency and streamlining their business processes. This approach ensures a rewarding experience for all involved. While we offer consumers the finest technology, we also inspire our employees with our commitment to transforming Türkiye.
To us, this endeavor is not just a job—it’s a mission and a dream. We are thrilled to work towards achieving this dream together.
- Digital transformation is a journey that boosts competitiveness. But when and where does this journey end, if at all? How does Türkiye differ from the rest of the world in this regard? What benchmarks should be used to assess the success of this transformation? What steps are you taking to ensure meaningful progress in this process?
First of all, digital transformation is an ongoing journey. While it may slow down once a certain level of maturity is reached, technology’s constant evolution requires us to continually update and enhance Penta Teknoloji’s infrastructure. This enables us to seize new opportunities and offer improved, sustainable services to our partners. We sometimes need to make more fundamental changes approximately every 8 to 10 years.
On a global scale, we sometimes lead and sometimes follow our competitors. However, we are currently well-positioned compared to other distributors and competitors worldwide. It’s worth noting that IT investments in more developed countries are significantly higher than in Türkiye.
For transformation to be successful, it is crucial to accurately understand business processes and implement systems that simplify tasks for both employees and customers, ensuring smooth, error-free operations. The positive feedback from our customers about the portal we provide and their overall experience highlights our competitive edge. Ultimately, achieving straightforward, solution-oriented digitalization that allows customers to manage their work efficiently is the key to success.
- It is common for CEOs to have backgrounds in engineering or finance. What do you think drives this trend? Do you believe there’s a specific age at which someone is suited to become a CEO? What are your views on age differences in the workplace? How should we prepare younger generations for the upcoming changes? Are there specific considerations older generations should keep in mind when working with younger colleagues? What should both age groups focus on in the medium to long term? What are the most important areas or skills they should invest in for themselves? How is your company preparing its employees for the future?
CEOs are often chosen from engineering or finance backgrounds due to their analytical skills, financial expertise, and results-oriented, solution-focused approach. However, individuals from other disciplines can also become CEOs if they possess strong mathematical abilities, passion, and leadership qualities.
In my view, a CEO should generally have at least 15 to 20 years of experience, though exceptionally talented individuals might achieve this in less time. Age diversity in the workplace is crucial to leverage both dynamism and experience. Limiting employment to a specific age group is not ideal for diversity and inclusion. An organization should include employees of all ages for balance, with younger employees advancing based on their performance and serving as role models.
It is important for different age groups to empathize with one another, understand diverse backgrounds, and approach each other with tolerance rather than judgment. I believe our company culture strongly supports this ethos.
Our Human Resources department conducts various training sessions annually, focusing on personal and professional development as part of our talent management program. We also provide support for employees pursuing postgraduate degrees during work hours. As long as our employees are willing to grow, we are here to help. Whether it’s leadership training, English courses, workplace safety, or financial literacy, we offer a broad range of opportunities to support employee development.
- What benefits do you derive from the Board of Directors? Are there any changes you would make to the Board? How should the performance of the Board of Directors be assessed?
“As a member of the Board rather than the executive team, it’s best if I refrain from answering this question directly,” said Mr. Çelik; however, after my insistence, he provided his perspective as follows:
Penta Teknoloji was founded in 1990 as a startup with my university friends. Back then, running a startup meant striving for significant goals with limited resources. To thrive in the fast-evolving tech world, we had to be adaptable and innovative. These challenges taught us resilience, creative problem-solving, and fueled our drive to grow our business passionately. Over the years, we learned that success is not just about financial metrics; corporate governance is also vital.
Joining Yıldız Holding showed me that being part of a company’s decision-making mechanism on the Board of Directors—along with having professionals from various disciplines on the board—is crucial for a company’s success. Each discipline contributes distinct perspectives, expertise, and experience. This diversity enables the board to make more thorough and balanced decisions. Thus, I view the Board of Directors as a key element in ensuring a company’s long-term success, providing valuable oversight and guidance based on extensive knowledge and experience.
- The significance of artificial intelligence (AI) is well-established, and it’s evident that AI plays a crucial role in simplifying access to accurate information for everyone, let alone its use in the corporate world. In your view, will AI primarily enhance operational efficiency in your business, or do you believe it will also foster creativity and drive new product innovation?
When we started this company and throughout Penta Teknoloji’s growth, I have consistently kept up with and implemented new technology. As a result, I have become a leading advocate for tech within our company. AI is a major advancement, and I am confident it will play a crucial role in the future, enhancing both efficiency and innovation. At present, I see AI being primarily used in terms of enhancing efficiency—helping repetitive processes to be carried out more effectively. However, I anticipate its applications will broaden and include more areas in the future.
- How is artificial intelligence integrated into your company, and in which specific areas is it applied? What impact has it had on your operations and efficiency? What are the future directions for its use?
Since establishing this company, I have consistently supported the adoption of new technologies and aimed to be at the forefront of our industry with innovative solutions. A notable milestone was the launch of Türkiye’s first B2B e-commerce site, Bayinet, in 1997. Our commitment to digitalization has only intensified and evolved since then. In terms of artificial intelligence, I have proposed several initiatives to senior management, which are now in progress. These include applications such as sales forecasting and robotic process automation.
- If you could offer three pieces of advice that your listeners could immediately implement to become an effective leader and a valuable employee, what would they be?
Approach your work with passion and honesty.
Practice empathy by genuinely listening to your employees and offering appropriate guidance.
Maintain flexibility and agility in all aspects of your work.
- Penta Teknoloji has recently been subjected to high inflation. Efforts are now being made to address this. What are your expectations? How will the market outlook change? How did the transition occur in previous high inflationary periods in Türkiye (e.g., in the 1990s)? What is your advice? What measures are taken at Penta Teknoloji?
High interest rates, inflation, and a more stable exchange rate have raised our operational costs, like what other companies are experiencing. We foresee that these costs will continue to increase in dollar terms in the coming years. However, if current policies prove successful, we expect our business to grow even further by 2025. In past economic slowdowns, currency fluctuations led to sharp declines in our business, but we saw a strong rebound afterward. I anticipate a similar trend soon. While this year may bring a relatively stable outlook with limited growth in some areas, we expect overall growth next year. Specifically, I foresee an increase in companies’ working capital needs in the second half of next year. Businesses need to start preparing for these needs now. Additionally, we recognize the significant impact of inflation on employees, and it’s crucial to address this as well.
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