Navigating a career across borders can offer a host of different challenges. Strategic HR Business Partner at Astellas Pharma, Özge Yurtsever joins our CEO and host, Stuart Elliott to speak about the adjustments she has made over her career in order to effectively engage with different profiles of people and develop her understanding of cultural nuances. 

In this episode, Stuart and Özge discuss how HR varies in different regions both strategically and culturally as well as the skills she has gained to help her adapt and thrive in her role. Özge offers advice to up-and-coming HR professionals on how to maintain a resilient mindset and embrace every change in life as a new opportunity. With rapid change inevitably comes challenges, and Özge highlights the importance of adapting in order to improve the overall culture of the environment we work in. 

Originally from Turkey, Özge Yurtsever is an accomplished HR professional with a wealth of experience in cross-cultural and multi-industry settings. She has lived and worked all over the world in places including Dubai and Singapore and currently holds the position of Strategic HR Business Partner at Astellas Pharma, where she plays an integral role in forging strong partnerships with the commercial team to drive a transformative agenda aimed at cultivating a high-performance organisational culture.

Key Timestamps:

01:13 – Intro into Özge and her background

08:33 – How is HR viewed in Turkey in comparison to other locations?

12:53 – The differing cultural markets and their impact on Özge’s career

18:13 – The Pharmaceutical Vs FMCG sectors 

22:40 – Developing your skills to have greater influence

25:53 – What Özge would advise for her younger self

30:55 – The biggest challenges of working in a HR role

34:58 – Three tips for an up-and-coming HR professional

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