Turkey's leading entrepreneurship and technology conference, WEBRAZZI SUMMIT 2025, continues at full speed. FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN, GENERAL MANAGER OF PHILIP MORRIS TURKEY, and BAHAR UÇANLAR, GENERAL MANAGER OF DIAGEO TURKEY, took the stage at WEBRAZZI SUMMIT 2025 in a session titled "Leadership, Technology, and Transformation: The 2026 Perspective of CEOs," moderated by AHMET BUĞRA FERAH, WEBRAZZI VICE PRESIDENT OF CONTENT.
AHMET BUĞRA FERAH asked BAHAR UÇANLAR: "When I hosted you in 2014, your 'February 14th campaign' made a big splash as a different and innovative piece of work. Back then, you were a leader doing bold things in marketing; today, as a CEO, how has your attitude toward innovation and change evolved?"
BAHAR UÇANLAR stated that her managers encouraged her in the past, and now her own duty is to encourage other colleagues in her team. While emphasizing that creative work created a competitive advantage in the past, she noted that today innovation is far more prevalent. She added that they act with a "test and learn" approach systematically within the company.
AHMET BUĞRA FERAH noted that PHILIP MORRIS TURKEY was one of the first corporate brands to work with startups and asked FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN how the approach to collaborating with startups has changed since those days.
Stating that forward-looking companies continue to invest, FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN noted that they search for ideas every day to transform into returns and value in the future. Recalling that they initially spoke with 16 startups for all field and business development operations, FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN emphasized that PHILIP MORRIS operates in 180 countries with 18,000 employees.
According to FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN, some of these startups have begun doing business in other countries. In this process, the company's investment power met the ideas and flexibility of startups. It is worth noting that the institution has met with 200 STARTUPS so far.
Additionally, FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN added that they actively maintain commercial cooperation with 150,000 of the approximately 200,000 grocery stores (BAKKAL) that PHILIP MORRIS works with. Accompanied by the work carried out with startups, it is possible to speak of a transformation that brings speed, efficiency, and customer profitability to the institution. It should be added that digital transformation training was provided to these 150,000 GROCERY STORES, and PHILIP MORRIS also provides mentorship to startups.
BAHAR UÇANLAR expressed that PHILIP MORRIS is one of the companies they take as an example, noting that when a working process with startups does not go as expected, it is important for the ventures themselves to state this quickly and part ways. UÇANLAR mentioned that this allows startups to quickly chart their own course.
AHMET BUĞRA FERAH asked BAHAR UÇANLAR and FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN: "There has been significant activity in agricultural technologies and the production side recently. What is your perspective on the digitalization of agriculture in TURKEY and the role of technology here?"
BAHAR UÇANLAR explained that they operate in areas such as returning restricted water to nature and the cultivation of anise. According to UÇANLAR, the 5 most productive types were selected from 5,000 anise seeds for farmers to gain efficiency. While focusing on energy, water, and fertilizer savings for grape production, they are trying to ensure that farmers invest in these areas.
FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN stated that their products are agriculture-based and that 50,000 TOBACCO FARMERS in TURKEY meet 55-60% of the world's oriental tobacco needs. Highlighting the presence of data and digitalization today, DİREN stated that data-driven steps are being taken in matters such as where, when, and how much irrigation to perform, and climate condition expectations.
According to FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN, steps are being taken to transform the labor-intensive part as automation develops, and serious initiatives are being taken regarding education. At this point, it is worth noting that PHILIP MORRIS has purchased $2.2 BILLION worth of tobacco over 15 years.
The use of ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) in both institutions was also discussed. BAHAR UÇANLAR stated that digital literacy training is provided to white-collar employees, a "virtual studio" has been launched at DIAGEO, and the workflow has accelerated as the speed of AI adoption increases. Furthermore, the operation of 2 RPA ROBOTS at DIAGEO has saved the institution 700 BUSINESS DAYS in one year.
FİLİZ YAVUZ DİREN stated: "We use ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE everywhere we make and spend money. In order to make the right decisions, we have to use AI together with different functioning algorithms."
