- GÜLER SABANCI SERIES IN CNN INTERNATIONAL
- “LEADING WOMEN” PROGRAM BROADCAST IN JANUARY HOSTED GÜLER SABANCI
- GÜLER SABANCI: “THIS IS THE CENTURY OF US, THIS IS THE CENTURY OF WOMAN”.
- “GOD, GIVE ME THE COURAGE TO CHANGE THE THİNGS I CAN CHANGE; THE PATIENCE TO ACCEPT THE THİNGS I CANNOT CHANGE; AND THE WISDOM TO KNOW THE DİFFERENCE”
- “EARNING MONEY IS IMPORTANT AND ESSENTIAL, BUT IT IS NOT ENOUGH”
- “I NEVER THOUTH THAT I COULD DO SOMETHING ON MY OWN. TEAMWORK IS EVERYTHING. I ALWAYS HAVE TO CONVINCE MY TEAM TO REALIZE MY PLANS”
- CNN INTERNATIONAL: “SABANCI HOLDING IS ONE OF THE KEY PLAYERS OF THE COUNTRY'S BOOMING ECONOMY. IN TURKEY, YOU CAN'T GO FAR WITHOUT COMING ACROSS THE NAME SABANCI.”
Sabancı Holding Chairwoman of the Board of Directors Güler Sabancı was interviewed in the Leading Women program broadcast in CNN International. The program consisted of four parts each of which was broadcast three times during January. Becky Anderson, the famous host of CNN International interviewed Güler Sabancı, who commented on various subjects such as her work life, Sabancı Group, and their philanthropic activities.
- CENTURY OF WOMEN -
In the program, Güler Sabancı’s philanthropic activities were also mentioned. Sabancı said: "Being a good person and fair person is very important in life. Earning money is important and essential, but not enough. Philanthropic activities are not something special. They are a supposed to be done. My grandfather started this. My grandmother donated all her wealth to our foundation and my uncles continue this tradition.”
During the program it was stated that “Güler Sabancı’s causes went beyond the cultural. She is one of the supporters of the “Girls not Brides”, a global partnership aimed at ending child marriages. In 2011, Sabanci received the "Clinton Global Citizen Award" for her efforts concerning the Girls Not Brides. She also received a certificate of appreciation for her activities concerning this matter. “President Clinton and his team are doing an incredible job and motivating us” said Sabancı, and added, “I believe girls should be provided the opportunity to go to school until they are 18. This is the girls fundamental human right and everybody is responsible for providing this opportunity. Afterwards you can call them adults and they can make their own decisions.”
“This is the century of us, this is the century of woman” said Sabancı, adding “Not every woman has got what I have. So if I could do something to help them that should also be my duty. I took the flag from my uncle, and those coming after me will take the flag from me. This will continue like this. Sustainability as I said is in every term very important, very crucial. And that is our duty for going forward.”
- “TODAY THE NAME OF SABANCI FAMILY SYMBOLIZES EDUCATION, PHILANTHROPY AND ART”
Becky Anderson announced Güler Sabancı as “Turkish business who woman challenges the men’s world” and introduced the Sabancı Group with the following words: “The Group which was established by her grandfather under modest circumstances is one of the leading conglomerates in Turkey. Sabancı Holding is one of the key players of the growing Turkish economy. Güler Sabancı is making waves both in Turkey and in the world. She is in charge of the family empire founded by her grandfather. For her, this means more than business. Sabancı is one of the most recognizable names in Turkey. You can't go far without coming across the name Sabanci. The family’s financial prominence began in Anatolia in the early 20th century. Textile business was one among their first enterprises. The family name has also come to symbolize education, philanthropy and the appreciation of the arts. Sakıp Sabancı is a legend both in his family and in Turkey. He was the force behind the company’s growth over several decades. After he died, Güler Sabancı took over the top job back in 2004. She said that joining the family company was inevitable. When she was a child, her grandfather who launched the business, took her to the factories, planting the first seed of the future. After graduating from college, she took up a job in the family’s tire company.
The program which was recorded in Sakıp Sabancı Museum contained the visuals of Sabancı University, Sabancı Center and brands of the Sabancı Groups such as Kordsa Global, Akçansa, Teknosa, Enerjisa, Lassa, etc.
Regarding her becoming the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, she said: “It was a challenge and not an easy task to take after him. Mr. Sakıp was a profile more than business. I remember my first announcement to the Sabancı employees. I told them that do not ever expect me to fulfill what Mr. Sabancı has had. I am just merely going to be responsible of the business together with my team.”
As for the strategy of the Group, Sabancı said: “The Group has been growing in the past ten years average 12 percent net. So, the target for the next ten years is to grow higher than this. We constitute about 5.5% of the total tax revenues of the Turkish Government.”
Our Banking has started with my grandfather Hacı Ömer Sabancı, and I am proud to say that we had been one of the leading Turkish private banks all through this time of the republic.
When asked if she experienced discrimination in business life as a woman, Sabancı said “It was not only in my country. There was a Banker’s Club in London. I was very interested to have lunch there. They said we cannot go. Were there no women bankers in 1985 in UK. I bet there were. But they were not allowed.”
Sabancı summarized her philosophy of life with the following words: “God, give me the courage to change the things ı can change; the patience to accept the things I cannot change; and the wisdom to know the difference”
About her grandfather, Güler Sabancı said: “My grandfather was a passionate man, he was a self-made man, and he was a genius. What I learned from is what we all learned from him. You need to have a goal, you need to work hard, and you need to believe in yourself.”
Güler Sabancı emphasized the importance she attached to compromise, saying: “We have a working style based on cooperation. I know that I cannot do anything by myself. Teamwork is everything. I always have to convince my team to realize my ideas.
Becky Anderson also penned an article about her interview with Güler Sabancı which was published on CNN’s website which was entitled “How Turkey's business superwoman steers empire in man's world”.
PRAISE FROM FINANCIAL TIMES WRITER
Liz Bolshow, a columnist in Financial Times, wrote an article on Güler Sabancı which was published in http://www.headhoncha.com, a blog where she publishes articles about the leadership of women in a global world. The article quoted Güler Sabancı’s words: “We are very fortunate now today. This is the century of us – this is the century of women," which she said in an interview.
- ABOUT “LEADING WOMEN” -
“Leading Women” is a show broadcast on CNN International”, about the extraordinary women who have made it to the top in all areas of business, the arts, sport, culture, science and more. The show is presented by Becky Anderson, a famous programmer in CNN. The program which started in early 2012 is being broadcast all over the world. Among the previous guests of the program are fashion designer Carolina Herrera, architect Zaha Hadid, CEO of Yahoo Marissa Mayer.
PROGRAM VIDEOLARI
You can watch the sections of CNN Leading Women which are related to Güler Sabancı from the links below.
Part 1: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/business/2013/01/01/leading-women-guler-sabanci.cnn
Part 3: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/business/2013/01/22/leading-women-guler-sabanci.cnn
Part 4: http://www.prnet.com.tr/wmv/23012013/59386E35-69DE-4D99-8F13-CD76535E7F1B.wmv