The Stage Is For Those Who Dare To Pick Up The Microphone!

Hello everybody. I’m Ceren from Corporate Communications team.

‘‘Every day we are faced with the need to develop, learn new things, and grow above ourselves. And it is here, at Borusan Cat, that this is appreciated and encouraged, because our key value has been and remains our employees.’’

Today, Mikhail Khudyshkin, a member of the Resource Industry Customer Support Strategic Marketing Team will share his story of professional growth inside the Borusan Cat family.

And I’m glad to be the messenger.

How did your professional path begin?

It's safe to say that working at Amur Machinery was my first truly serious experience. I was still a student, rushing from one job to another, trying to find my way. Perhaps the most interesting experience was working in a karaoke club as a Sound Engineer. My task was to set up sound systems and light to create the right atmosphere for visitors. At that time, I was very fond of the sound, music, and everything of the kind, so I felt in the right place. Here a logical question should arise - how did I end up at Amur Machinery at all? The answer was simple; I needed a more stable and formal job. And when the opportunity came up, I took it, although I did not plan to stay there for a long time. How wrong I was. ☺

Could you please tell us more about your first position and ongoing journey at Borusan Cat?

I came to Amur Machinery in 2012 as a Storekeeper. Back then, the company was not part of the Borusan Cat family. I was 20 years old, with almost no experience. But I was struck by 2 things: the debugging of all processes and the atmosphere in the team. I immediately realized that I was in a large, serious organization where employees are treated like people. In karaoke we call this the ‘perfect duet’. After I learned all aspects of the job, I got bored. I wanted something new. And the example of several former colleagues showed that career growth in Amur Machinery is available to everyone. Therefore, I began to use my free time to gain new knowledge about spare parts, the design of equipment, and work in 1C and Cat® systems. At this very time, we became part of the Borusan family, and the opportunity arose to get into the Spare Parts Sales Department. I realized that it was my chance. I will not lie, but in addition to my desire, there was still a bit of luck. Anyway, from the warehouse, I went to work in the office as a Sales Representative for spare parts.

More opportunities for professional growth awaited me there. Working with customers, interacting with internal departments, and various projects for the company's development, all that was extremely interesting. At that time, the direction of 6 Sigma was actively developing, and I was invited to participate in several projects. Perhaps that was a key starting point for my future career. Sometime later, I was asked to join a new Strategic Marketing Team as a Product Specialist for Undercarriage and G.E.T.

The first 3-4 months were the most stressful in my career. ☺ I faced lots of new information and huge responsibilities. In a short time, it was necessary to become a specialist with an expert knowledge. I no longer just worked with certain customers; the entire territory of Far East of Russia became my area of responsibility. Finally, I had the opportunity to visit every BDV branch, and even visited the CRC in Karaganda once. Then I began to study English more intensively because now I needed to communicate with colleagues from Caterpillar.

I worked in the Customer Support Marketing Department for 4 years. It was an exciting journey in which I was lucky to meet many colleagues from different companies and countries. At some point, I was assigned to develop the E-Commerce (online sales of spare parts) direction in BDV. At the same time, my interaction with the team from the head office in Turkey began. We talked almost every week, and that was an invaluable experience. It came as a surprise to me how open and friendly people working in Turkey were.

Last October, I received an invitation to join the International Strategic Marketing Team and be responsible for the development of spare parts sales and services for Mining customers throughout Borusan Cat. I couldn't help but say yes.

Your work means a lot of responsibilities. Could you tell us which is the most interesting and which is the most challenging?

The most compelling is the opportunity to see and understand how our business works in different countries. At one time, I was happy to have the opportunity to personally visit all BDV branches, it helped me to expand my geography. ☺

At the same time, this is also the hardest part. I still live in Khabarovsk in the Far East of Russia, and I always have to take into account the time difference when working with colleagues from other countries. Getting there is also not easy and takes long, but that is where the magic of Borusan Cat helps a lot - no matter what office I find myself in, I feel at home.

What inspires you in your work?

People. People are the predominant part of any business, and Borusan Cat understands this very well. When I moved to the international team, I was quite worried because I was the only one from Russia. As it turned out, completely in vain. Every working day I felt the support of my colleagues and the feeling of working in a team grew day by day. “Together we can do it” is a motto that we hardly use anymore. But it fully reflects what I love my job for.

What advice would you give to young professionals starting their career in our company?

To not be afraid to step out of their comfort zone. Fear is a normal feeling, but sometimes it prevents us from making important decisions that can change our lives for the better. Borusan Cat provides many opportunities for development and career growth. But for this, one needs to take a step forward, develop independently, take the initiative and be ready for the new.

Ceren Öztoprak Altunok

Author

Ceren prefers to learn about history and cultures by visiting the places rather than reading about and can't get enough of discovering new ones. She also likes to spend her time in nature and especially in places where green meets blue. She believes that breakfast is related to happiness, but she is used to being the strange one because she doesn’t like desserts at all.
There is always a song playing in every moment of her life. She is extremely happy to be a part of social responsibility projects. Ceren is interested in many different fields of sports and arts. As a literature graduate booklover, her library is overcrowded and her event tickets are stored in so many boxes, but her indispensable in art is, theater. And for sports, she is a fan of yellow-red colors which was born in 1905.