The latest episode in the Chazen Global Spotlight series focused on Turkey, familiarizing audience members to the history, culture, food, and business environment of the country. The Chazen Global Spotlight series introduces a specific country’s business culture to provide a variety of perspectives, including a business speaker from the region to bridge theory and practice. In collaboration with the Chazen Institute for Global Business and the Middle East and North Africa student club at Columbia Business School, this instillation of the program introduced the business cultures of Turkey through the perspective of Turkish students and guest speakers from Turkey.
The guest speakers for this event included Mert Can Pestilci (‘21MBA), Eren Üngor (‘22MBA), İpek Cem Taha (‘93BU, ‘93IA), Director, Columbia Global Centers | Istanbul, and Ege Duruk (‘07CC), Managing Partner, Backhaus.
During this discussion, the guest speakers provided a general context of the country for those who have never visited before. They spoke to the history of Turkey, discussed the current political and business environment, and shared pictures of their favorite landmarks, tourist destinations, and foods. During the Q&A section, the speakers shared thoughts on emerging markets and business opportunities in Turkey. The growth of ecommerce, success of foreign investors in markets like manufacturing, digital service providers, and media, as well as the significance of consumption markets were mentioned. Information was also provided about CGC | Istanbul and the programs and services they offer. For those interested in learning more about Turkey, especially in regards to social, economic, and political practices, this event provides wonderful, first-hand accounts on what life in the country is like.
You may watch the video recording here.
