Istanbul, Türkiye
Automotive Product & Project Leader | BEV & FCEV | Market-Driven Innovation Results-oriented automotive professional with over 10 years of experience in product management, marketing, order & capacity planning, and project management across leading commercial vehicle manufacturers such as Karsan, Otokar, and TEMSA. Proven track record in product lifecycle management, market strategy development, and leading cross-functional teams to bring innovative vehicle solutions to market, including Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV). Throughout my career, I have: • Developed and executed product visions and roadmaps aligning with market trends and customer expectations. • Managed end-to-end product marketing activities including market intelligence, customer insights, and competitive analysis. • Led product requirement and technical specification processes to drive vehicle innovation and compliance. • Coordinated cross-departmental teams covering R&D, production, sales, and aftersales for successful product launches. • Oversaw tender management processes, evaluated bids, and ensured technical and commercial alignment. • Supervised vehicle production and delivery, ensuring customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. I thrive in dynamic environments, driving data-driven decision-making, fostering innovation, and ensuring strategic alignment between customer needs and business objectives. Key Competencies: ✔ Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) ✔ Product Marketing & Strategy ✔ Order & Capacity Planning (SAP expertise) ✔ BEV & FCEV Development ✔ Tender & Bid Management ✔ Technical Specifications & Compliance ✔ Team Leadership & Cross-functional Collaboration ✔ Market & Customer Insight Analysis
• Define and manage product and technology roadmaps aligned with Karsan’s short-, mid-, and long-term strategies. • Lead structured product development processes including Future Project List (FPL), Change Request Forms (CRF), and Product Clinics. • Develop and implement strategies to integrate electric, hydrogen-powered, autonomous, and connected vehicle technologies into the product line. • Collaborate with cross-functional teams—R&D, engineering, production, marketing, and sales—for synchronized product development and improvement. • Analyze market trends, customer feedback, and competitor benchmarks to refine product positioning and technical performance. • Drive cost-reduction initiatives aligned with TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) goals, digital transformation, and sustainability targets. • Manage projects at the platform level, ensuring alignment with QCTP (Quality, Cost, Time, Performance) metrics, and oversee risks, timelines, and resources. • Provide leadership and mentorship to project teams, fostering synergy, process optimization, and high performance across all levels.
• Lead marketing strategies for Karsan and partner-brand vehicles to enhance product awareness, market penetration, and sales across distributor and customer networks. • Drive customer-focused product development by initiating CRFs, preparing PRDs, and coordinating engineering, procurement, and manufacturing efforts for timely implementation. • Manage all phases of new product and product improvement projects, from concept design to VP prototypes, ensuring alignment with customer expectations and field testing feedback. • Plan and execute full-scale product launches including pricing, training, production, logistics, post-sale readiness, and internal communication alignment. • Analyze competitor offerings and market trends to craft strategic product positioning, define USP (Unique Selling Proposition), and support sales arguments. • Coordinate creation and updates of configurators, catalogues, pricing tools, and customer communication materials. • Develop TCO and benefit-cost analyses in collaboration with technical teams to strengthen product value proposition versus competitors. • Guide the Product Marketing team and foster cross-functional collaboration with R&D, Sales, After-Sales, Logistics, and Communications departments.
• Conduct pre-evaluation of customer orders to assess technical feasibility and compatibility with existing vehicle platforms. • Coordinate with R&D, Engineering, and Procurement teams to initiate required product development or configuration changes. • Follow up on R&D project timelines from prototype phase to production readiness, ensuring milestone completion. • Ensure smooth communication between departments to manage configuration updates, change requests, and technical documentation. • Support homologation, compliance, and certification processes in line with regional market requirements. • Contribute to aligning customer expectations with engineering solutions to deliver technically and commercially viable products.
Marketing Department • Develop analytical insights to support product strategies and marketing plans across vehicle segments. • Conduct Product Clinic workshops with customers to gather structured feedback and evaluate product performance. • Translate market trends and customer expectations into new product concepts and lifecycle improvement ideas. • Track new product launches and modification projects, providing progress reports and strategic input to senior management. • Analyze and report bus market performance periodically, supporting data-driven decision making in product marketing.
1. Order & Capacity Management • Evaluate incoming offers via order management systems in coordination with R&D, Order Management, and Sales teams. • Manage order constraints within the system to ensure production feasibility and resource alignment. • Transfer confirmed orders to the SAP system and determine appropriate variant codes for each. • Track vehicles post-production to ensure timely delivery to customers. • Coordinate and ensure the installation of any additional customer-specific requirements before delivery. 2. Tender Evaluation • Analyze tender documents shared by the sales team, focusing on technical and commercial alignment. • Convert tender documents from PDF/Word formats to structured Excel files, categorizing by department (R&D, Spare Parts, Aftersales, etc.). • Evaluate technical specifications with relevant departments to ensure compliance and feasibility. • Identify and document any non-compliant clauses, and share them as an addendum with the sales team. • Reassess technical specifications following purchaser-issued addendums or clarifications. • Coordinate the preparation of all necessary documentation required for bid submission. • Ensure that, upon winning the tender, the vehicles are produced in full compliance with technical requirements. • Join inspection activities led by purchaser teams to verify vehicle compliance before delivery. • Oversee smooth delivery of all vehicles in accordance with contractual and technical terms.