Executive Forum: Ildem Bozkurt

© PHOTOGRAPHY BY BreTt Winter Lemon

Cyprus is an island nation of 1.2 million people in the Eastern Mediterranean with a rich, multi-cultural history. It proved to be an ideal training ground for a fast-rising executive who, over the course of her career, has been charged with leading a diverse workforce in multiple locations around the globe, from the grassy steppes of Central Asia to the red clay soil of North Carolina.

Fortunately, Ildem Bozkurt, head of professional pest management and vector control for the Environmental Science Unit of Bayer in the U.S. is comfortable managing diversity, while at the same time embracing change. This makes her the perfect choice for a pest control marketplace in the midst of a generational and technological transformation.

Bozkurt’s ability to adapt is due, in part, to her upbringing in Cyprus. She was surrounded by an extended family that embraced strong women, higher education, and the country’s unique cultural heritage, which features a large Greek population in the south and a much smaller Turkish population in the north.

Bozkurt, 45, was raised in Nicosia, the capital city of Northern Cyprus, and was the oldest of three children. Her father, Resat — which means “vibrant person” in Turkish — was of Greek descent and the undersecretary to the minister of agriculture. An agronomist by training, Resat is a “student of the world,” according to Bozkurt, earning his undergraduate degree from Ankara University in Turkey and his Master’s and Ph.D. from Bangor University in Great Britain.

Her mother, Sezgin — which means “inspiration” — is of Egyptian descent, a talented artist who graduated from Mimar Sinan before getting married and starting a family. It was a household that was rich both intellectually and culturally, creating a child with emotional intelligence beyond her years.

Growing up on a small island was a mixed blessing from a teenager’s perspective, particularly one as intellectually curious as Bozkurt. While on the one hand it created a sense of comfort and security, it also could feel somewhat parochial, detached from a broader world that had so much to offer. “Cyprus had been a British colony, so it’s a country that has a strong Anglo-Saxon heritage,” she says. “Consequently, I had an appreciation for both the Middle East and Europe,” two regions of the world that would play a key role in Bozkurt’s higher education and career aspirations later in life.

Like the United States, “Cyprus is a melting pot of cultures,” she observes. “I define myself as a Cypriot with a Mediterranean cultural identity,” an identity that was challenged — or reinforced depending on how you look at it — when Bozkurt chose to leave Cyprus following high school to attend Istanbul University and major in biology, hoping to one day to earn a Master’s degree from the school’s College of International Veterinary Medicine.

Academically gifted and highly competitive by nature, Bozkurt excelled in high school, where she played tennis and competed in gymnastics. To ensure their eldest child was well-rounded, Bozkurt also played piano and danced, devoting many hours to music education and classical ballet. “I didn’t know it at the time, but my mother was stretching me both physically and mentally through my involvement in those activities,” she says.

When Bozkurt informed her parents she wanted to study abroad following high school, “they weren’t really surprised” given the fact they had prepared her for a life beyond Cyprus. “My father said, ‘Of course, you’re going to go away and be successful because you’re hard working. Motivation is your engine to advance.’”

With those words echoing in her brain, following graduation Bozkurt immediately embarked on a career in the chemical industry, while still finding time to marry and start a family at 26. “I’ve always been self-motivated, but not to the detriment of my family,” she said. “While I have devoted a lot of energy to my career, I’ve always valued my family. Even today, living in the United States, I feel like my family is right beside me. We stay in touch regularly, so that connection has never been lost.”

While Bozkurt misses many of the things she grew up with in Cyprus, like homemade goat cheese, for instance, “I’ve enjoyed where my career has taken me and I’m looking forward to my new role managing Bayer’s U.S. pest control business,” she says. PCT magazine recently traveled to Research Triangle Park, N.C., to interview Bozkurt about her globe-trotting career path and her future plans for Bayer’s professional pest management business in the U.S. Excerpts from the 90-minute interview appear here, with additional editorial content available at www.pctonline.com.

Q. How would you describe your childhood growing up in Cyprus?

A. I have good memories of my childhood. I grew up in a tight-knit community surrounded by people who loved me, including a younger brother and sister who continue to be an important part of my life today. There is a benefit to growing up in a society where people are looking out for you. Psychologists always talk about emotional intelligence; I feel like in my case it’s highly developed because of my family and my personal relationships back in Cyprus.

Q. Yet even though you were very close to your family during those formative years, you decided to leave Cyprus and attend college in Turkey before moving on to graduate school in England. Isn’t that a bit of a contradiction?

A. I don’t think so. While I’m close to my family, I’ve always been independent minded and I always knew I would go away to school because my mother and father fostered a spirit of adventure and independence in their children. The University of Istanbul wasn’t too far from home and my father attended college in England, so it seemed like a logical extension of my education. At the end of the day my parents accepted my decision to study abroad because they knew they couldn’t change my mind anyway.

