The Middle East Region's largest ride-hailing company, Dubai-based Careem Inc., Vice-chaired by Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Faculty of Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering Graduate Emre Tok, merged with the region’s largest rival, the US-based UBER with a record price of 3.1 billion USD.
Careem Inc.'s Vice President of Growth and Digital Marketing Emre Tok, who has a significant share in the successful execution of this operation, has taken an important role in the merger process of the aforesaid rival companies in Dubai for two years. Emre Tok provided information about the merger process to the Growth Management Platform. According to the agreement, Careem's staff and 17,000 limousine vehicles in 120 different cities in the region will join the Uber in the near future. Careem, which is only a 6-year startup, has a market share of 3.1 billion USD in such a short period of time. This remarkable achievement is considered not only a victory for Careem, but also for the new technology companies in the Middle East region. Prior to his transfer to Careem, Emre Tok was the Marketing Manager for Microsoft UK’s Bing, Outlook.com and OneDrive.
Expressing his views about his alma mater, Emre Tok stated that Eastern Mediterranean University Department of Industrial Engineering not only offers high quality study opportunities in the English language, but also gives the students the opportunity to get acquainted with foreign cultures at EMU, where students from 116 different countries and cultures study. In this regard, Emre Tok thanked EMU and his department for providing him with this unique opportunity.
EMU Department of Industrial Engineering Chair Asst. Prof. Dr. Gökhan İzbırak stated that Industrial Engineers and Business Engineers don’t only work at factories where manufacturing takes place but also in the service sector (consultancy, transportation, energy, logistics, finance, banking, hospitals, brand managing, software, tourism, education, telecommunication, marketing, human resources etc…) and in the management of construction and extraction companies (companies that deal with the extraction of petroleum, natural gas, mining etc.) helping them to produce higher quality products and services at a lower price.
The Department of Industrial Engineering offers students a double major in Mechanical Engineering or Business Administration and has ABET accreditation which has only been obtained by five Turkish universities (abet.org). Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration graduates of the Department which graduated its first students in 1998 are currently working in the management of international manufacturing, construction and extraction companies. They have also been accepted to and graduate from postgraduate programs of some of the world’s best universities such as MIT and Cambridge with high honors, later going on to work as academicians at the universities.