Ebru Özdemir is the embodiment of a persistent woman, whose work has contributed to the successful completion of hundreds of engineering and construction projects inside and outside Turkey.

Özdemir has 13 years of experience in the role of chairwoman of the board of Limak and is an advocate of gender equality mainly in professions where women have traditionally been underrepresented.

With her own initiative 7 years ago, she started the "Engineer Girls of Türkiye" program, a project which has now received global attention expanding into “Global Engineer Girls”. 

To learn more about her activity as a business leader and her advocacy for gender equality, read the interview we conducted for "Energy" magazine.

Energy: Can you shortly describe what is it like to be a long-term leader from a woman’s perspective?

Having been the Chairwoman of Limak for some time now, I can confidently say that with great leadership comes great responsibility.

The more time I spend in my leadership role, the more dedication I feel to my company and my staff, and want to be a good leader for them.

Ultimately, leadership is a skill like any other that you get better at with time and practice. When I started in my role, I initially found it challenging, especially working in a male-dominated sector like construction and engineering. Over time, I have found power in my position, and being a woman I think is very helpful, because I look at things from a slightly different position than my male colleagues.

If I had to describe my role, I would say it is challenging but extremely rewarding. I strive to continue being a better leader each day.

Energy: Could you name some aspects any given business should never forget about, like a sort of formula for a company’s success in your opinion?

Ebru Özdemir: It’s impossible to name a single formula for a business’ success – each company is different and faces unique challenges.

“From my experience, the most successful businesses are those whose leaders invest in the wellbeing of their people, those who make sure their employees find the work they do fulfilling and make sure their business is not only profitable but is also bringing something positive to the world. “ I try to follow these rules when leading Limak.

Energy: What do you attribute your success and do you have any thoughts or guidance for women entering into leadership roles that have historically been held by men? 

Ebru Özdemir: The truth is that I have had to work hard for my success. When I chose to become an engineer there weren’t many female role models in this sector. I studied and worked mostly with men my whole life, and this meant that I frequently had to prove my professional and intellectual worth to my male counterparts. I attribute my success to my perseverance.

Every time I encountered an obstacle, I saw it as an opportunity to challenge and ascertain myself – to prove to myself that I could do it just as well, and sometimes better, than the men around me. For me, this is an essential quality for a woman in a leadership role. She must be strong, ready to overcome any obstacle and impact for the better of those around her. 

Energy: What are your thoughts about men’s engagement in women’s empowerment?

Ebru Özdemir: I believe it’s extremely important to have male champions of women's empowerment - without their involvement and support we won’t be able to achieve as much change. In the 21st century, we can no longer afford to operate with outdated views on men's and women’s positions in the world.

At Limak, we have many men ranging from engineers to marketing executives who work tirelessly on our flagship project Engineer Girls of Türkiye, now with the global name, Global Engineer Girls. They frequently tell me how important this project is for them, and how they see a better future for their sisters and daughter because of the opportunities given to women. To make a real difference we must work together at every step.

Energy: What challenges did you face professionally in the past? Are you still facing the same challenges? As a woman, entrepreneur, engineer, or on personal levels. Any aspect related to overcoming challenges you would like our audience to know about?

Ebru Özdemir: Ambitious women who break the glass ceiling are faced with a range of challenges that many of their male counterparts cannot comprehend. Unfortunately, these issues prevent many women from achieving their leadership goals and diminish their ability to get ahead in business.

One of the biggest challenges is equality in the workplace. This is particularly relevant for the construction and engineering sectors. Men dominate the executive ranks, and women face disproportionate challenges in their efforts to rise to the top. Women’s salaries are lower than men’s at every career level. At the C-level, the disparity between men and women is perhaps most pronounced. I can honestly say ’engineering is still a boys club’. Therefore, despite my position, I still sometimes feel the pressure of being a woman in a male-dominated profession. It is encouraging, however, that I am seeing more and more women in senior positions in my field.

Building a sisterhood and garnering support from other women is very important to me. Women in business need to support and empower each other. We must show each other togetherness, compassion, excellence, and enthusiasm in order to lay the foundations for progress. At the C-level, we need an “Executive Sisterhood” that would operate as a catalyst to increase gender parity in the workplace. But first, we need to come together.

Lastly, it's not enough to simply hold a particular role or to sit at the table. Women leaders must speak confidently to make their voices heard and share their perspectives because it can help shape policies. They need to be role models for the upcoming generations.

Energy: In 2016, you founded the Limak Foundation. The Foundation houses all of Limak Holding's philanthropic and social projects. One of your projects, which has been active in Türkiye aims to increase women's participation and access to engineering fields. What are your expectations regarding this Project and what’s next at Engineer Girls of Türkiye?

Ebru Özdemir: The Engineer Girls of Türkiye is a bold initiative to attract more women in engineering. I call it Limak’s flagship project.

Ultimately, we seek to educate, empower, and engage with young girls and women who want to pursue education and careers in the sphere of engineering. This year marks the 7th year of the Project and we have reached a great number of students, mentors, and women professionals in engineering so far.

With the Project, we aim to equip young female engineers with the tools necessary to compete and succeed in the future workplace. We want to create a real sisterhood and show girls and women that there is a real future for them as professional engineers. We want them to have role models who mentor them and provide them with support and guidance on their career paths.

The project first started in Türkiye 7 years ago with only 40 students. Now, hundreds of students in Türkiye and Kuwait are benefiting from the Project. This year we also expanded our work to Kosovo and to North Macedonia and are in the process of recruiting our first cohorts in these new locations. We are also re-branding the project with the name Global Engineer Girls.

We are working together with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to maximize our reach across the globe, as we see an acute need to provide support to girls across all the world’s continents to study and work as engineers.

I’m very proud to say that in the past 7 years, we have created a real community among our Global Engineer Girls participants – they are like a big family that now spans 4 countries and will continue growing.

In the coming years, we want to expand Global Engineer Girls even further and become truly global. Stay tuned for what’s coming next!

Energy: What pieces of advice would you give other women? What should they do in order to achieve their goals, their dreams?

Ebru Özdemir: The first piece of advice that I would give is to always be diligent and work hard. Unfortunately, women must still work harder than their male counterparts to achieve success.

“In both engineering and entrepreneurial activities, diligence is absolutely vital. Secondly, I would recommend staying resilient and having agility of thought. “

In all areas of work, we all undoubtedly encounter obstacles and challenges. Immediate challenges can make it difficult to see the bigger picture or can force us to deviate on the path to success. Resilience and agility of thought prove critical in maintaining the right direction.

Third, but by no means least, would be determination and enthusiasm.

To achieve your dreams, or to complete a massively complex assignment on time, you must be determined and enthusiastic about what you do. Determination is what will get you past the finish line. And the enthusiasm is what will keep you smiling on the way.

Energy: Could you share 3 tips (or aspects) any woman who wants to achieve her goals, personal or professional ones, should never forget about? Especially to all the women of KEDS & KESCO?

I think that to achieve success all women around the world should have:

- Patience

- Passion

- Dedication / Determination / Hard Work

You need to be patient. Change happens but does not happen quickly. You need to have passion to enjoy what you do and achieve what you envisage.

Last, but not least, you need to work hard for your cause, you need to be determined and dedicated.