Get to know our employees Okan Caliskan

Today we would like to introduce our colleague Okan Caliskan. Okan has been responsible for the entire CEE region (Germany, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Slovakia) as QHSE Director (Quality, Safety, Health & Environment) since the beginning of 2021. With his new main place of work in Berlin, he and his wife left their hometown in Mudanya, where he worked for our plant there from 2009 to 2015. After this time he worked for the British company Scapa Group, which mainly produces adhesive tapes for various industries. At Scapa, he led the cable division and was responsible for sales in EMEA. Thus, Okan has been working in the cable industry for more than 11 years in various functions – once cable, always cable!

He is grateful for the time spent at our cable factory in Mudanya: “The time was very influential, it made me who I am today. I have worked in research and development, which has brought me a lot of experience both at the business and personal levels. These six years are the basis of my career and my growth. I have many positive memories of Prysmian; many colleagues whom I consider to be friends today and many goals that I have achieved. Now, together with the strong CEE team, I look forward to achieving better results, having an influential, unforgettable experience and continuing my career. My new role as QHSE Director touches almost every aspect of the company and it is of paramount importance for me to get in touch with my colleagues and customers at all levels.”

His open nature and his always positive attitude help him in this. Okan is a calm person and always tries to communicate directly. Sometimes too direct, but still friendly.

Thanks to his time in Mudanya, Okan would return to Prysmian as soon as a new challenge arose and he could continue to grow. “One of the decisive factors for me was the dynamic environment that I knew Prysmian would offer. I like working in an environment where the results are worked out together in a team. Moreover, the cable industry is very broad and not what it looks like from the outside. Once you are a part of it, you will not get out of it so easily!”

Okan is proud to work for a company that is known as a global brand and the number one cable manufacturer worldwide - with the best technologies and skills and with proactive and inspiring people. “I really like how different and yet connected we are. In the end, we come from many different cultures, bring together experiences, and we pursue the same goals and work as a team.”

It was therefore very easy for him to decide to take the next step in his career.

In his new role, Okan has a lot to do, and he has to manage 17 locations in the region. Therefore, there is no typical day-to-day work: in every country, at every location, new tasks are assigned to him. Currently, he tries to travel as often as possible in order to be directly in the factories and get more insight into the operations of the company, rather than focusing only on numbers. There's still a lot to do.

Nevertheless, Okan also tries to maintain a good work-life balance. This is part of a good working life and he enjoys spending time with his family and friends.

“The workplace is another family and therefore the connections between people at the workplace and the communication level are very valuable internally and externally and one of the factors that have an impact on a positive working life.”

In his free time, Okan likes to spend time with his wife in Berlin to explore the city and to capture the different levels of culture. He tries to be as active as possible and likes to travel to different places. During the COVID period, of course, this is very difficult and it is more about staying at home: “I like cooking very much, and I think that I have improved a lot in the last 2 years :-). I also like to watch movies, listen to music or read a book. I also like to browse the Internet and find out about technical updates from various areas. In addition, I like photography and music and have sailed regularly when I was in Mudanya. I look forward to exploring my possibilities in Berlin.”

Thank you for the interview! We wish Okan a lot of success in his new role and hope that Berlin will soon become his new home.