At CheMondis, every single employee is constantly working towards our common goal to shape the digital future of one of the largest B2B markets in the world. CheMondis is building the largest B2B marketplace for the Chemical Industry in Europe, combining deep industry know-how with the latest digital technology. We connect verified professional buyers and suppliers in one trusted marketplace to facilitate the digital trade of chemicals, deliver efficiency and data-driven insights.
What do we need to succeed?
- Our Admin Team
- Our Commercial Team
- Our Engineering Team
- Our People and Organization Team
- Our Product Team
- Our BI Team
Each of these teams follows the logic of agility. Meaning that tasks are shared and prioritized regularly. This applies to each team individually but also to interdisciplinary work. For many projects, we build project teams with colleagues from various disciplines.
With this new series of blog articles, we’d like to give you insights into different job profiles at CheMondis, as well as into our organization. Today we’ll begin with the profile of a Business Development Manager.
How do you get the best insights, you ask? Well, by asking one of our Business Development Manager directly, of course.
Who is Umut Öztürk?
- Age: 32 years old
- Previous job experience: Since 2010, Umut has been working in sales. Mostly within the chemical industry where he worked as a domestic and export sales manager for multiple producers. However, he also gained experience in the tourism, mining, and energy sectors.
- Responsibilities: Turkish market
- Joined CheMondis in September 2020
- Why has he joined CheMondis? “Because you cannot find a better place to work, trust me. A place where diversity is valued and amply represented in the teams. Where you have the freedom and flexibility to do a great job! I would say it is a new generational company with a good corporate background!”
Is the business development team organized in any specific structure?
Yes, the team is organized by country responsibilities and defined by different regions. Two colleagues and I are responsible for the Turkish market. Being so, we cover almost all European languages at a native speaker level. As you might imagine, this is a service our customers value a lot.
What do you think is important to bring along in terms of experience?
Regarding job experiences, we are a very diverse team. We are coming from different backgrounds. I have almost 10 years of experience in the chemical industry. However, others among our Business Development Managers bring knowledge from different sectors such as SaaS, Hospitality, etc.
What are the typical tasks of a Business Development Manager at CheMondis?
Our main task is to support our current customers, for sure. I ask my suppliers to sell more and my buyers to buy good quality products under the best conditions. But, we are also responsible for the acquisition of new customers for CheMondis, as well as for expanding our markets.
But we are also working very closely with other departments like marketing or product to boost our recognition in Turkey, e.g. by attending digital and physical events. That’s what I value the most. Our company culture enables everyone to share ideas and to be creative no matter their area of responsibility. Ideas are always taken seriously and valued to find the best possible solution as a team.
What would you say are the top 5 skills you need to become a successful Business Development Manager?
- Negotiation skills
- Communication skills
- Performance motivation
- Empathy
- Closing power
How does your typical working day look like?
I start my day quite early. Usually, I start my working day around 7:00-7:30 AM, therefore I am usually the one to unlock the office door and to turn on the lights in the office, if I am not working from home that is. In these instances, I take advantage of our awesome coffee machine, organize my day, check the industry news, the statuses of deals and my daily tasks. It is very important to always be aware of the market dynamics.
At 7:30-8:00 AM I start calling my customers. But don’t forget that Turkey is one hour ahead in the summer and two in winter. Therefore, we need to adjust ourselves to the local time of our responsible market.
What do you value the most about being part of #teamchemondis?
Diversity! I can’t say it enough! Also, that your ideas, thoughts, and your work truly get appreciated. It’s a flat organizational structure and everyone is approachable. Another thing is that everyone always has access to all information.
What are your biggest challenges?
We are a very innovative and digital company. Working with new work structures. However, the chemical industry works the opposite way. The chemical market is very traditional, and because of that, it is a huge challenge to convince potential customers of the advantages of a digital solution. But once they are in, they really see the value. And seeing them benefiting from the marketplace is very exciting and worth the effort.
Thank you, dear Umut, for taking us through your day and sharing important insights into your daily routines, tasks, and challenges!
Now It is Up to You.
You would like to become part of #teamchemondis as well? Check our open positions and Irene Prinz is happy to meet you in a first interview.
