Ersin Sezmis, MBA '09, is an expert in international sales of steel pipe, for the last several years in Turkey and soon back in the U.S.
I've been working for Borusan Mannesmann in Istanbul for over five years. My duties are in the commercial side—I've been handling the company's export sales to the U.S. I'm moving to Houston this coming August to work for Borusan Mannesmann Pipe's American operations as a sales manager.
Overall, my life and the academic experiences I gained at UBalt have enabled me to afford such responsibilities within my organization. Academically, the courses that I took in the MBA program and the real-life case studies prepared me to qualify for the regional export sales manager for North America position for Borusan Mannesmann. In my MBA years, I also worked on campus as a graduate assistant. I was very close to department chairs and faculty members, and I had a chance to get great advice from them regarding my career development.
I highly recommend UBalt students and alumni to consider working and living overseas. It’s a great challenge which can broaden your horizons. And I truly enjoy traveling for business. Every country has its own unique way of doing business. The values in business vary from culture to culture. Handling business for different countries has added a lot to my career. After living and working in Istanbul for five years, now I’m moving back to the U.S. again. My new role will have more responsibilities. It’ll be a challenging position, but I am looking forward to do it.
Still, Istanbul is where I’m from, and I am close to my family and I love the people, culture, and life here. For example, I love soccer, and it is a big thing in Istanbul. I enjoy going to the games on the weekends.