Q. How were you introduced to the chemical industry following college?

A. Because my father was traveling a lot as the undersecretary for the minister of agriculture in Cyprus, working closely with companies like Ciba-Geigy, Schering AG and Bayer, I had an early introduction to the chemical industry. He would bring the agenda from various meetings home with him and talk about his experiences, which I was fascinated by even as a young person. He was my role model; I was always interested in his work.

Q.What ultimately prompted you to pursue a career in the chemical manufacturing industry?

A. I’ve always loved animals (Bozkurt owned a goat as a child) so when I initially entered college I wanted to become a veterinarian. After completing my undergraduate classes, I was accepted into the School of International Veterinary Medicine, but there were two or three months between the time I was accepted and classes began. My friends said, “Why not go on a two- or three-month vacation with us?” But I wasn’t interested in going back to Cyprus and sitting on a beach. I was more interested in finding an internship because in the back of my mind I could hear my father saying, “Do something of value during this time.” So, I applied for an internship in the Regulatory Department at Hoechst and got the job. I was only 22 and responsible for translating all of their regulatory documents, which sounds incredibly boring, but I enjoyed it.

Q. Did that experience change the trajectory of your career?

A. Yes it did. Even though I was accepted into veterinary school, I had gotten a taste of business and enjoyed it. In industry, I realized I could execute a business plan, which was important to me, and I was impressed with how science could be applied to everyday life.

A. Not really. In business, every time I’ve been given a new assignment or role, I’ve worked really hard to be the best at whatever I did. I’ve never taken any opportunity lightly, always wanting to perform at 110 percent. Of course, I have a long-term vision for my career, but I was never motivated to pursue a particular title or position. I was more interested in gaining a variety of work experiences so I could take the next step in my career.

Q. How does someone with such a competitive nature rise through the ranks of a global corporation the size of Bayer without alienating one’s colleagues along the way?

(Source: Bayer)

A. I think if you’re hard-working and share your group’s success, people naturally are attracted to that positive energy. That’s how I’ve always tried to lead, doing whatever I could to accomplish a goal, and then acknowledging the role others have played in achieving those positive results.

Q. Have you ever considered leaving the chemical industry?

A. I joined the industry when I was 22 and now I’m 45. I’ve always been proud to be a part of the pest control industry. It’s a fascinating business. I was 27 years old when I became country head of Turkey. After that I moved on to managing bigger and bigger regions for the company, including Slovenia and Russia. By 30, I had created a hub of business in those places. While each market is unique, they do have certain things in common. To a large degree, roaches in Moscow are the same as roaches in Ankara or Zagreb, and at its core pest control is a service industry, regardless of where you’re doing business.

Q. Those are very diverse markets; what did those years teach you about yourself and how to manage people in a complex business environment?

A. It taught me the value and importance of self-discipline. Self-discipline requires a certain amount of pain and a lot of work, and I experienced both early in my career. I like structure because I feel people perform best in a structured environment. It’s not a matter of creating a comfort zone for people, but instead creating an environment where they can enhance their skills, while being given an opportunity to stretch, which is important.

Q. How long have you been managing Bayer’s Professional Pest Management and Vector Control business in the U.S. and what are your goals for the business?

A. This is my eighth month in the U.S. and I’m enjoying it. This is the most highly developed pest management industry in the world. We’re focusing on three things at Bayer — customers, collaboration and innovation. I want to move strategically in those three areas. While everyone says they want to be customer-focused, we’re taking specific steps to make sure we’re delivering on that promise, both internally and externally. With the wealth of resources available at Bayer, we’re interested in serving the industry as a whole, not just killing pests, but committed to supporting the professional pest control operator. If we do that well, the clients’ perception of this industry will continue to improve.

Q. What are some tangible examples of Bayer’s investment in innovation?

A. In the pest control industry, we offer an extensive product line but we’re particularly proud of three areas of innovation for our company — Suspend PolyZone, Temprid and Maxforce Complete. Each of those products was designed to address a specific need, not simply to develop a different formulation. Suspend PolyZone, for example, was developed to provide a product with a longer residual life outdoors. In that particular case, it’s not about the pest, but the environment. Our Maxforce roach control system is another good example of how Bayer brings innovative solutions to the marketplace. Live organisms like cockroaches are constantly adapting. We want to pro-actively address bait aversion and bait resistance issues, and our three-way rotational program was designed to mitigate those issues. It was born out of a legitimate market need. And going forward, we have an entire team of people looking beyond the formulation to add value to pest control operations. We’re asking ourselves, “Can we reduce the PCO’s time on the job? Can we increase their efficiency in the field? Are there different services we can provide that will grow their bottom line? Recruitment and retention is a problem in the industry. How can Bayer leverage its wealth of HR principles and processes for the benefit of the industry? Chemistry is like five percent of our overall business; within that space what else can we deliver?”

