Fatma CAKIR
Global Senior Director, Ingredient Protection Strategy & Quality, Food Safety
Marietta,Georgia
Summary
Enterprise thought leader and versatile Senior Director in E2E Technical, Innovation and Supply Chain function with 21 years of experience (QSE, Technical Operations, SRA, Supply Chain, Manufacturing) in leading international food and beverage companies such as Cargill, Danone, PepsiCo, and The Coca-Cola Company. Demonstrated expertise in developing and implementing comprehensive strategies that have enhanced quality, food safety, safety, sustainability, technical operations, ingredient protection and scientific advocacy in diverse markets across Eurasia, Middle East and globally. Recognized for exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, strategic thinking, enterprise thought leadership, broader business acumen, driving cultural transformation, human centric leadership, and building high-performing teams to deliver significant business results.
Overview
2025
2025
years of professional experience
58
58
years of post-secondary education
9
9
Certifications
2
2
Languages
Work History
Senior Director, Global Ingredient Protection Strategy
The Coca-Cola Company
8 2023 - Current
- Visionary Leader driving the company’s E2E global strategy for ingredient, packaging and category protection, enhancing brand integrity and reputation across the globe
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Successfully leads networked teams in Technical, Innovation, and Supply Chain to mitigate 'allowability and availability' risks and ensure business continuity
- Strategic Planning: Developed comprehensive action plans for priority ingredients and packaging, providing regular updates to executive leadership
- Project Management: Global Big Rock Projects Leadership
- Achievement: Led the development, planning and execution of holistic strategies to protect category including scientific advocacy, stakeholder engagement, scientific communication, trade organizations engagement, supplier engagement, predictive risk mitigation and business continuity planning for short and long-term risks, successfully delivered 3 Big Rock Projects as a part of 'Extend our License to Operate' Strategy
- Developed strong relationships with key industry partners, fostering collaboration and mutual growth opportunities.
Senior Director, Quality, Safety, Environment - Eurasia & Middle East OU
The Coca-Cola Company
01.2021 - 08.2023
- Emerging Stronger Leadership: Build, lead and drive E2E Quality, Food Safety, Safety, Environmental, technical and supply & supplier governance long term strategies and programs at Source (supply), Make (manufacturing), Buy (Co-packing, M&A) and Sell (Distribution and Marketplace and Food Service) operations across Eurasia and Middle East Operating Unit -EME OU
- Architect of Change: Established long-term QSE strategies across 25 countries, significantly improving operations and transforming QSE culture on franchise and global level
- Innovation Driver: Drive long-term Quality& Food Safety Culture technology transformation by leveraging evolving quality processes and programs from reactive to predictive through Quality 4.0 Project across globe as Global Project Lead
- Supplier Management: Enhanced supplier governance frameworks, resulting in developing local supplier capabilities and business continuity
- Achievement: Quality& Food Safety, Safety, Environmental Culture transformation across organization
- Drove a 40% reduction in quality risks, achieved 0 food safety and 0 safety incident culture across operations by implementing next-gen QSE metrics and real-time monitoring systems
- Successfully led Qatar FIFA E2E Supply Chain Operations, resulted with 0 QSE and supply chain incident
Director Quality, Safety, Environment (Middle East & North Africa)
The Coca-Cola Company
06.2019 - 01.2021
- Governance Leader ensuring compliance with QSE policies across 14 countries, driving operational excellence in bottling plants and distribution centers
- Strategic Initiative Development: Successfully launched quality and food safety standards that reduced risks and improved product integrity
- Set the foundations of Quality, food safety, safety and environmental programs resulted in 50% reduction in QSE risks, comply 100% with global audits
- Managed budgets effectively to ensure optimal use of resources while maintaining financial stability.
