1) What stage of life are you in?
I’ve entered a completely new phase of my life in every sense. During this period, I made and implemented some really tough decisions. I cleared out everything in my life that looked and felt nice on the surface but was rotten at the core. Looking back at what happened shortly after I made those decisions, I can see how right I was.
On this new page I’ve opened, I will create the environment I’ve long dreamed of and truly deserve.
Professionally, I’m also entering a new phase I’ve dreamed of for a long time. Most recently, we sold our wind power plant located in Kandıra, Kocaeli (Izmit Kandıra WPP). In this new period, we will focus on technology investments in the sustainability sector, which is also my personal passion.
2) Have you sold the Izmit Kandıra WPP project that caused you serious problems?
Yes, we sold the Izmit Kandıra WPP project to Enerjisa. The sales process is not entirely complete yet—it will be finalized next year—but all agreements have been signed. The deal is done.
I’m happy with the result for two reasons. First, as an entrepreneur, my greatest motivation is the continuity of the work I start. We form emotional bonds with every project we establish—it’s like our child. Naturally, we want to see it grow and thrive.
Enerjisa is among the best energy companies in Turkey. They’ll operate and grow the plant in the best way. So, I’m at ease.
3) What are your future plans?
I’m not going to go into detail here about what I plan to do next. Every time I’ve written about future plans in detail, I’ve noticed things go awry. So, from now on, I’ll write about what I have done, not what I plan to do.
I will just say this: in the new period, I’ll be focusing on technologies in the field of sustainability.
4) What happened to your work in civil society? We no longer see you involved in NGOs or foundations.
Due to numerous unpleasant experiences, I’ve taken a break from civil society work. In Turkey, these things have gotten to a point where even doing good requires overcoming people and tolerating the harm they cause you.
I still support some foundations and associations from time to time, both through donations and mentorship. But I’m not actively involved in any of them. It saddens me to see that the organizations I founded, like TİDER and the Disaster Platform, have regressed significantly compared to my time.
As I always say, and I’ll emphasize again here: Civil society work is essentially a public duty. Everyone should complete their service and hand over the baton to the next person—whether they succeed or not. No one should make excuses like “I still have work to do” or “I couldn’t find someone to replace me.” Training successors is also part of the job. Leaders must ensure smooth transitions without excuses.
5) I saw on LinkedIn that you’re doing a master’s at Bosphorus University. Why go back to school at this age?
As I said, I’m entering a new phase in life. I’ve always been someone who’s curious, reads, researches, and enjoys self-development. I wanted to crown this new period with a symbolic return to school.
Despite all the recent controversy, I’m quite satisfied with Bosphorus University. In my opinion, it’s still the best university in Turkey. This is thanks to the professors and students who stubbornly stay and continue education under tough conditions.
I did my undergraduate studies at McGill University in Montreal, one of Canada’s top schools. I’d say the students there are on par with those at Bosphorus. Both schools are not only full of intelligent people but also have vibrant social environments, which suits me well and keeps me energized.
I consciously chose this master’s program. It offers the theoretical foundation for the work I plan to do in the new period. The ‘Engineering and Technology Management’ master’s is a perfect fit for me. Here are my courses this term: Communication Skills for Engineers, Applied Statistics and Design of Experiments, Strategic Technology Management, Supply Chain Management,and R&D Management
Finals started this week. I have three tough exams and two major projects due.
6) What’s your view on Trump’s victory?
I evaluate U.S. presidents from three perspectives. If a president scores well on these, I think positively of them. Let’s go through these for Trump:
a) Renewable Energy: Trump is unfortunately not a friend of renewables. His views align closely with the fossil fuel lobby. He supports fossil fuel companies rather than clean energy. He failed to grasp (or chose to ignore) the need to use fossil fuels as raw materials, not for energy. So, he fails in this area.
b) Turkey: Trump’s view of Turkey isn’t as bad as Biden’s. Biden was openly anti-Turkey. Although Trump isn’t a strong ally either, he’s not entirely against us. He kind of plays both sides, sometimes helping, other times acting against us. We’ll see how this evolves in Trump’s second term.
c) Advancement of Humanity: Global peace, the betterment of humanity, tackling climate change and nuclear threats—these things don’t matter to Trump. His focus is solely on America. Isolationism, trade wars, and antagonizing even peaceful countries like Canada (which I love dearly) is not a visionary approach.
A visionary leader for a country like the U.S. should strive for global peace, fight threats like climate change, and even work on settling humans in space. These goals would strengthen the U.S. too. But where are such visionary leaders today?
7) What do you think about Turkey’s future?
I’m hopeful about Turkey’s future. I don’t agree with those who are pessimistic. In the long run, Turkey will reach its deserved place.
Currently, Turkey is not being well-governed. Economically, socially, and culturally we’re in decline. I won’t go into detail here, but the only way out of this economic crisis and cultural erosion is a change in leadership.
Anyone who argues otherwise either benefits from the current regime or is lacking in education and awareness. Still, I believe Turkey will ultimately improve in the long run.
8) Do you still run?
Yes, I do. I no longer run for speed, but for health and enjoyment. Exercising early in the morning with people I value benefits me both physically and mentally.
9) Assad’s regime has fallen in Syria. What now?
The real question is: Who will take over Syria’s leadership? Everyone was against Assad. Now he’s gone, who’s coming next? Radical Islamists? Nationalist Kurds?
Will that really be better? You decide.
10) The animal protection law passed, and some municipalities started enforcing it immediately. You’ve written about this many times. What needs to be done to fix it?
There’s a lot to be done here. I’ve detailed my views in earlier blog posts. You can find them below:
https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/cikarilmasi-dusunulen-sokak-hayvanlari-yasasi
https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/bilincli-hayvan-sahipligi-desteklenmeli
https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/hayvan-haklari-evrenseldir
https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/ulkemizde-hayvan-haklarinin-hakkini-verebilecek-miyiz
The foundation is to provide animals with a comfortable and fulfilling life. But only a genuinely animal-loving government with the right mindset can correct years of mistakes. That’s clearly not the current government. A future administration with vision and compassion could give animals the life they deserve.
NOTE: Regarding the banner photo: I included pictures from various stages of my life. In this 11th FAQ, where I referenced a new era multiple times, I’ll leave it to you to interpret why I included a childhood photo.
The second photo is from my graduation at McGill University, one of the most pivotal periods in my life. As mentioned, I’m now studying at Bosphorus University, and this is another turning point for me.
The third photo features the Canadian CEO of Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Simon Cooper, and the German GM Martin Kleinman, with my family. Back then, I managed the Istanbul Ritz-Carlton Hotel investment. I included this photo to represent how the family company later came to me saying, “You were always right—we’d like to invest in your work.”
The last photo shows a delegation of important figures from Nevada (deputy governor, mayor, tourism board head, etc.) during their visit to Turkey, which I organized. After Istanbul, we visited Izmir and Ephesus. I don’t remember exactly where this photo was taken, but someone asked me to sit down for the shot, and the rest stood behind me. It turned out great. You can also see a directional sign in the background—one side pointing to Europe, the other to Asia. A meaningful symbol for my future plans.
Tag: lifestyle
