LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MCKINSEY RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT THE METAVERSE COULD REACH A VALUE OF UP TO $ 5bn
BY 2030 how they operate and rethink their workforce ”. This included everything from supply chain , security , data and cultural shifts .
Arkan has a deep experience of manufacturing , and says he is inspired by the role Microsoft plays within the partner ecosystem .
“ I ’ m so fortunate to be doing what I ’ m doing , because it ’ s a historical point ,” he says of his work in this area , which has included stints at Microsoft as VP , Global Lead , Manufacturing Industry , as well as Global Lead , Manufacturing and Resources Industry . In his career he has worked across Turkey – though is now based in Bellevue , Washington – and has had a hand in manufacturing from all sides . After undertaking internships and projects on factory floors , he went on to gain an MBA in Industrial Engineering .
“ I had over a decade of entrepreneurial time , owned a bunch of companies with partners , walked away from that and joined Siemens . That was me coming back to automation , energy , manufacturing and high tech .”
But , now , Arkan is a part of Microsoft ’ s transformation .
“ Microsoft has one of the most ambitious and broadest mission statements , and that really is very attractive for people like me , that are all about leading with their vision and helping others ,” he says . “ Technology has changed both personal lives and how businesses operate . It ’ s part of Microsoft ’ s mission , in terms of , ‘ we democratise technology and now , we ’ re going to democratise digital transformation ’.
“ Being part of that , being able to influence something that is so impactful – I don ’ t know how life gets any better .”
Arkan has spent half a lifetime travelling the globe , talking to customers from all industries and verticals . Not all leaders understand what Microsoft technology has to offer , he says . It has been his life ’ s work to help such people grasp the importance of what ’ s on offer .
“ If everyone knew what technology had to offer we would already have a sustainable world , with sustainable operations and supply chains ,” he points out . “ We would have moved our workforce to the digital age and reskilled them .”
It is part of his job at Microsoft to create awareness and inform everyone , from individual users to large enterprises , about how to become a digital entity .
“ My role is to meet them where they are , go through their journeys and move them towards their own ‘ art of possible ’, however they define it ,” Arkan says .