- Increased employee engagement on QSE operations by 40%
Senior Manager - Quality & Food Safety, Safety, Environment
The Coca-Cola Company
02.2011 - 06.2019
- Lead effective Quality, Safety, Environment Governance of bottling plants, co-packers, distribution centers and the market across TCCC Middle East and Israel territories and compliance to Company QSE policies, requirements as well as local regulations through value chain
- Manage E2E Quality, Food Safety, safety, environment system to ensure integrity throughout the value chain, which delivers consumer/customer satisfaction and confidence in Coca-Cola brands
- Develop and Implement Quality improvement activities throughout the value chain to protect product, package and trademark integrity, improve Quality performance and provide troubleshooting
- Managed large-scale projects and introduced new systems, tools, and processes to achieve challenging objectives.
Quality Assurance Manager
PepsiCo
10.2010 - 02.2011
- Lead entire quality management systems, PepsiCO quality and food safety strategies to the plant level
- Manage ISO 9001:2008, ISO 22000, ISO 14001, AIB and HACCP quality and food - safety systems
- Determine strategies for hygiene & GMP system applications and periodical GMP audits
- Lead quality control system, water treatment and syrup manufacturing operations through the plant
- Management of quality leadership team in the plant
- Lead plant quality assurance system annual budget
- Achievement: Established FSSC 22000 food safety system in plant, led to pass AIB Quality &Food safety Audit with Excellence Score
- Performed root cause analysis to identify and resolve quality issues and defects.
- Completed Master Thesis with 'Multi barrier System Applications to improve Carbonation of PET bottles in Market.'
Packaging and SRA Executive
PepsiCo
04.2010 - 10.2010
- Responsible for leading new packaging material qualification and new supplier approval processes, coordinating plant performance tests for new packaging materials, conducting annual supplier quality audits, implementing package quality improvements, evaluating continuous package and supplier performance, managing the follow-up and revision of production permission documents and legal compliance
Quality Assurance Supervisor, Adana Plant
PepsiCo
01.2007 - 04.2010
- Leading implementation ISO and HACCP standards, managing plant hygiene and GMP audits, training teams on quality &food safety transformation, overseeing quality control of raw and packaging materials, and managing water treatment and syrup preparation systems for beverage production and 2 laboratories
- Achievement: Established FSSC 22000 food safety system in plant, led to pass AIB Quality &Food safety Audit with Excellence Score
- Improved taste quality in market with implementation of trade quality monitoring program
Quality Assurance Supervisor
Danone
Distant, Pennsylvania
06.2006 - 01.2007
- Develop and Implement Quality and food safety programs throughout the value chain to protect product, package and trademark integrity, improve Quality performance and provide troubleshooting
- Led plant physical, chemical, microbiological, sensory and raw material laboratories (4 labs-18 technicians)
- Release approval of all finished products according to Danone quality standards and local regulations
- Achievement: Streamlined quality assurance processes, optimizing product release timeline without quality incidents
- Passed AIB Food safety Audit with Excellence Score
Quality Assurance Engineer / Production Supervisor
Cargill
08.2003 - 06.2006
- Leading quality assurance laboratory (2 labs-8 technician), ISO 9001 Quality management system, HACCP &GMP implementations in plant level, implementation of Cargill quality standards in plant
- Production: Led initiatives to produce new products and specifications, improving market responsiveness
- Achievement: Enhanced quality management, leading to a 30% improvement in consumer complaint reduction
Education
Bachelor of Science - Food Engineering
