CAN GULER
Istanbul
Summary
Dynamic sales leader with extensive experience at Danone, driving profitability improvements through strategic pricing and data-driven RTM strategies. Proven track record in team management and cross-functional collaboration, achieving significant revenue growth and optimizing distributor performance. Adept at leveraging market analysis to enhance customer-centric approaches and maximize operational efficiency.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
PROXY AND AWAY FROM HOME SALES DIRECTOR
Danone
Istanbul
01.2024 - Current
- Lead 120m € gross sales business with a high-performing team of 55 sales professionals to optimize Route-to-Market (RTM) strategies across Proxy (indirect sales) and Away-From-Home (AFH) channels, driving profitability growth, and cash flow optimization.
- Spearhead end-to-end sales operations, including distributor performance, channel expansion, and pricing strategies, achieving a +300 bps increase in profitability and a 10-day improvement in DSO within 1 year.
- Design data-driven RTM models to enhance market penetration by adding new distributors and new RTM models, resulting in a 30% increase in #POS. Plus strengthen RTM blueprint by applying pay for performance model .
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Supply Chain, Finance, and Marketing to align sales strategies with corporate objectives, resulting in reaching stretch targets.
SALES DIRECTOR
DANONE Waters
Istanbul
01.2022 - 01.2024
- Led the financial turnaround of a 100m€ business (Danone Waters), overseeing a 60-member salesforce and 100+ distributors to exceed sales, profitability, and cash flow targets.
- Drove profitability growth by +600 bps and slashed Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) by 60 days (2022–2023) through rigorous cost optimization, pricing discipline, sell-out focus and working capital management.
- Orchestrated bold restructuring decisions to ensure business continuity, including exit from unprofitable accounts, and renegotiation of high-risk contracts.
- Pioneered data-driven pricing strategies (dynamic, region-based, competitive) to balance volume growth with margin improvement.
- Revamped promotional frameworks and trade terms to prioritize profitable volume, reducing low-margin discounts by 20%.
HEAD OF PHARMA
DANONE Nutricia
Istanbul
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Spearheaded Turkey’s largest baby nutrition pharma sales team, driving 80% market dominance for Aptamil and Bebelac brands through strategic channel optimization and stakeholder engagement.
- Transformed over 1,000 pharmacists into brand ambassadors via targeted training programs and trade strategy.
- Pioneered the creation of baby nutrition-specialized pharma stores, designing a best-in-class Route-to-Market (RTM) strategy that expanded the network to 5,000 stores nationwide and increased channel revenue by 80%.
- Launched exclusive pharma SKUs (product sizes/formats) tailored to channel needs, enhancing portfolio differentiation, and contributing 30% of total pharma revenue.
- Collaborated with Medical Affairs and Marketing to develop science-backed sales tools, improving pharmacist confidence in product recommendations to 90%.
HEAD OF PRGM AND C&CD
Danone Nutricia
Istanbul
01.2018 - 01.2021
- Achieved +2% profitability improvement in the total portfolio and +5% market share in the targeted category.ority categories through strategic pricing, mix optimization, and customer segmentation.
- Pioneered the launch of PRGM (Portfolio Revenue Growth Management) for Danone SN Türkiye, building the function from ideation to execution, to align pricing, promotions, and portfolio strategy with long-term growth.
- Led market intelligence initiatives, analyzing customer behavior, competitor dynamics, and emerging trends to identify 10m€ in untapped revenue opportunities.
- Designed and executed a 3-year strategic roadmap to balance sustainable growth with profitability, incorporating data-driven scenario modeling and cross-functional alignment with Sales, Marketing, and Finance.
- Championed a customer-centric revenue strategy by embedding voice-of-customer insights into portfolio decisions, addressing key pain points.
- Revitalized SKU rationalization processes, eliminating underperforming products and reallocating resources to high-margin innovations.
