- MEHMET PEKARUN, INDUSTRY GROUP PRESIDENT OF SABANCI HOLDING: “IT IS ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAIN INNOVATION, TO SET A CHALLENGING MARKET TARGET AND TO SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURS”
Mehmet Pekarun, Industry Group President of Sabancı Holding, who addressed the participants at the Turkish Innovation Week sponsored also by Sabancı Holding, emphasized the importance of maintaining innovation in industry and supporting entrepreneurs.
The Turkish Innovation Week organized by the Turkish Exporters’ Assembly (TIM) in order to ensure coordination between public and private sector organizations and exports and decision-makers takes place at the Istanbul Congress Center between 4-6 December, 2014. One of the sponsors of the Turkish Innovation Week is Sabancı Holding.
Mehmet Pekarun, Industry Group President of Sabancı Holding, who addressed the participants at the event in Istanbul attended by influential professionals, industrialists, academicians and university students from Turkey and from all over the world made a presentation entitled “Maintaining Innovation in Industry”.
Mehmet Pekarun gave examples from Brisa, Turkey’s leading tire manufacturer, which makes a difference with its innovative products and services by focusing on customer experience and from Kordsa Global, the leading nylon and polyester yarn, cord fabric and single cord manufacturer of the world, and told that the success lies in the challenging market definition, growth target and innovation.
Pekarun emphasized that every country tries to make a difference with innovation nowadays and therefore, innovation alone is now not enough, and pointed out that it is of great important to maintain innovation. Pekarun told, “to say let’s make innovation, to gather new ideas are possible, exciting… However, it is not easy to maintain this. But if you define your market, your business again with a broader scope this time, things will change and your challenge and innovation focus will increase many times more” and stated that it is of vital importance to support innovative ideas no less than the main lines of business and to discover and encourage entrepreneurs leading the innovation journey; in short to create a climate which will nourish entrepreneurs. Pekarun went on speaking as follows: “We are calling out the individual entrepreneurs for innovation in our country, we have a potential of millions of creative young entrepreneurs. Yet, we have as many potential entrepreneurs awaiting to be discovered at companies. These companies have large teams and resources as well. Only a new challenge and a new roadmap are needed. Therefore, in order to speed up and make a difference in innovation, we have to follow the accurate roadmap and to discover and encourage the entrepreneurs among us. The young should also be brave to become corporate entrepreneurs in order to make their dreams come true.”