CEOS' dream companies

Capital conducted its "CEOs' Favorite Companies" survey for the seventh time this year. 176 members of the CEO Club answered the question: "Apart from your own company, which company would you most like to be CEO of?" The leading company in the high level executives' dreams was, once again, Turkcell. It was followed by Doğuş Holding and Coca-Cola. The results of the survey also revealed the factors that are attractive to business leaders. 17.1 percent of the CEOs questioned said that the most important criterion that made a company attractive was "global vision". The other criteria for them choosing certain companies included "management quality" with 14.7 percent, "corporate prestige" with 14.1 percent, "competitiveness" also with 14.1 percent and "innovative ability" with 12.3 percent. This year we also asked those who occupy the leading positions in the most popular companies which of the professionals' criteria they liked the most. We wanted them to explain  how their companies became popular.

Turkcell's secret is innovation
For the last seven years, Turkcell has ranked first amongst the company that CEOs in Turkey most want to work in. Turkcell is a market leader with turnover of TL 9 billion and the CEOs said that the most important factor making them want to work there was its "innovative ability." 23.7 percent of the CEOs who said that they wanted to work at Turkcell identified this quality as something that they liked about the company. Turkcell CEO Sürreya Ciliv says that innovation is in the company's DNA, and adds: "We regard innovation as any idea that can be turned to economic or social benefit. Our call centers in places such as Erzurum, Diyarbakır and Eskişehir provide employment in every corner of the country and are the best example of innovation. We are proud of our past success, of course, but it is the future that really excites us."

Doğuş's reputation fuels its drive
The Doğuş Group, which ranked eighth last year, has risen rapidly up the rankings of the CEOs' favorite companies this year to second place. Heading the list of criteria which make the Doğuş Group attractive to CEOs is "corporate prestige". Doğuş Group CEO Hüsnü Akhan says: "We are a company which includes transparency and accountability as a criterion in all of our applications and we have designed all of our activities so that they will contribute to society. This strengthens our stable, reliable image. On the other hand, the vision of the group's local and foreign partners has a large share in our strong image."~

Coca-cola's "golden triangle"
Coca-Cola ranks third amongst the CEOs' favorite companies. 31.3 percent of the executives who chose Coca-Cola as a favorite company said that the element that made the company attractive was its "global vision". Coca-Cola Türkiye Chair Galya Frayman Molinas made the following evaluation: "Today a company's reputation depends on the size, diversity and strength of the group of which it is part. Coca-Cola is a company which touches everyone with whom it is in contact, from consumers to its employees. This is one of the secrets of its 125 year existence. The most important criterion for a company's success is its ability to keep pace with rapid change. The third criterion is a company's ability to create a social identity which is based on transparency and sensitivity. We are trying to produce positive solutions through establishing this 'golden triangle'."

What makes garanti attractive?
The main criterion which makes Garanti Bankası the ideal company for CEOs is "management quality". "Our corporate, proactive concept of management enables us to respond as quickly as possible to market changes," says Garanti Bankası General Manager Ergun Özen, and lists the factors that differentiate the bank from others as follows: "Our customer-focused approach, our technological infrastructure and our management structure which enables us to respond quickly to developments support Garanti's reputation as a 'pioneering bank'. Our highly qualified personnel help us to always provide the best quality services. We believe in the importance of the quality of our workforce and we are continually making investments in this regard. An innovative mentality lies at the heart of our corporate culture."

Why is eczacıbaşı ideal?
The Eczacıbaşı Group is one of the largest holdings in Turkey and ranks fifth amongst the CEOs' dream companies. According to the CEOS, the list of qualities that make it ideal is headed by "corporate prestige". Eczacıbaşı Group CEO Erdal Karamercan believe that this perception is a product of the values that have been carefully handed down from generation to generation, and he adds: "Values such as respect for people, participatory management, creativity-innovation, being customer-focused, and respect for society and the environment form the basis of our strategies. Another branch of the understanding of management at Eczacıbaşı is the importance we give to corporate institutionalization and professionalism. We attach great importance to the career planning and training programs of our executive colleagues."