What 20 Years in Supply Chain Taught Me About Resilience

FrieslandCampina MEPA

Driving Resilience and Innovation

After initially joining in 2019 as Supply Chain Director Global Markets and Global Accounts, it was his assignment in Indonesia in 2022 which stands out as a career-defining chapter. As project lead for the groundbreaking Cikarang Factory initiative, he successfully orchestrated the development of two state-of-the-art warehouses and expanded its supply points across the country . "This period has been marked as transformative, not only fulfilling the increasing dairy demand of our Indonesian consumers, but also to become the sourcing hub for the Asian region."

FrieslandCampina MEPA

"We invested in technology, automation, and sustainability, turning challenges into opportunities,” Gokhan reflects. Guided by his resilient nature, he navigated market complexities like the Red Sea implications to ensure seamless operations. “Being resilient means finding solutions without compromising daily operations,” he emphasizes. For Gokhan, resilience is complemented by entrepreneurship and cross functional collaboration, values he instills in his team to foster growth and innovation.

Building a Future of Collaboration

Now based in Dubai, Gokhan reflects on his time thus far – “FrieslandCampina has been pivotal in my personal growth journey and supported me in expanding my horizons, not only through the different assignment across different countries, but in parallel also allowing me to grow outside my field of experiences, which allowed me to step into new territories of learning and development.” He mentions the diversity of his team as a massive energy driver, and when it comes to imparting wisdom to all juniors who seek it, he insists  “the best learning you could get is simply learning on the job and mastering the topic in such a way that it is bring back not only value for yourself, but ultimately also for your colleagues and business partners.”
 

FrieslandCampina MEPA

Now, he is focused on building a cohesive, high-performing supply chain team across MEPA. “Our team embodies a collaborative spirit, striving to improve every day through the Purpose, People and Performance lens,” he shares. With a forward-looking approach, he fosters connections across plants in Pakistan, Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Ghana and the Netherlands, ensuring that FrieslandCampina’s purpose-driven mission translates into meaningful outcomes. The support of his colleague's day-in and day-out keep him energized. “From commercial teams to operators at the shopfloor, everyone is helpful yet challenging in the best ways,” he says. 
 

Going forward, Gokhan remains steadfast in his commitment to drive performance, innovation, empowering teams, and nourishing communities. "It's a never-ending journey of learning and leading with authenticity," he concludes.

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