Being Part of the Solution: QS Scholarship Winner

Kerem Yilmaz, INSEAD’s MBA class of 2013

Having faced disadvantage in his own life, Kerem Yilmaz has a keen appreciation of the importance of social responsibility

QS Scholarship winner and INSEAD MBA student Kerem Yilmaz, from Turkey, knows what it’s like to face obstacles. As a child, despite attending a primary school with relatively low educational standards, he managed to gain admittance to the city’s most prestigious high school. Subsequently, without the additional tutoring enjoyed by most of his classmates, he managed to win a full scholarship to Bilkent University in Ankara – though this was not enough to prevent the necessity of giving private lessons and working as a teaching assistant in order to support himself.

But rather than becoming embittered, facing and overcoming the challenges that stood in his way gave Yilmaz an appreciation of the importance of helping others. “Having started from a certain level of disadvantage, I appreciate that those who have opportunities should create opportunities for others who start at a similar or worse level of disadvantage.”

For him, this meant getting involved with a student club based around projects of social responsibility, which saw him starting an organization called GOREP, the focus of which was to provide educational support for visually impaired students studying for the Turkish national university entrance exam. “The exam is challenging enough as it is, with 1.5 million students sitting it in total – you really need to be in the top 50,000 if you want to get a really good job, so we thought we could help these students.”

After bartering with an association for visually impaired students, the project got off the ground, and by the end of the first year seven students had gained admittance to good universities with GOREP’s help. This success saw the project receive a plaque from Ankara’s Çankaya municipality in recognition of its achievements.

Ethics in business

As well as giving something back, Yilmaz felt that this experience furnished him with skills useful for his later career in business. “Leading people in a voluntary environment, without too much authority was a challenge. It enhanced my organizational and project management skills, preparing me for leadership roles in business.”

It also helped him appreciate the wider impact of his actions and decisions – significant given he was operating in the fields of mergers & acquisitions and private equity. “In a broader sense, it helped me to think about things from an ethical point of view; to think about all the parties involved in and affected by a deal.”

Does he feel business does enough when in comes to taking responsibility? “Big companies with more resources and a public image to think about are forced to be more socially responsible. In the end, this is good for society. I hope in the future more small and medium-sized enterprises will consider the ethical side of business.” He adds that law makers also need to play a part in this.

He believes that business schools will place more emphasis on business ethics in years to come. “As MBAs, we are supposed to be the leaders of business in the future, so we need to have this education.” It is, he informs us, an education that students at INSEAD receive, through a specific module on the subject.

A great feeling

Yilmaz states that he is “loving” his experience of business school thus far. “It’s a one-year program so it’s quite hectic, and there’s a very active social life with lots of parties and networking events.” The downside, he jokes, is that he is getting a lot less sleep!

However, coming from a finance background (he previously worked for Ernst & Young and the now-defunct HSBC Principal Investments), he says the initial stages of the course have been relatively comfortable for him while those from other backgrounds get up to speed. However, he’s not in it for an easy ride, and in fact chose INSEAD, with its focus on consulting and strategy, over the more finance-orientated London Business School specifically to round himself out.

To conclude, we wondered if the QS Community Scholarship (awarded for social responsibiilty) winner had any words of advice for anyone in business looking to be more socially responsible? “You can and should dedicate some time to social responsibility projects. You can make a huge difference in the lives of other people and it also brings a great level of personal satisfaction. Look for opportunities, and if they are not forthcoming, then start your own project. Being part of the solution is a great feeling.”]

Kerem Yilmaz part-funded his time at business school with an MBA scholarship from QS.