Mert Efe: The Strategist Transforming Healthcare Against All Odds

Mert Efe
Mert Efe

True leadership shows how you handle complexity, not just when things are easy, but especially when the stakes are high. Mert Efe embodies this in every step of his journey.

He didn’t just take on a title; he immersed himself in every layer of the healthcare business, learning the ropes from the ground up. This practical knowledge provided him with the vision and strength to propel Delta Trade Company Sağlık A.Ş. through one of the most demanding marketplaces in the world.

The difference with Mert lies in that he sees opportunity where others can see risk: heading the company in areas marked by political uncertainty, economic changes, and logistical challenges. His leadership changed Delta Trade into a trusted healthcare companion within the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, providing innovation and solutions people need most to and within their communities.

The formula that Mert employs is perhaps the oldest one in the book, yet it is still effective: be flexible, encourage his teams and never lose the mission in sight, improve access and quality in healthcare. Whether introducing AI-assisted health facilities or establishing long-term collaborations, he is helping to leverage his experience in the industry with the idea of creating long-term, sustainable differences.

This is leadership that goes beyond headlines—focused on results, relationships, and steady progress. It’s the kind of leadership that’s shaping the future of healthcare in some of the world’s most complex environments.

Let’s explore how Mert is driving innovation and trust in healthcare across some of the world’s toughest markets!

Can you briefly walk us through your professional journey and what led you to become the Group CEO of Delta Trade Company Saglik A.S?

My journey in Delta Trade Company started 14 years ago. I took the role of various roles in the company starting from an IT Manager, Middle East Customer Relations Manager, MENA Director, EMEA Director and finally the Group CEO.

However, my education background is different than the current work we do in Delta Trade Company. The main factor of my growth is my ability to thrive in normally unsustainable areas, my adaptability, risk & crisis management skills.

What personal values or principles have consistently guided your leadership style in the healthcare industry?

Integrity, agility and vision are the core principles that guide my leadership style. I believe in transparent communication. Empowering teams to think beyond operational tasks and fostering a culture where innovation meets compassion. My leadership is how-to deal with different cultures and grant tasks to respective teams according to their skill-sets. My leadership is anchored in the idea that every decision must ultimately serve patient welfare and societal health improvements.

How would you describe the core mission and vision of Delta Trade Company Saglik A.S, and how do you ensure they are reflected in the company’s operations?

Our core missions comprise of tailoring custom-made solutions and business models for our significant variety of customers, delivering patient/end-user focused quality and making higher level healthcare systems available for underdeveloped countries.

Our vision is to become the most trusted healthcare solutions partner across Middle East, Africa and Europe. We ensure these values are reflected in our operations by embedding quality benchmarks, building strong partnerships and investing continuously in healthcare, employee development and customer-centricity.

The healthcare industry is evolving rapidly. What key trends do you believe are currently shaping its future, particularly in Türkiye and globally?

The biggest trends in our industry are AI and digital transformations. AI already entered the market via implementations in diagnostics, inventory management, logistics and providing more sustainable ways of customer-service. According to these trends, we recently launched our project in Baghdad/Iraq for an AI-supported dental & beauty center. This is the first project that implemented AI-supported dental instruments in Middle East.

What unique challenges has Delta Trade Company faced in recent years, and how did your leadership help navigate them?

The biggest challenges our company faces are the political instability in the areas that we focus on. This instability causes a big range of issues from logistics delays, challenging customs policies, volatile government budgets and lack of regulation. We solve this problem by always having different methods of freight and forwarders available at all times. Our partners in supply, logistics and service also have to employ the flexible mindset that we always do to continue being successful in these challenging areas.

Rapid and significant currency fluctuations across our global branches have pushed us to sharpen our oversight capabilities and implement effective countermeasures for various scenarios. While such volatility makes it challenging to craft sustainable proposals and long-term quotations, our deep market understanding and historical insight have enabled us to operate without incurring losses.

Our focused-markets are under the influence of powerful lobbies which prevent new companies from entering the market and thriving. We executed different strategies to break these barriers and increase our market share incrementally.

Innovation is a driving force in healthcare. How is Delta Trade Company embracing technology and innovation to stay ahead?

At Delta Trade Company, we actively adopt digital solutions to improve procurement, inventory management and customer engagement. We are integrating AI-based data analytics to forecast demands and enhance operational precision. Furthermore, we partner with technology firms to bring advanced diagnostic and therapeutic solutions to the markets we serve.

How do you balance operational efficiency with compassionate care in such a sensitive and mission-critical industry?

Our industry values end-user care and regulations more than profit and chasing opportunities. In order for companies to keep their operational efficiency, they have to make these values their main focus and build their vision around the idea that we serve people and their health is our end goal.

What leadership qualities do you believe are essential for building resilient and high-performing teams in healthcare?

