Fergan Kitapli, Sr. Performance Marketing Manager, Star Stable Entertainment

To help current students and recent graduates navigate the world of work, several USI Alumni shared their career paths and career story. Here the story of Fergan Kitapli, Sr. Performance Marketing Manager at Star Stable Entertainment in Stockholm (S). USI Degree: Master in Marketing, 2015.

How did you start your career?

After I completed my master degree, I started my career at a small digital marketing agency in Istanbul. Then, in 9 months, I've been offered a position at a WPP agency, GroupM. I have worked for WPP companies, most lastly for Mindshare, for more than 5 years between 2016 and 2021. My final title was Performance Marketing Director at Mindshare and I was responsible for a team of 8 people.

Why did you choose a career at Star Stable Entertainment?

In 2021, I wanted to shape my career in a different country to experience different working environments and applied Star Stable Entertainment's job ad on LinkedIn. After a couple of days, they have reached out to me and here I am; it's been already 2 years since I've started as a Sr. Performance Marketing & UA Manager.

What is your current role/duties?

In my current role at Star Stable Entertainment AB, my main responsibility is managing all the digital marketing channels for our desktop and mobile games with my team. While acquiring players, we are trying to be profitable as every company. So, budget and channel management need to be done strategically to sustain a profitable business.

In your opinion, what are the qualities necessary for a successful career at Star Stable Entertainment?

In my current company and also in the digital marketing industry, people need to have an analytical mindset because everyday they're going to play with numbers to improve the current performance that they have. In addition to that, you should be a creative person when it comes to assessing the ad creatives that you're showing to your target audience.

What positive aspects and qualities meant most to you during the study programme you attended?

Reaching out to our professors was really easily. Accessibility to the necessary resources was also easy. This helped us to improve ourselves in the early years of our careers. Also, we had an opportunity to meet hundreds of people from all around the world. This also provided us to have a valuable networking opportunity.

What competences and/or skills acquired in your USI Study Program have been useful/are useful to your professional career?

In a relatively early period, in 2013, when digital marketing was in its early stages, we have had an option to listen the essentials of digital marketing from valuable professors at USI. These lectures opened my eyes and vision and also showed that there is a huge potential in this area which attracted my attention immediately. We have had an option to select bunch of elective lessons according to our future interests from HR to Digital Marketing... I find this opportunity quite valuable.

What is your advice to USI students entering the job market?

Sometimes, it may take sometime to find the best job that they think they deserve. Be patient, decisive and work hard!