Guliz Kiymaz

Name:

Guliz Kiymaz

Job Title:

Trade & Investment Manager at UKTI Izmir

Role:

Helping UK companies enter and expand in the Turkish market.

Sectors Covered:

Agri-technology, Clothing, Footwear & Fashion, Textiles & Interior Textiles (including technical textiles) and Food & Drink

Career to date:

Banking & Finance                          

Hobbies:

Swimming, travelling, reading

How long have you been at this post?

 10 years

What do you enjoy about your role?

Building up knowledge and contacts in lead sectors and using them when a business matchmaking opportunity arises.

What is your favourite part of living in Turkey?

I live in Izmir, which is a big city (3.5 million population), but at the same time has characteristics of a holiday town. Although the heat can sometimes become unbearable in high summer, on the bright side you get to a beach in less than an hour.

What do you enjoy the most when you visit the UK?

I think the UK is a lovely country. I like the fact that the country side is unspoiled and many people prefer to live there instead of in the big cities (which is the opposite in Turkey). E.g. Oxford – I think people living there are very lucky.

I also love the cheese – my favourite is cranberry stilton.

When is the busiest time for your office?

In the past, summer months were less busy, but now it’s almost the same year-round. November and March are particularly hectic months, as we have to deliver the next financial year’s activity bids in November and tie up the loose ends in March.

What is the strangest fact you have heard about Turkey?

Turkey is a country full of surprises and controversies. To give an example, Turkish national football team came 3rd in the 2002 World Cup, but did not even qualify in this year’s Cup.

Also, not many people know that the legendary Amazons, a nation of all-female warriors, lived in Asia Minor, which is now the modern Turkey; and the original burial place of St Nicholas (Santa Claus) is near Antalya.