kp and me: Elif Atalay

Keeping supplies flowing and factories producing

Title: Procurement and import specialist, Gebze, Turkey

Whatever comes into the kp factory from abroad, I’m responsible for it. I work with food and consumer products, and everything from the raw materials we use to make the products to machine parts passed across my desk. I love it. I can get anything we need from anywhere in the world.

You have to be organised to do this job. I’m an organised sort of person – I went to London recently with some friends and I organised the whole trip for everyone. And you need to understand different cultures. I’ve travelled a lot in previous jobs and lived in London, so I’ve seen this first-hand.

It’s also a job that requires concentration and an eye for detail. But it’s just as important to be nice to people. A smile goes a long way: it opens doors and gets things done. Recently we needed raw materials from a supplier at short notice – we had very little time to get the job done – so I called him up. Because we have a good relationship and get on, he made sure we got what we needed, even though it meant more effort for him. That really helped us out.

The pandemic has made this even more important. It’s been hard managing communications with suppliers and a lot of goods are getting stuck in ports and at airports because there’s not enough transport available, or drivers and pilots and crews. It’s stressful: I can’t create more airline pilots or container ship crews.

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I’m the only woman in my team and one of just 10 that work here, out of a workforce of around 200. Manufacturing is still dominated by men, and in some environments maybe that could be a problem, but my team are so gentle and kind that I’m very happy here.

So I find alternative transport to keep the goods moving. We needed some machine parts from Germany within two days and I had to organise two separate drivers and two trucks to get them here. They arrived in time.

I couldn’t do it without the support of my team. I’m the only woman in my team and one of just 10 that work here, out of a workforce of around 200. Manufacturing is still dominated by men, and in some environments maybe that could be a problem, but my team are so gentle and kind that I’m very happy here.

They’re like my second family. They were so supportive when I went through a family crisis last year. I’d been here only a year and they were all so helpful. It made dealing with the situation much better.

I’ve always worked in purchasing and imports and I did my degree in economics with an Open University post-grad in foreign trade, so I’ve been able to use my knowledge and qualifications to create a career.

In 2000, after university, I went to the UK to learn English because 20 years ago it was harder to learn English in Turkey than it is now. I honestly thought that the English were cold and unwelcoming, and I was only going there to learn the language.

But I ended up staying with a woman called Suzy Aitchison, the daughter of the English actor June Whitfield. They were so warm and lovely, and I had an amazing time with them. We’ve kept in touch ever since and in 2019 they came to Istanbul for her wedding anniversary. We all met up and had a great time together.

I could have stayed on in London, but I wanted to come back to Istanbul because it’s my home. I was born and raised here and it’s the best city: it has such a mystery to it. My perfect night out would be to have dinner on the water by the Bosphorous waterway. The light in the evening is lovely.

My family and friends are all here – two brothers, one sister, and my mother practically lives next door – and my husband’s family is here too. My family are my life outside work, and I spend all my time with my son and daughter. My four-year old son loves windsurfing and we go a lot. He’s very good.

We do a lot of cooking together and I also love photography. I take pictures all the time, especially of the children and when I travelled more, before the pandemic, I would take pictures of the places I went too.

The great thing about kp is the opportunities. I’ve been here for just over two years so I’m still new and the people around me have so much experience. I learn new and different things every day. People stay here for a long time, which is the sign of a place where people are happy, and there’s so much experience here.

Elif Atalay

Procurement and import specialist

Good people can go far at kp, sometimes to the top, and I’d like more responsibility. My manager is an engineer by training but he’s worked his way up and is now in charge of procurement. I have a good chance to do the same.