Bilge’s story: growing as a leader, a professional, and a mother
Life at Systemair
Bilge Kurtuluş began her career as an intern at HSK Turkey in 2010, two years before the company became part of Systemair. Back then, she thought her future would be in Sales. Sixteen years later, she is Purchasing Manager at Systemair Turkey, leading a team of four and taking responsibility for purchasing and warehouse operations.
It is a career she could not have mapped out when she started. And for Bilge, that is part of what makes her journey meaningful.
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A problem solver at heart
Bilge’s career began somewhere unexpected. Instead of moving into Sales, as she had planned, she was encouraged to start in Technical Service. The idea was simple: first understand the customers, their needs and the challenges they face.
Looking back, Bilge sees that experience as an important foundation for everything that followed.
A year later, she chose to move into Purchasing. And when HSK became part of Systemair in 2012, Bilge continued to grow with the company, progressing from Purchasing Specialist into a leadership role.
Today, what motivates her is the opportunity to solve problems and see a tangible result. “In Purchasing, every day can bring a different challenge. I see that variety not simply as a challenge, but as an opportunity to improve and create value.”
Supporting the next generation
Bilge describes herself as an observer at the beginning of her career. She watched how people worked and how decisions were made. Gradually, observing became questioning, suggesting improvements, implementing ideas and taking responsibility for the results.
Systemair gave her the space to keep asking: “How can we do this better?”
That helped her develop professionally, but also as a leader. Today, growth means something different.
“I am no longer responsible only for my own performance; I am also responsible for developing my team, helping people realise their potential, and supporting the next generation of professionals.”
It is a responsibility that reflects what Bilge values about Systemair’s culture: trust, openness and the freedom to take initiative.
Building a career as a mother
Being the mother of a nine-year-old daughter brings another perspective to what her career means to Bilge. For her, work-life balance is about setting the right priorities at the right time and being fully present, whether at work or at home. The trust and flexibility she has experienced at Systemair have helped her manage both.
But there is something else she wants her daughter to see. “I want her to see that a woman can be a mother while continuing to grow professionally, take responsibility, and pursue her own ambitions.”
For Bilge, being able to build a career she is proud of while showing her daughter what is possible makes her own development particularly meaningful.
You know you work at Systemair when you realise that you are not simply doing your job – with every responsibility you take and every value you create, you are growing as well.
More than a job title
After 16 years, Bilge has gone from intern to specialist to manager. But her advice to someone considering Systemair is not really about job titles. Instead, she would ask: “What do you want to become, and what do you want to contribute through your career?”
And ultimately, this is how Bilge sums up her own journey: “You know you work at Systemair when you realise that you are not simply doing your job – with every responsibility you take and every value you create, you are growing as well.”