Conversations with Turkey's Career Pioneers – Banu Küçükel

The first guest of November’s Career Pioneers conversations was the Vice Chairman of Güven Hospital Banu Küçükel. Mrs. Küçükel initiated her speech by stressing the importance of the day (10th of November) and commemorated Mustafa Kemal Atatürk then asked students questions about their career preferences.

Banu Küçükel decided to develop further the Güven Hospital when she was only 16 years old and once she completed her studies on 1993, her mother, who was then the head physician of the hospital assigned her in the cleaning department, where she spent her first year doing cleaning work. Mrs Küçükel lost her signing authority when she had one of the buildings of the hospital demolished without the permission of her family at the age of 23 and started the struggle for her career by regaining the confidence of her parents. Mrs Küçükel explained that enterprises of health are the most difficult ones to operate due to the fact that they inhold all kinds of occupational fields. She added that the era of patronising is over in the sector and mentioned that they now apply a couching system.

Banu Küçükel went on by answering the questions of students and advised them to attain a secured profession. She stressed the importance of practicing a profession that they believe in, in order to be happy and successful and to have a high motivation which will create a real difference. She stated that English alone is not sufficient for opening up to the world and argued that knowledge of several foreign languages is a key to success.

Mrs Küçükel advised our students to choose their own partners, professions and friends, to behave delicately under any circumstances, to question, to be different and not to judge people. She concluded her words by recommending writing down three things that render them happy for 21 days in order to start perceiving the bright side of life.