Diageo Turkey Management Change: Kerem Kadakal Becomes General Manager, Bahar Uçanlar Takes on Regional Role

The top management of Diageo Turkey has been reshaped as of July 1, 2026. Kerem Kadakal has been appointed as the General Manager of Turkey, while Bahar Uçanlar, who previously held this position, has moved to the Brand and Category Director role for Diageo's Europe, Middle East, and Africa region. Aposto's apéro bulletin dated July 1 also brought these two changes to the forefront of industry discussions.

At first glance, the appointment news may seem like a classic management change, but it involves two distinct career movements: the rise of a commercial executive who recently joined the Turkey organization to country leadership and the transition of the General Manager of Turkey to a regional role covering over 80 markets.

Kerem Kadakal transitioned to General Manager after nine months

According to Diageo Turkey's official statement, Kerem Kadakal joined the company as Commercial Director in September 2025 and took on the General Manager role on July 1, 2026. The company states that Kadakal will focus on growth and transformation efforts, as well as consumer and customer focus, brand and category performance, and employee development in his new role. These are outlined as the company's management objectives; the results cannot yet be independently assessed.

Kadakal's career has primarily progressed in sales and commercial management. According to information provided by Diageo, he has held positions at Gillette, P&G, Danone, and Evyap in earlier stages of his career; after 2020, he worked as a senior executive responsible for sales at Nestlé. The company states that his total experience exceeds 25 years.

This background suggests that there could be a strong focus on managing sales channels, customer relationships, and commercial practices in the new era of the Turkey organization. However, it is still early to draw definitive conclusions about the company's future strategic outcomes based on the announcement of the appointment.

Bahar Uçanlar will be responsible for over 80 markets

On the other side of the management change is Bahar Uçanlar.

Uçanlar became the General Manager of Diageo Turkey on April 1, 2024. According to the company's announcement dated June 29, 2026, she began her role as the Brand and Category Director for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region on July 1. In her new role, she will work under Regional President Dayalan Nayager and will be responsible for managing brands and categories in over 80 countries. She will continue her duties from Istanbul.

Uçanlar's career includes Bain & Company, PepsiCo, Mondelez International, Turkcell, Kantar, and Mars Sportif. She joined Diageo Turkey as Marketing Director in January 2021 and transitioned to the country General Manager role about three years later.

The company also reports various positive results regarding commercial growth and export performance during Uçanlar's tenure. These figures and assessments should be regarded as corporate statements rather than independent company performance data, as they are Diageo's own claims.

Why is the transition from Turkey to a regional role significant?

One of the important aspects of high-level appointments in the HORECA and beverage sectors for employees is whether career paths remain within the country organization or not.

Uçanlar's transition from the General Manager of Turkey to a role covering Europe, the Middle East, and Africa serves as an example of how management experience gained in Turkey is transferred to a multi-country responsibility.

Such transitions raise two dimensions of talent management within companies. The first is whether country organizations can cultivate global or regional leaders. The second is whether the vacant leadership position can be filled by an existing manager within the company rather than bringing in a new name from outside.

Kadakal's transition from Commercial Director to General Manager is also an example of the second point.

Transition from commercial experience to general management

There is not just one career path leading to the general management role in restaurants, hotels, and beverage companies. Managers with backgrounds in finance, marketing, operations, sales, or human resources can take on country leadership at different times.

Kadakal's background, which emphasizes sales and customer development, also raises the competencies required for commercial executives to transition to upper management.

Managing sales performance is not the same as managing the entire company. General management requires the interconnected evaluation of areas such as finance, human resources, marketing, supply chain, regulations, sustainability, and company culture.

Therefore, what is important in such a promotion is not only the commercial success in the previous role but also the manager's capacity to manage different functions around a common goal.

A similar issue is valid for HORECA businesses as well. Moving a successful manager in sales, kitchen, or service to a broader responsibility can turn into a difficult transition for employees if it is not supported by appropriate management training and delegation of authority for the new role.

Strengths and weaknesses of internal appointments

Appointing an internal manager can provide significant advantages to the business: the person may already know the company's operations, teams, customers, and current priorities.

This can shorten the adaptation period that may occur during the transition.

However, it should not be assumed that internal promotions will automatically be successful. If the new role requires different competencies than the previous position, support, task transition, and management development processes become critical.

In the case of Diageo Turkey, Kadakal transitioned to General Manager after approximately nine months in the company. Therefore, this appointment is worth monitoring in terms of both internal continuity and the rapid increase in responsibility following a relatively short institutional history.

Stafflink's perspective

The most striking aspect of this management change from StaffMag's perspective is the two-way mobility.

On one side, there is the transition from Commercial Director to General Manager within the Turkey organization. On the other side, there is a career step extending from the General Manager of Turkey to a regional responsibility covering over 80 countries.

In our view, HORECA and beverage companies' executive development systems should plan not only for "the next role" but also for the competency differences between roles.

A good sales manager, restaurant manager, or kitchen manager needs to develop financial literacy, people management, strategic decision-making, and the ability to manage different units to be ready for a larger role.

Sustainability in upper management is possible not only by appointing the right person but also by nurturing new leaders who can follow that person within the system.