When Tugrul joined ABENA as a newly graduate, he didn’t expect to stay for nearly a decade. But nine years and five roles later, he hasn’t felt the need to say goodbye to his journey at ABENA. Today, as Sales and Business Development Manager, he leads a team of specialists and nurses, managing national tenders, and driving strategy within key healthcare categories. His journey shows how internal mobility at ABENA can unfold when curiosity, drive, and trust come together.
What is your role at ABENA?
I’m a Sales and Business Development Manager for our public healthcare sales in Denmark.
I lead a team of nurses and commercial specialists. We focus on two main product areas - incontinence and wound care. A big part of my job is managing national tenders, especially for municipalities and hospitals. I ensure our contracts deliver long-term value, it’s about understanding the real needs of healthcare professionals and patients, making sure our solutions meet those needs, and building strong partnerships.
I also work on identifying new areas for growth within the healthcare sector and setting the strategic direction for my team. It’s a mix of leadership, commercial strategy, and hands-on execution which I enjoy.
You joined ABENA right after graduating. What drew you to the company?
I was looking for a place where I could build a strong foundation for my career – somewhere I could develop, take on responsibility early, and try out different roles to see where I fit best.
From the beginning, I got the sense that this was a company where people matter. There’s a good energy, and the culture encourages you to grow and contribute across departments. That made a big impression on me – and still does.
You’ve taken on different roles since you started – what made that kind of career development possible at ABENA?
I usually say: you don’t get more responsibility – you take responsibility. If you show energy, ambition, and commitment, opportunities tend to open up.
At the same time, you need people around you who recognize that effort and are willing to back you. I’ve been lucky to have leaders who saw where I was heading – sometimes even before I did. They gave me the space to grow and the trust to take on challenges that, on paper, I might not have seemed ready for. That trust shaped my entire journey here.
I started as a trainee in Global Procurement. From there, I moved into Paper Global Category Management, and today I work as a Sales and Business Development Manager - I had the chance to explore different parts of the business.
What did you learn from switching roles?
That it’s okay to feel like a beginner again.
When I moved from procurement into the healthcare segment, I stepped into a much more complex area – and that came with a learning curve. Suddenly, I had to let go of being the one who had all the answers and start asking questions instead.
But that’s exactly what I asked my manager for - more challenge, more learning. It reminded me how important it is to understand the operational side of things. You can’t build good strategy without knowing how things really work on the ground.
What do you value most about working at ABENA?
There’s a deep sense of responsibility in how ABENA operates - not just internally, but also towards our customers and suppliers. We try to find the best solution, the right product, and make sure it actually helps the customer. That mindset really matters to me.
People treat each other well here. You feel the values in the way colleagues work together and communicate — respectfully, openly, with a willingness to listen. I think that’s one of the reasons so many people stay at ABENA for years. It’s a place that makes you want to do your best - not because someone tells you to, but because you actually care.