Atakan Bölükbaşı
Strategic business and management executive with more than 20 years of experience across strategy, organizational development, negotiation, marketing and product management, sales, project management, process management, financial planning, execution, and people leadership across multinational and local corporations.
His background spans pharmaceuticals, construction and fit-out, furniture, business excellence, CRM, balanced scorecard, product marketing, key account development, and international operations. He focuses on transforming experience and management competence into practical solutions that create value and unlock growth potential for corporate companies and small to medium-sized enterprises.
Professional Experience
Chief Value Officer
Oct 2025 – Present
- Applies 20+ years of business and management experience to client issues and value creation opportunities.
- Focuses on strategy, organizational structure, organizational development, negotiation, marketing, product management, sales, project management, process management, financial planning, execution, and people leadership.
- Works to transform accumulated experience and management competence into practical solutions for corporate clients and small to medium-sized enterprises.
Deputy General Manager
May 2025 – Oct 2025
- Worked with a start-up vision to expand the reference customer base and establish connections for potential business opportunities.
- Reached an annual turnover volume of $4.5M through five projects focused on the hospitality sector, especially branded chain restaurants, in the first active year in the market.
Deputy General Manager in Charge of United States Operations
Oct 2022 – Apr 2025
- Led United States operations with focus on developing people, unlocking global commercial opportunities in the wooden furniture industry, and delivering strong product and solution experiences globally.
Lakhta Center Phase 2 Gazprom HQ Board of Management Offices Fit-Out Project Coordinator
Feb 2022 – Oct 2022
- Managed relations with Renaissance Construction and Gazprom Neft management teams.
- Ensured effective execution of an approximately €20M budget project on time, in scope, within budget, and at high-end premium quality.
- Supervised project finance and cash flow management to maintain sustained site operations.
- Coordinated construction, electrical, mechanical, design, and shop-drawing processes to meet project milestones.
- Planned and executed human resource strategy with finance and administration management.
- Managed subcontractor relations and a total construction-site team of approximately 100 people.
Business Excellence Director
Mar 2019 – Feb 2022
- Set the five-year local and global vision of the company.
- Identified and executed key strategic steps to build a corporate governance model.
- Identified and utilized critical growth opportunities for the company.
- Defined and documented critical business processes and deployed a standard approach for contract management.
- More than doubled the company size in terms of turnover to $10M and people to 450.
Senior Product Manager in Marketing – Cardiovascular Group
May 2016 – Mar 2019
- Responsible for sales and market share development of Tarka and Gopten with an annual A&P budget of approximately $1.2M.
- Managed the Key Cardiovascular Accounts project with two direct-report medical sales representatives across four critical cardiovascular accounts in Istanbul.
- Defined key account criteria, KPIs, execution options, feasibility, activity plans, scorecards, and feedback loops.
- Trained, coached, and supported representatives in medical knowledge, account management, selling skills, influence mapping, product preference journey assessment, and soft skills.
Product Manager in Marketing – Metabolism & Cardiovascular Groups
Jan 2014 – May 2016
- Managed metabolism and cardiovascular product portfolios including Onglyza, Komboglyze, Atacand, Atacand Plus, and Beloc ZOK.
- Responsible for launch readiness, brand strategic planning, business operation planning, market research, forecasting, KOL management, sales and market share analysis, and marketing trainings.
- Managed annual A&P budgets of approximately $1.4M for Onglyza and approximately $1.25M for cardiovascular products.
- Represented AstraZeneca Turkey in the Beloc ZOK Global Product Management Platform.
Category Product Manager in International Markets
Mar 2013 – Dec 2013
- Responsible for sales and profit generated by category products across five therapeutic areas in international markets.
- Managed marketing activities in Algeria, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Georgia while supporting approximately 20 distributor-model countries.
- Prepared strategic portfolio analysis, long-term sales forecasts, global brand books, tactical materials, and capability-building trainings for local product managers.
Business Excellence & Product Management Roles
Apr 2008 – Mar 2013
- Held roles as Business Analyst, Customer Value Manager, and Product Manager across business excellence, urology, neurology, and CRM-related functions.
- Managed segmentation, targeting, CRM processes, forecasting, budgeting, balanced scorecard work, sales action plans, productivity analyses, Siebel CRM implementation, and product marketing strategy.
- Participated as a core team member in the Boehringer-Ingelheim Turkey Company Strategy Project with McKinsey & Company in 2010.
Earlier Project & Consulting Roles
Aug 2003 – Apr 2008
- Managed Dealer Management System project coordination at Mercedes-Benz Türk with a project budget of approximately €5.5M.
- Worked in PwC Global Risk Management Solutions on due diligence, audit support, IT risk assessment, process mapping, and transformation consulting engagements.
- Completed process improvement and software design work for Mercedes-Benz spare parts operations.
Education & Executive Training
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering
Jun 2004
Lüleburgaz Anatolian High School
Jun 1999
Selected Executive Programs
- e-MBA, Marketing Management Program — Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, May 2018
- Propel 7 – Marketing Insights to Action — Abbott Lab., Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, July 2018
- Propel 7 – Forecasting, Financial Acumen & Measurement — Abbott Lab., Dubai, UAE, Nov 2017
- Propel 7 – Innovation & Portfolio Expansion — Abbott Lab., Dubai, UAE, Nov 2016
- Marketing & Launch Excellence — AstraZeneca Global Marketing Team, Dubai, UAE, Mar 2014
- Performance and Rigor in Marketing Excellence — Boehringer-Ingelheim / Monitor Consulting Group, Germany, Dec 2011
- Kaplan-Norton Balanced Scorecard Certification Boot Camp — Palladium Inc., London, UK, Mar 2010
- Segmentation & Targeting — IMS Health, Istanbul, Feb 2009
- Business Process Management — IDS Scheer, Athens, Greece, Sep 2008
Honors & Awards
- Distinguished Completion, e-MBA on Marketing Management — Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management, May 2018
- Excellence Gold Award – Achieving Category — Abbott Lab., Dec 2017
- Marketing Contribution 2017 Award — Abbott Lab., Oct 2017
- Excellence Gold Award – Caring, Achieving, and Pioneering Categories — Abbott Lab., Dec 2016
- Circle of Excellence Award — AstraZeneca, Apr 2016
- Mediacat Felis Marketing Award — Best Launch Campaign Award in PR Category, Oct 2015
- Mediacat Felis Marketing Award — Success Award, Oct 2014
- Most Successful Project of the Year — Boehringer-Ingelheim / McKinsey & Company, Dec 2009
- Honors Certificate, GPA 3.21 — Boğaziçi University, Jun 2004
- Ranked 1st in Thrace and 88th in Turkey in University Entrance Exam, Jul 1999
Core Strengths
- Strategy Development & Execution
- Business Excellence and Corporate Governance
- Marketing and Product Management
- Project and Process Management
- Financial Planning and Budget Management
- Balanced Scorecard and CRM Systems
- Key Account Management and KOL Relations
- Market Research, Forecasting and Segmentation
- Contract Management and Negotiation
- People Leadership and Capability Building
- Cross-Functional Team Coordination
- International Operations and Stakeholder Management