Toros Tarım R&D Manager Didem Tümük participated in the series of interviews held by the International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) with women professionals in the industry on the occasion of October 13, World Fertilizer Day.
Highlighting the theme of gender equality to celebrate the 13 October World Fertilizer Day this year, IFA held a special series of interviews with female managers who add value to the fertilizer industry with their work. Toros Tarım R&D Manager Didem Tümük took part in the series, which was performed with 8 industry professionals from different countries and published on IFA's website.
Didem Tümük said that the most important reason for choosing the fertilizer industry as a chemical engineer was that she wanted to improve her engineering skills by managing variables efficiently. Indicating that fertilizer production is a sector that requires care and skill with its rapidly changing dynamics, Tümük said that he was excited to be a part of this system where the learning process never ends.
Stating that his career, which he started as a production engineer, continued in different departments such as HSE and R&D, Didem Tümük stated that the experience he gained gave him a broader perspective and gave him the opportunity to constantly improve himself, and asked what the most satisfying thing about his job was: “There are many things, but most importantly, I get the chance to improve the company, the business and myself by working in R&D. Besides, being a part of the food production chain and being creative about how we can do things differently to make this chain more efficient and accessible is my greatest happiness. As humanity, we have a challenge in front of us, such as food security. “What we do is helping to feed the world at a time when access to healthy and adequate food sources is getting harder every day.”
“More investment must be made to accelerate the green and digital transformation of the agricultural sector!”
Emphasizing that fertilizer plays an important role in the food value chain by increasing productivity, Didem Tümük said the following about the critical importance of the fertilizer industry for the future and the role of R&D:
“The fertilizer industry will continue to develop and change in a way that will contribute to humanity in line with our changing needs, expectations and conditions. Climate change and biodiversity loss pose imminent and lasting threats to food security and livelihoods. Transitioning to a sustainable food system can be a way out of the crisis, providing environmental, health and social benefits as well as economic gains. Investments will be needed to foster innovation and create sustainable food systems. More investment needs to be made to accelerate the green and digital transformation of the agricultural sector.
In addition, new steps will be taken globally on how water and food resources should be managed. This approach will also determine the relations between countries in the near future. Similarly, changes in people's lifestyles will lead to changes in their consumption habits. As a result, the importance of R&D will increase. We must work harder and aim for innovations that will benefit both humanity and the environment.”
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“The most important aspect of R&D is that it is a way to benefit people!”
Didem Tümük answered the question about what was the most challenging issue for her as a woman in her career in the fertilizer industry:
“I have been not only an engineer and manager, but also a mother and wife, throughout my career of more than 15 years. In short, I tried to succeed in every role. The fertilizer industry is one of the male-dominated industries in general. Therefore, taking a leading role and being a manager in a production environment sometimes requires extra effort and energy. But on the other hand, it forces you to always think outside the box and always be creative.
For more than five years, I took roles and responsibilities in different areas of production, including utilities, acid production, ammonium nitrate production and related areas. Not only in the industry, I worked as a production manager, which is a difficult position in general. During my career as a production manager, I played key roles in different investment and operational projects. I worked as a project coordinator in the waste gas treatment system, which is Turkey's first in its field and one of the most important investments in the world. I also led the PGM (precious metal) cleaning and recovery project and presented at the ANNA 2015 Conference in Canada.
I have been the manager of the R&D department for three years. R&D is an innovation-oriented process, different from my previous production experiences. Besides giving me a new perspective and new experiences, the most important aspect of this job for me is that it is a way of benefiting people. We have the goal of developing new products that support sustainable and efficient agriculture. I can proudly say that we are a determined and harmonious team that carries out large and important projects.”
“Developing relationship, communication, networking and planning skills is essential to be successful!”
Didem Tümük, who opened a special parenthesis to Esin Mete, the former manager of Toros Tarım among the women who inspired her, reminded that Toros Tarım started producing zinc fertilizers for the first time in the world under her management, and said that Mete led the sector not only in Turkey but also on a global scale. He said it was a given name. Tümük stated that Esin Mete encouraged female engineers to work in production facilities, which created an important opportunity for her in her career.
When asked what the most important lesson she learned throughout her career was, Didem Tümük replied, “Developing relationship, communication, networking and planning skills is the most important thing to be successful.”
Sources
www.toros.com.tr