Deniz Çeliköz-AI Transformation & Interim Executive — AI Operating Models, Agentic AI, Governance in Regulated Industries

AI, Generative AI & Agentic AI

• Built and governed the global commercial AI portfolio and governance framework and initiated an AI community across affiliates at a large pharmaceutical company — created enterprise-wide AI transparency and collaboration, eliminated duplication, and enabled prioritization, reuse, and scalability (consolidated over 200 initiatives).
• Designed enterprise AI Operating Model blueprints for regulated industries — governance structure, capability and technology layers for scalable, safe AI deployment (the AI decision layer).
• Served as Lead AI champion: senior-leader mentoring, organization-wide AI upskilling and change management, driving GenAI adoption and ethical / responsible-AI compliance (upskilled 120 leaders; adoption 20→98%).
• Built AI agents to support the Business Planning & Review process in pharma and co-architected the custom multi-agent orchestration framework — hands-on agentic AI, bridging AI strategy with execution.
• Conducted AI Opportunity Scans across the pharma industry — prioritized use cases by value, feasibility, and strategic fit; generated an actionable initiative portfolio.
• Co-designed a knowledge-management ecosystem and deployed a "Single Search" platform, defining behavioral principles for AI-ready data.

M&A, Carve-outs & Post-Merger Integration

• Designed and program managed governance frameworks and led Day 1 and the operating model for a EUR 4B chemicals carve-out, integrating agile PMI across Finance, IP, Legal, Procurement, and Engineering.
• Interim CIO for a CHF 2B consumer-goods carve-out — planned the full IT migration: infrastructure, applications, end-user computing, organization, roles, and governance.
• Led program governance, closing, and the carve-out PMO for a EUR 1B chemicals divestment to a private-equity group — achieved Day 1 readiness including transition-services agreements.
• Architected customer-service and technical-support operating models and ran field-force effectiveness (KAM, segmentation, KPIs) in chemicals during a PMI.
• Directed digital strategy, portfolio, and customer experience as interim CIO in agro-chemicals.

Business & Operating Models, Transformation & Program Management

• Enterprise Agile Operating Model Expert at a large pharma company, pioneering business and operating model transformations, including fluidity and behavioral change.
• Led business-model implementation for a new retail strategy extending the value chain for a consumer goods company.
• Implemented new commercial strategy at a global agro-chemical / chemicals client and benchmarked organizational structure, processes, roles, and governance after a large transformation.
• Aligned goals, interdependencies, joint roadmaps, and resources across five strategic programs of a food company.
• Enhanced business-case evaluation methodology with risk and uncertainty modeling for new digital solutions across pharma and chemicals.
• Managed the finance and process workstream of a large pharma capital-expenditure program — business cases, demand management, and procurement optimization.
• Led self-service BI at a process-manufacturing company, including communication.
• Managed a pharma logistics-outsourcing project, including operating models and partnering.
• Led business development of a cash-logistics company — marketing, pricing, route optimization, modeling.

• Managed SAP ERP & BI projects; designed information-excellence tools for right decisions.

• ERP, BI, and product-management roles — saved ~$50K/month on rebates via a price-information flow system, cut a 16-office European returns cycle by 50%, reduced monthly cost reporting from 25 to 7 days, and drove go-to-market for Canon's IR110 printing/copying line.