  • Agility and Adaptability: Embracing change proactively and adjusting strategies swiftly in dynamic environments.
  • Empowerment and Delegation: I trust my team by delegation authority appropriately which develops their skills and drives ownership.
  • Resilience under Pressure: Maintaining focus, composure and positive influence during crisis or high-pressure situations. We were operational during war-time in some of our foreign branches, so resilience and patience is an important asset.
  • Inclusivity and Cultural Intelligence: Respecting diverse perspectives, valuing inclusivity and understanding different cultural contexts in global operations. We are operating in 20 countries globally so we must value diversity and open-mindedness within our teams.
  • Innovative Mindset: Encouraging creativity within teams and exploring new technologies or models to improve service delivery. The healthcare industry is growing exponentially every year so we have to be actively tracking the trends and making sure our management systems are up-to date.
  • Visionary Thinking: The ability to set a clear direction and long-term goals while inspiring others to align with the company’s vision.

How do you nurture talent within your organization, and what role does culture play in Delta Trade Company’s success?

Inside Delta Trade Company’s structure, we have continuous learning and development, mentorship and coaching, recognition and reward, career progression opportunities, performance feedback and development plans. All of these systems enable us to nurture talent and maximize employee satisfaction and professional growth.

Our team consists of members from many different cultures and backgrounds so it is crucial for every member of our team to be in synch with peers, respect others, learn and adapt to local cultures to make sure our operations run smoothly. Every culture has different ways of operating, communicating and doing business so we have to know their core values and tailor our systems around them.

Can you share a milestone or achievement during your tenure that you’re particularly proud of?

My biggest milestones during my tenure have been opening a new department in our company for supplying IVD products, operating new hybrid PPP projects in diagnostics and sterilization, developing new investments in dental treatment (AI Dental Center in Baghdad) and establishing aesthetics centers in Middle East. So, by these achievements our team is able to understand business better than the past because now we are able to operate as both the supplier and the end-user. This increases our experience in choosing the best products with best quality in affordable prices as well as we raise the company revenue from 7-digits to 8-digits during this period.

What is your long-term vision for Delta Trade Company Saglik A.S over the next 5 to 10 years?

Our vision for the next 5 years is penetrating the hospital management system market. Initiating valuable partnerships with manufacturers and end-users in healthcare as well as boosting our revenue from 8 to 9-digits.

How does your company contribute to broader healthcare access, public health, or community wellness initiatives in Türkiye or internationally?

Delta Trade Company regularly donates equipment and consumables to public projects in every country that we operate in. We had a big role to play during the pandemic by increasing the testing capacity of public hospital laboratories, rehabilitation of dysfunctional hospitals and training local personnel on testing and maintenance procedures.

We chose our partners carefully in IVD and medical device manufacturing to ensure that our projects are equipped with the highest quality equipment and we have systems in place to ensure the operational efficiency of these facilities through our service teams to make sure these projects are sustainable and continue to serve the public.

What advice would you offer to upcoming leaders and entrepreneurs aiming to make an impact in the healthcare sector?

Actually, nowadays the business structure needs agile leaders. In order to achieve that, you have to improve your skills by executive education and to operate in proximity with on-site teams. Leaders should delegate authority to enable growth within the company and increase incentives within their teams. This can only be successful through building trust and transparent communication between all colleagues.

If you could change one thing about the healthcare industry today, what would it be—and why?

Our recommendation for the medical market is rather than being dispersed, the market should be consolidated/clustered to fewer parties to ensure healthy competition. I think, within 5 to 10 years, we will observe big consolidations in healthcare market with powerful manufacturers and suppliers emerging. Since the competitiveness of the market is ever-increasing, this will likely to be the only way forward for the market to continue to thrive and not fail on itself.

Brief of Delta Trade Company

Our company has been in operation for 30 years, serving public and private healthcare industries through various different business models. The company strategy is continuously evolving to help us move forward and ensure our place in the industry stands powerful. Our core business models consist of developing turn-key projects (hospitals, clinics, diagnostic and CSSD centers), partnering with governments and private investors for their PPP and BOT projects, establishing our own healthcare facilities and providing after-sales services.

Turn-key Projects

We have completed around 250 projects globally as of 2025. Our projects teams continue to work with investors, project developers and construction companies to create step by step execution plans, prepare proposals according to local regulations and customs, do medical and infrastructural planning and strategize with the clients to ensure their project’s success.

PPP & BOT Projects

The last 15 years of our operations include many public-private partnership and build-operate transfer type diagnostic, sterilization, physical therapy, oncology and dialysis center projects. Our experience as an end-user helps us understand how these facilities function, so we have had great success in this type of business model.

Investments

We did our own investments in healthcare as end-users to have a better understanding of the market and make sure we are on the same page as the entities we serve.

After-sales Services.

We work with 2000 manufacturers globally. Our staff are certified and accredited by the manufacturers themselves and are able to respond to a significant range of service requests. Having a large service team with many local branches is the only way to ensure quick response and help sustain the operations of our partnered hospitals and clinics.

Global Presence

As of 2025, Delta Trade Company’s headquarters are located in Düsseldorf, Germany and Istanbul, Turkiye. Our domestic operation in Turkiye operates with 13 branches. Our second biggest entity, Iraq, has 5 branches. Lastly, our UAE, Oman and Qatar branches serve the GCC area with 3 offices respectively.

We also have project-based offices in the continent in Africa, mostly focused on West Africa through Equatorial Guinea and South Africa.

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