TOPLINE CONTROLLING MANAGER
Danone Nutricia
Istanbul
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Conduct in-depth analysis of revenue streams, including sales, pricing, and market trends
- Develop and maintain accurate revenue forecasts based on historical performance, market conditions, and other relevant factors
- Establish and monitor key performance indicators related to revenue generation, such as customer trade term spendings ratio, distributor performance, and promo spendings
- Work collaboratively with sales, marketing, and product teams to develop and implement strategic pricing models
- Identify opportunities for revenue optimization, including product bundling, discount strategies, and market segmentation
- Stay informed about market trends, competitor activities, and industry changes that may impact revenue
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including sales, marketing, finance, and operations, to ensure alignment in revenue-related strategies and activities
EME ZONE FINANCIAL CONTROLLING MANAGER
Danone Waters
Istanbul
01.2016 - 03.2017
- Business and reporting controller for Water EME Region including Spain, Poland, Turkey, Denmark and Iran
- Oversee the consolidation of financial data from various regions and business units
- Ensure the accuracy, completeness, and compliance of financial reporting with accounting standards
- Generate consolidated financial statements for the entire region
- Collaborate with regional teams to develop annual budgets and forecasts
- Analyze budget performance regularly, identifying variances and providing insights to support corrective actions
- Ensure that regional budgets align with the overall strategic goals of the organization
- Analyze the financial performance of different regions, identifying trends, opportunities, and challenges
- Provide strategic recommendations to regional management and corporate leadership based on the analysis of financial data
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
Danone Waters
Istanbul
11.2012 - 01.2016
- Prepare and analyze financial statements ensuring accuracy and compliance with accounting standards
- This includes income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements
- Develop and manage the organization's budgeting process
- This involves working closely with department heads to create budgets, monitoring actual performance against budgets, and providing insights for corrective actions
- Additionally, contribute to forecasting future financial trends
- Create detailed tools to provide important insights for
- SKU and customer based detailed P&L, Detailed Topline & Operational Performance Tracker
- Active role to build financial instruments for business and reporting purposes to create smooth transition period for Sirma - Danone M&A
BUDGET & REPORTING SPECIALIST
Sirma Group
Istanbul
09.2011 - 11.2012
AUDITOR
BDO
Istanbul
03.2010 - 09.2011
AUDITOR
Moore Stephens
Istanbul
01.2008 - 03.2010
FINANCE SPECIALIST
Intercity
Istanbul
01.2007 - 01.2008
Education
DIGITAL MARKETING - EXECUTIVE EDUCATION -
Yale University
12.2020
BA - ECONOMICS
Marmara University
01.2005
MATH AND SCIENCE -
Huseyin Avni Sozen Anatolian High School
01.2001
Skills
- Route-to-Market (RTM) strategy development
- Team management
- Financial expertise
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Data-driven decision-making
- Market analysis
- Customer-centric approach
- Strategic pricing
- Revenue optimization
- Pricing strategy
- Distributor management
- Route-to-market strategy
- Customer segmentation
- Team leadership
- Stakeholder engagement
- Strategic planning
- Data-driven decision making
- Contract negotiation
- Profitability improvement
Certifications Courses
- Advanced Negotiation Skills - Scotwork
- Business Strategy
- Corporate Finance
- Transformation Management
- Mergers & Acquisitions
- RTM & OBPPC
- Profitable Revenue Growth
- E-Commerce
- Sales Force Effectiveness
- Negotiation
- Team Leadership
Timeline
PROXY AND AWAY FROM HOME SALES DIRECTOR
Danone
01.2024 - Current
SALES DIRECTOR
DANONE Waters
01.2022 - 01.2024
HEAD OF PHARMA
DANONE Nutricia
01.2021 - 01.2022
HEAD OF PRGM AND C&CD
Danone Nutricia
01.2018 - 01.2021
TOPLINE CONTROLLING MANAGER
Danone Nutricia
01.2017 - 01.2018
EME ZONE FINANCIAL CONTROLLING MANAGER
Danone Waters
01.2016 - 03.2017
FINANCIAL CONTROLLER
Danone Waters
11.2012 - 01.2016
BUDGET & REPORTING SPECIALIST
Sirma Group
09.2011 - 11.2012
AUDITOR
BDO
03.2010 - 09.2011
AUDITOR
Moore Stephens
01.2008 - 03.2010
FINANCE SPECIALIST
Intercity
01.2007 - 01.2008
DIGITAL MARKETING - EXECUTIVE EDUCATION -
Yale University
BA - ECONOMICS
Marmara University
MATH AND SCIENCE -
Huseyin Avni Sozen Anatolian High School