A Turkish man in Paris

If “manners maketh man” as someone said

He’s the hero of the day

It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile

Be yourself no matter what they say…

When I clicked open YouTube last Saturday, a video of Sting’s Englishman in New York was what I saw first. “I am an alien”, the musician sang about himself as the great song played on.

And I can relate; for the past six months, I’ve been a legal alien… living in Paris.?

Last year, I shared eight articles on my experiences and perspective during my time being a part of the UPS Türkiye?team. As today marks the five-month anniversary of my move to Paris to join UPS France, I feel this is the right moment to share what I have seen so far.

Since I’ve been here, I have had the chance to visit some of France’s biggest cities, like Lyon, Rennes, Bordeaux, Marseille, Strasbourg and Lille, in addition to, of course, Paris.

UPSers are dedicated to what they do, supportive of each other and customer-centric—no matter their cultural background.

In all of my visits to UPS centres and all of the times I’ve met with UPSers across the country, one question has repeated itself, “What are the most notable differences between UPS Türkiye?and UPS France?”

Instead of looking at what separates us, I’d rather look at what unites us.

I am amazed at how similar UPS operations in France are to, not only our operations in Türkiye, but to UPS operations in all countries. It may sound cliché, but the secret is our people and their values.

UPSers are dedicated to what they do, supportive of each other and customer-centric—no matter their cultural background. UPS employees in France are no different. In all the facilities I have visited so far, I’ve seen nothing but hard work and commitment.

But it’s not all roses. There are also shared worries and stress about the unprecedented challenges we’re seeing in the world. All countries—and all of humanity—are being faced with big and fast changes. I believe that people nowadays worry more about their children’s future than any other generation since World War II, and that’s mainly because the gap between old and new generations has never been greater.

In this climate, taking both the good and the bad into account, I have defined two major opportunities for UPS France.

First, with global supply and value chains being redesigned following the Covid-19 pandemic and geopolitical tension, France has a unique opportunity to take on a stronger role in the next decades, driven by its strong SMB landscape, culture of innovation and creativity, remarkably diverse energy resources and progressive legislation. Zooming in, I see a lot of potential in the sectors of fashion, aerospace and chemicals, as key pioneers in strengthening the country’s global position.

With almost 40 years of experience in the market, 360-degree logistic capabilities and a series of significant investments in Europe in the last seven years, UPS plays a unique and growing role in supporting French SMBs and the wider economy.

Our experience and expertise in this field have been helping French companies go global and create new market opportunities. And we’re just at the beginning of this journey. There are enormous opportunities for both French SMBs, and UPS in France. The lion’s share of exports is done by big multinationals, with SMBs representing just 11%. In helping SMBs to boost their exports within the European Union and elsewhere, we can create leverage for the French economy.

The second, broader opportunity I see is sustainable growth. With the country’s capital featured in the title of the Paris Climate Agreement, it is obvious that climate is a wildly important matter for French businesses and government institutions. There are many good intentions and ambitious goals on this topic—from sustainable city logistics to greener energy.

UPS is committed to employing 100% renewable energy in our facilities by 2035 and being carbon-neutral by 2050. I am extremely proud to confirm that UPS France is already using 100% renewable energy resources in its facilities and is, therefore, ahead of the curve in achieving this goal.

When I joined the UPS France team, I quickly realized how much this topic moves society. We thus established the “Sustainability Committee” to drive our progressive agenda and I personally made a commitment to develop my skillset around sustainability. In the coming months, I’ll update you on our progress as we move UPS France into an even greener chapter, together.

Every challenge is an opportunity to step out of our comfort zones, better ourselves and gain new experience. During my five months in France so far, I have been surrounded with warm, welcoming and supportive people, both at work and beyond. Thanks to them, the beginning of this new chapter has been easier and more wonderful than I could have expected. I am very grateful.???

That said, I encourage you to take a step out your comfort zone in the coming days. Pick an easy challenge to start with and see what it brings you.

And, “Be yourself no matter what they say.”?