Decades of Dedication

“I put my heart into everything I do,” reflects Banu Deniz Çetinkol. “And Hilti has turned out to be a place where that effort is rewarded.” When she stepped into the Hilti Türkiye office for the first time 25 years ago, Banu arrived forty minutes early, nervous and excited. “I didn’t want to risk being late,” she says with a smile. “What matters to me besides professional growth is the possibility of expressing our individuality, cultivating passions and building a professional future that reflects who you really are.”

During Banu’s journey, Hilti became intertwined with her life. She received her first passport so that she could take a Hilti business trip, bought her first home, became a mother, grew through nine different roles in marketing, strategy, sales, logistics and customer service at Hilti in Türkiye and spent two transformative years as head of marketing in South Africa. These experiences taught her the importance of constant adaptation and renewal.

Equality and inclusion are core to how she leads. A civil engineer in what is traditionally a male-dominated industry, Banu has become a strong advocate for expanding opportunities in construction. She encourages young talent to raise their hands for new challenges and supports women studying engineering through the local “Strengthen Your Career Bridges with Hilti” mentorship program.

Today, as the general manager of Hilti Türkiye, Banu leads with a combination of compassion and performance-oriented expectations. She spends every Wednesday in the field, listening to customers and understanding their challenges firsthand. She values accountability and trust above all else. A plaque from her team sits on her desk: “We are always ready to jump with the parachute you folded.” It is a daily reminder of the responsibility leaders carry. She finds great inspiration in helping people become the best version of themselves. “The most meaningful part of my job is seeing people grow and knowing that together, we are making construction better.”

Akash Chauhan’s start, over 20 years ago, was very different to Banu’s. His first role was in sales, where he was responsible for a developing area in India. Having recently graduated as an engineer, he was selected through a university hiring program. “My territory was huge – about the size of Germany,” Akash recalls. “I didn’t have anything fancy, just my tools and a commitment to truly understand customers – and to help them solve the challenges they faced on jobsites.”

From those early days, his career evolved across five countries and multiple roles in sales, marketing, training, engineering and project leadership. Along the way, he built a deep understanding of technical solutions, engineering-based problem-solving and the realities of construction in markets as diverse as India, China, Korea, Liechtenstein and the Netherlands.

“I was open to new opportunities and Hilti kept opening doors,” he says. “Sometimes a plan changes and flexibility is key. During Covid, a planned move was scuttled. Instead, I took on a leadership role in Korea and later in China, and each move brought new learnings and new challenges.” He values open conversations, regular alignment and the discipline of simply being present, whether in office meetings or in the field. His team describes him as someone who brings structure and calm to complex situations. He sees diversity not as a challenge but as a strength.

Akash’s latest move brought him to the Netherlands as a construction project director, leading large global projects. These projects are naturally complex and shaped by the collaboration of a dedicated, multicultural Hilti project team – engineers, fulfillment, legal, logistics, project management and other specialists. “Large projects are like football,” he shares. “You don’t win with one star. The whole team should make it work.” For Akash, leadership has a fundamental role in this process and begins with humility. “Trust grows when ego disappears,” he explains.