About Me
Beşir Kemal Ustaoğlu
Vice President of SKF Global Holding; trainer, speaker, consultant and author — a 40-year journey: failure, success, happiness.
Education
After secondary school in Antakya, he studied English in the United Kingdom on a state scholarship. Following business studies at Mitchell College in Connecticut, he took his degree in Economics at Boğaziçi University.
He interrupted the Executive MBA programme at Koç University when he moved to the United States. He has completed professional programmes at institutions including Harvard Business School, Washington State University and The New School.
Education and Executive Programmes
- Boğaziçi University
- Harvard Business School
- Washington State University
- The New School
- Mitchell College
Career — Türkiye
He began his career in the family aggregates and construction-materials business, and from 2010 to 2016 served as General Manager of Ustaoğlu Madencilik, a company with more than 50 years of history.
As a founding partner of Repimeks Park Sistemleri he pioneered modern car-park management and parking-meter systems in Türkiye and contributed to the establishment of İSPARK. He also held the Turkish representation of steel-rope, French parking-meter and American parking-meter manufacturers.
Career — United States
He exported Turkish tobacco products and opened cigar stores. In New York he worked as a licensed real estate advisor with Century 21.
He served as US country manager for Goldaş Jewelry and was a founding partner of a New York-based import-export company.
Teaching, Consulting and TABA/AmCham
Since 2006 he has taught real estate marketing, leadership, negotiation and competency development at Boğaziçi University and other institutions, and delivers seminars to companies on sales, marketing, strategy and the HORECA sector. He has previously taught at Kadir Has University.
In a consulting career that began in New York in 2001, he has advised the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, real estate companies and other organisations on sales, marketing and strategic management. He also served as Turkey country manager for the international valuation and advisory firm REAG — Real Estate Advisory Group.
He joined the Turkish-American Business Association (TABA/AmCham) in 1996; after serving as general secretary and board member he was elected president unanimously in 2014 and held the office for two years. From 2014 to 2016 he also served as president of the Aggregate Producers Association (AGÜB), and has been a board member of the Turkish Appraisers Association. Today he sits on the association's High Advisory Board and continues to moderate panels at its events.
At a TABA Talks panel.
Roles and Memberships
Current Roles
- SKF Global Holding — Vice President
- TABA/AmCham — High Advisory Board Member
- Trainer, speaker and corporate consultant
Past Roles and Memberships
- TABA/AmCham — President (2014-2016)
- Kadir Has University — Instructor
- Ustaoğlu Madencilik — General Manager (2010-2016)
- AGÜB (Aggregate Producers Association) — President (2014-2016)
- Turkish Appraisers Association — Board Member
- Memberships of TÜGİAD, DEİK-TAİK, NAR and ATAA
Philosophy: Failure, Success, Happiness
Three ideas have shaped his 40-year career: learning from failure, making success sustainable, and not losing happiness along the way. These three principles are also the foundation of his book of the same name and of the training he delivers.
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