Dr. Huseyin Guler

Kastamonu Entegre

Global R&D and Innovation Director

The key tasks of the newly created department were to use innovation as a strategic lever to transform a traditional business into a high performing organization, to drive engagements with external stakeholders including public sector based on strategic agenda of the company and to provide high-level qualified input to senior management on medium to long-term opportunities
•	Acted as an influential leader contributing to future of the company, initiated the idea of development a technology roadmap & led all level preparatory work. Manages an exponentially growing CAPEX & OPEX budget with 29 head quants and continuously networks with internal & external partners to bring the technology roadmap to life. 
•	Created a positive environment & empowered key people, trendsetter customers, strategic suppliers, top universities and EU & TUBITAK funds for differentiated innovations. As key milestones, the company established an R&D Center at Technopark Istanbul, and a concrete innovation portfolio was formed. 5 distinctive new products came to the launch stage and two new innovative products started to be exported. 
•	Introduced corporate programs such as Idea Platform, Corporate Acceleration & Incubation Programs, and Innovation School that triggered the flow of information, networking and visibility of talents within the company. Kastamonu Entegre's innovation approach turned into an exemplary model and received 5 awards in 2 years including TIM (2 Inovalig awards in 2 years among more than 1200 firms), TÜSİAD, PERYÖN & Sustainability Academy
•	As a trusted advisor, executed proactive and data-driven works with the public authorities where it was ensured that possible bureaucratic practices that could complicate exportation were not implemented. Also, another study resulted with the legislative arrangement removing barriers which may create shortage in sourcing of raw materials

Business Planning and Innovation Director

As a function directly reporting to CEO, main objectives of this role were to continuously analyze global competitors & trends in the sector, to conduct preliminary research for new initiatives and to search & bring value-adding new business models & practices
•	Competently delivered support to CEO including monitoring local & global legislative and policy-based developments and played integral role as business controller to identify & attract rising potentials and took proactive measures for imperfections observed
•	Ensured a strong link between the company vision and the need for innovation in line with a comprehensive analysis on developments in the related sectors, global trends, consultations with senior executives & wide array of functional groups across the organization & key stakeholders
•	Coordinated the feasibility studies and managed the relations with the Italian authorities during the launch phase of the Italian investment of the company

Strategy and Business Development Director

Özyeğin Üniversitesi

Faculty Lecturer

United Nations

Member of Advisory Committee on Sustainable Forest-Based Industries

TÜBİTAK

Executive Committee Member, Entrepreneurship Support Group

Türkiye Teknoloji Geliştirme Vakfı - TTGV

Climate Tech Ambassador

Bursa Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Biggest local Chamber in Turkey with 30.000+ members, 110 staff, $ 15 million budget and over $ 100 million assets
Head-hunted to this function with an objective to drive medium to long-term opportunities for the local industry, to advance public-private partnerships and to develop projects with government to push local ecosystem to more value-added side 
•	Restored visibility & effectiveness of the chamber through quadrupling engagements with government, members & partners, achieving 50% increase in revenues in one year, getting approval for establishing 3 thematic centers with $ 32 million government funding 
•	Skillfully orchestrated 20+ high-level meetings with related Ministers & senior government officials and presented 20+ position papers including establishment of new generation organized industrial zone which later announced as one of the mega-projects of the government
•	Acted as the voice of the chamber and successfully represented members’ interests at Ministry of Economy about not being adversely affected by the new tariffs on special fibers

Secretary General

TUBITAK

TUBITAK is the main governmental R&D policy making and funding body in Turkey with $ 1 billion yearly budget
Initially appointed as Head of Unit, then strategically promoted to the leading policy role within the organization with an objective to adopt EU best practices, advance policy formulation practices with key stakeholders and establish new innovation enhancing mechanisms 
•	Coordinated the preparation of policy proposals for 10 meetings of Supreme Council of Science and Technology. In this process, collaborated with government institutions, regulatory bodies, universities and industry associations and prepared policy recommendations that turned into legislation in areas such as e-government, techno-entrepreneurship, energy, health, gifted individuals and R&D funds 
•	Partnered with key institutions and leaders in the government to verbalize strategic policy options for enhanced use of ICT in education; conducted feasibility studies for FATIH Project which was a large-scale ICT project led by Ministry of Transportation & Ministry of Education covering all students and schools in Turkey 
•	Built a network of companies, academics and leading agencies in a partnership with Ministry of Health which turned to a primary strategic initiative in medical biotechnology including a concrete technology roadmap, launch of the first Medical Biotechnology Research Program in Turkey and definition of health as priority research area for Turkey
•	Collaborated intensively with key public institutions and formed a platform to define Entrepreneurial and Innovative University Index which became a best practice at OECD level
•	In collaboration with Ministry of Development developed a framework for the performance assessment of public funded R&D centers; later this study became a binding legislation and has been published in the Official Gazette

Director of Technology & Innovation Policy

Initially acted as Deputy National Coordinator then in 2006 appointed by the top management as National Coordinator with a mission to create mechanisms, partnership structures and marketing tools to maximize EU funds allocated to Turkish organizations
•	Acted as a member of Turkish delegation during the screening process of Science & Research legislations between Turkey and EU 
•	Developed and executed innovative programs on Turkish R&D potential, set milestones and measures to involve more Turkish firms in EU programs; also organized first ever Turkish R&D Day at European Parliament in Brussels to maximize highest impact 
•	Formed a collaborative community of potential Turkish ICT partners through training programs, sharing best practices, informative events, initiating matchmaking actions for Turkish ICT firms with their counterparts in Belgium, Germany, France and Ireland
•	Established links and actions to enable reverse brain drain from US (focus group meetings at Silicon Valley and US Universities including Harvard, Stanford, Drexel, Berkeley and Yale) 
•	Utilized the formation of R&D Working Group under YOIKK and strengthened partnerships with TOBB, TUSIAD, TIM and YASED

National Coordinator for EU Technology Funds

TOFAS

Contributed in the development of TOFAS international business for the Middle East Market and supported the growth of local business through refurbishment of commercial products through product adaptability and enhancement

Product Development Specialist

Turkcell

Developed marketing activities & campaigns for customer retention in the defined customer segments

Marketing Specialist

TÜBİTAK TÜSSİDE

Conducted research on global management standards in health care sector

Researcher

Dr. Hüseyin Güler is an innovation leader with over 25 years of experience in sectors like telecommunications, automotive, public service, and wood-based panels. He holds degrees in Industrial Engineering, an MBA, and a PhD in innovation networks. His career includes key roles at TURKCELL, TOFAŞ, and TÜBİTAK, where he led major innovation focused transformations. As Global R&D and Innovation Director at Kastamonu Entegre since 2015, he spearheaded the company’s innovation transformation, resulting in new business models and new products with exponential growth. He is also acted as Climate Technologies Ambassador, advocating for sustainable innovation.

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