Q. You talk about wanting to move beyond chemicals, but right now one class of chemical in particular is increasingly in the spotlight: neonicotinoids. What is Bayer doing to address growing concerns on the part of consumers and regulators about neonics when it comes to issues like bee health?

A. Neonics have been widely adopted by PMPs and consumers because of their effectiveness and their favorable environmental safety profile, especially when compared to many older products. They are often used at lower dosages and applied less frequently than other products, which can help minimize exposures to bees and other beneficial insects. Neonics are the products most used to protect people, pets and property from pests, including invasive species that threaten our homes and communities. With hundreds of studies conducted, we know more about neonics (and how they relate to bees) than any other pesticide, and new research continues to confirm their safe use around bees when used according to the label. In January, the U.S. EPA completed a 5-year preliminary evaluation of imidacloprid — a major neonic product — and found that it poses little risk to bees when used properly. In short, the science is clear and the performance is proven: consumers who choose pest management products such as Temprid can rest easy knowing they have selected an outstanding product that can be safely used around their homes and gardens. All that said, it is clear that the honey bee, which is vital to farming and food production, is impacted by a range of different and complicated health threats. We have to understand completely what the problems are and what can be done to support the bees. Bayer is committed to that effort and has been conducting research in the area of bee health for more than 25 years.

Q. While formulation enhancements and value-added services are obviously welcomed by the industry, what about any new active ingredients being developed by Bayer?

A. I wish you could see our substance library. There’s a lot of cross fertilization between our pharmaceutical, life sciences and animal health businesses. The industry will see new active ingredients but it’s going to take time. Our prime objective is to make sure what we have today is still effective and efficient, while at the same time doing the basic research necessary to introduce new AI’s.

Q. Can you update us on the Vision 2020 initiative sponsored by Bayer?

“If we want to attract the next generation of workers, we must talk about our industry’s higher purpose.”

A. I don’t have to tell your readers that this is a very exciting and challenging time for our industry. The past is rapidly giving way to a new generation of employees and consumers — the Millennial Generation — people who think differently and are motivated by different values and beliefs than the generations that became before them. It is more ethnically and culturally diverse; heavily influenced by media; constantly in touch via social media; enamored with all things organic; and wary of pesticides. In addition, they are more inclined to Google “pest control” or do it themselves — at least initially — than hire a PMP as evidenced by the increase in Internet search and visits to DIY pest control sites. The Vision 2020 initiative has a number of goals, not the least of which is how to serve this new generation of pest control customers.

Q. So, what does that mean for the pest control industry?

A. It means in this media-saturated and purpose-driven environment that millennials have cultivated, public perception of our industry has never been more important. It affects our ability to recruit and retain the next generation of managers and technicians. It affects the perceived value of the pest management services we provide and the outcomes we achieve. And it affects our ability as an industry to shape policy and, in turn, create a positive business environment. Therefore, moving forward, there is nothing more important than cultivating a positive reputation for our industry.

Q. Why is delivering this message to millennials so important to you?

A. Because they are our customers and employees of the future and we need to be able to communicate effectively with them. We must do a better job of helping the public understand why we do what we do and how we benefit society. We do not exist to kill pests; rather, we exist to foster a healthy environment where people live, work and play. We exist to help the 30 million people worldwide who suffer from pest-induced asthma each year. We exist to enhance the quality of life by promoting health, hygiene and safety. We must unite around these messages if we want the world to truly value what we do.

Q. How do those issues translate into more effective employee recruitment?

A. As we think about the next generation of people working in and leading our industry, this united message becomes even more important. Studies show that the most important thing millennials take into consideration when looking for a job is whether there is a clear sense of purpose in the position. They want to make a difference in the world, and while our industry does exactly that, we generally do not lead with this part of our story. If we want to attract the next generation of workers, we must talk about our industry’s higher purpose.

Q. So how does the basic human desire for a higher purpose relate to Bayer’s mission statement — Science For A Better Life?

A. We have been trying to address the issue of providing a collective sense of purpose at Bayer through our mission, Science For A Better Life. In fact, these days we are focusing less on the Science and even more on the Better Life part of the story for the reasons I just mentioned. Within the PPM business, we don’t exist to kill pests; we exist to create a Better Life for everyone involved. There’s another benefit to focusing on our purpose. It will help us as an industry to think outside the box we’re in. For example, what innovations — outside of chemicals — will allow us to achieve our purpose? And what other businesses, complementary to pest management, might create opportunities to partner with others in pursuit of that purpose? These are the things we need to be thinking about as an industry to ensure a thriving future.