Hacettepe University
Ankara, Turkey 05.2001 - 01.2003
MBA - Business Administration
Sakarya University
Sakarya, Turkey 05.2001 - 01.2006
Master of Science - Food Engineering
Cukurova University
Adana, Turkey 05.2001 - 01.2010
No Degree - Trusted Business Leader Program
INSEAD
Fontainebleau, France 05.2001 - 01.2022
No Degree - Supply Chain Management
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA 05.2001 - 01.2024
Skills
- Strategic Leadership
- Risk Management
- Innovation & Continuous Improvement
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Cultural Transformation
- Food Safety Management System
- Leadership
- Agile Team Practices
- Business Resilience
- Communication Relationship
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Environmental Sustainability
- Occupational Health & Safety
- High Impact Communication
- Leadership Project Management
- Managing Stakeholder Expectations
- Strategic Risk Management
Certification
ISO 9001/14001/18001/17025
References
Available upon request
Projects
- Global Ingredient Protection 4-Strategic Big Rock Projects, 2023-2024
- Global Quality 4.0 Project Development, 2020-2023
- EME OU TEXA CUP Program (Technical Excellence Award), 2022
- EME OU FIFA E2E Technical Management, 2022
- EME OU S.A.F.E. Program Development, 2021
- Operating Unit Product Integrity Monitoring Program, 2021
- Coca-Cola Covid-19 Management Program, 2020
- Global Co-Packing and M&A Fit-For-Purpose Policies Development, 2020
- Risk Based KORE Governance System Design, 2018
- Burger King Acquisition, Turkey - Technical Management, 2018
- First Micro Sensitive Product Launch, Turkey, 2018
- Business Unity Product Quality Monitoring Program, 2017
- DRIVE HPT CULTURE via Bottling Capability Building, 2017
- Bottler Quality Boot Camp Workshop, 2017
- Global Value-Added Dairy Project, 2016
- Dogadan Tea Business - M&A QSE System Integration to KO System, 2016
- E2E Food Service (i.e. McDonalds) Quality Management Programs, 2013
- TCCA BU Technical ISO 9001:2008 QMS Certification Project, 2011
Awards
- Coca-Cola High Potential Retention Award, 2020-2023
- FIFA WC Qatar E2E Technical Management, 'Special Thank You Award', 2022
- Coca-Cola Global Lead/Corporate Quality 4.0, 2021
- Coca-Cola Covid-19 Management Program - Global Bravo Award, 2020
- Coca-Cola Supply Business Continuity Project 'Risk at Stake Challenge Award', 2019
- Coca-Cola Business Unit Grand Prize for Burger King Launch in Turkey, 2018
- Coca-Cola BU Risk Based KORE Governance System Design, 2018
- Coca-Cola Dekkera Testing Method Development for Micro Sensitive Product First Launch, 2017
- TCCA BU Northern Cyprus quality & food safety system establishment, 2015
- Coca-Cola BU Technical Audit Project Management, 2011, 2014
- PepsiCo Supply Chain Award, 2009, 2010
- Cargill Productivity Project Award, 2006
Timeline
Senior Director, Quality, Safety, Environment - Eurasia & Middle East OU
The Coca-Cola Company
01.2021 - 08.2023
Director Quality, Safety, Environment (Middle East & North Africa)
The Coca-Cola Company
06.2019 - 01.2021
Senior Manager - Quality & Food Safety, Safety, Environment
The Coca-Cola Company
02.2011 - 06.2019
Quality Assurance Manager
PepsiCo
10.2010 - 02.2011
Packaging and SRA Executive
PepsiCo
04.2010 - 10.2010
Quality Assurance Supervisor, Adana Plant
PepsiCo
01.2007 - 04.2010
Quality Assurance Supervisor
Danone
06.2006 - 01.2007
Quality Assurance Engineer / Production Supervisor
Cargill
08.2003 - 06.2006
Bachelor of Science - Food Engineering
Hacettepe University
05.2001 - 01.2003
MBA - Business Administration
Sakarya University
05.2001 - 01.2006
Master of Science - Food Engineering
Cukurova University
05.2001 - 01.2010
No Degree - Trusted Business Leader Program
INSEAD
05.2001 - 01.2022
No Degree - Supply Chain Management
Georgia Institute of Technology
05.2001 - 01.2024
Senior Director, Global Ingredient Protection Strategy
The Coca-Cola Company
8 2023 - Current
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