Q. How does Bayer’s mission statement resonate at the service technician level?

A. Service technicians provide a valuable service to their customers; a service that requires a significant amount of time and energy, in addition to an extensive amount of knowledge. The same is true for the products and services we develop for the industry. That value needs to be communicated to that customer in some way and we need to do it in a professional, easy-to-understand fashion. We need to be pro-active in communicating the fact that we collectively help to make their home or business healthy. Within Environmental Science we want to have every individual who is a part of the Bayer family to have proper conversations about pesticides, whether interacting with a friend, family member or the public. And it’s not just the PMP; we want our staff to use the right language apart from their professional life. If someone asks what we do, I want to make sure we talk about the role we play in environmental health and hygiene. I’m in the pest control industry, but I’m not in the business of just killing bugs. I’m here to create healthy environments. That’s the message I want to reinforce. It will take time, but we’re collectively beginning to have an impact.

Q. What would you like PMPs to communicate to their customers about Bayer’s role in this narrative?

A. We would like them to know that Bayer is involved in virtually all aspects of providing healthy environments for customers, from protecting the food they eat at their dinner table to protecting their pets from ticks and fleas. As an environmental science company, we provide all of these types of protections. We also offer pharmaceutical and consumer care products; in short, we’re involved in all areas of making a better life for our customers.

Q. But Bayer is only one small part of the value chain. How do you deliver that message to all levels of the industry?

A. That’s true. We’re at the beginning of the value chain, and all along that chain we need to collaborate with our partners. Beyond chemistry, we must develop other products and services that add to the value chain, including product stewardship, marketing and communications, so our customers can equip themselves to talk effectively about the benefits of professional pest management. They are the face of the industry and they’re the ones who ultimately will change market perceptions.

Q. But isn’t that what you do, manufacture products for the industry?

A. That’s only one aspect of what we do as a company. I believe being called a manufacturer diminishes the true value we contribute to the industry. It ignores the work behind that product, the years of research and development, regulatory activities, licensing agreements, etc., which aren’t considered and are too often overlooked. Bringing true innovation to the marketplace is a huge investment, requiring significant brain power. The whole, not the individual parts of our business, is what’s important.

Q. But how do you make that message come alive when all the PMP and the customer is really interested in is controlling the pest(s) that is causing the problem at any given moment?

A. As an industry, I understand that we are performance driven. Our goal is to eradicate pests. I share that passion, but how can we turn that passion into something more? We have to ask ourselves, “What is the value of having a roach killed?” Another good example of why this topic is so important is the Zika virus. It’s a serious health concern, but mosquito-borne illnesses aren’t anything new. They’ve represented a serious public health threat for a very long time, whether taking the form of West Nile virus, chikungunya, or dengue fever. We have a serious disease threat on the horizon and we should be communicating that threat to the public in a responsible fashion. It’s important to use the right product at the right time until a Zika vaccination becomes available. As an industry we’re going to be playing a major role in this issue and we need to be pro-active in communicating that role to the public.

Q. Is that one of the reasons you have such respect for the industry and its role in protecting public health?

A. Yes it is. You know the TV show “Undercover Boss?” I love that show. I haven’t been undercover, but I’ve been with PMPs in the field going into people’s houses, so I know their work. I believe you have to experience a day in the life of a technician to really understand the important role they play in protecting the public’s health and property.

Q. At the end of your tenure at Bayer, how will you know if you have been successful in your job?

A. Obviously, a key measure of success is sales and profitability, but I’d also like to see the ongoing evolution of public perceptions about our industry. I dislike the word manufacturer because I don’t believe it is reflective of what we offer in total as a company. A manufacturer is at the beginning of the supply chain. We manufacture products that we provide to our customers, but I feel like we’re much more than that. We’re a life sciences company. With all the resources at Bayer’s disposal we should be able to bring significant value to this industry, not just the end use of a product. Simply producing 30 gallons of pesticide for a customer and handing it to them is not our purpose. Our value is everything that goes into developing, stewarding, marketing and selling that product up and down the supply chain.

Q. Culturally, have you had any difficulty adapting to the U.S. pest control market after spending so much time running businesses in other parts of the world?

A. Not really. In this market I sense people want to know and understand you, and I don’t have any problem with that type of culture since I like people. For instance, I was recently invited to go quail hunting and it was an eye opening and fun experience for me. People asked, “Are you really sure that you want to come along?” But I grew up with aunts and uncles who enjoyed hunting and making a big feast of rabbits and quails after the hunt. Hunting is a sport, but when you come together with customers and clients as a family, then we’re sharing something special, something more than simply a sporting activity. We are blessed by the food and the friendship that we experience through that shared experience. It’s not about killing the birds. The same is true for professional pest control. It’s not about killing the pests; it’s about the important role all of us play in enhancing the quality of life of people around the globe.