Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

TOBB Women Entrepreneurs’ Council and TOBB Youth Entrepreneurs Council elections have been held. Aras Kargo Board Chair and CEO Evrim Aras has been elected as TOBB Women Entrepreneurs’ Council chair while Pegasus Airline Board Chair Ali Sabancı was reelected as Youth Entrepreneurs Council Chair. TOBB Women and Youth Entrepreneurs’ Councils election winners were presented to the press during a meeting which took place yester at the TOBB Twin Towers.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu congratulated Ali Sabancı and Evrim Aras, expressing his belief that they will provide many people with guidance as role models. Stating that every year 900,000 youths join the labor force and that the only way to provide them all with employment is through increasing the number of entrepreneurs, Hisarcıklıoğlu stressed the need to produce 90,000 entrepreneurs each year. Pointing to Japan as an example in regards to entrepreneurship, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “We require an additional 2 million entrepreneurs in order to reach the level of Japan in entrepreneurship.”

 Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that ground has been prepared for women and youth entrepreneurs, reminding that this had all begun with around 1,000 women and youth entrepreneurs whereas today, the organization boasts 6,405 women and 8,341 youth entrepreneurs. Pointing out that women have been elected as board chairs of 2 chambers and exchanges as well as the council chairs of 4 chambers and exchanges , Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “The number of women in chamber and exchanges councils has increased by 33%.”

- “Women entrepreneurs should have price advantage just like in the US”

Hisarcıklıoğlu drawing attention to the 15% price advantage give to domestic products in public bids and said, “We fought for this for years. This has finally been achieved. We present our thanks to the Science, Industry and Technology Minister Fikri Işık. Now, we want to extend it a step further to cover women entrepreneurs as well. This is seen in some states of the USA. In public bids which take place in these states, price advantages are granted to enterprises established by women. This means that even if something is more expensive, the government buys from them. To go further, there are quotas for women’s businesses which must be filled in this regard. We request that these types of incentives be implemented by the government.”

- Aras: We will be a model for young women

TOBB Women Entrepreneurs’ Council Chair Evrim Aras stated that in a time of such violence, the economic independence of women is more important than ever and said, “Our goal is to increase the number of women entrepreneurs, to diversify the qualifications of women entrepreneurs and provide them with guidance in their business plans. We want to speed up our projects and strengthen our position with new ideas. Our members provide inspiration to young women through their success stories. As the number of role models increase, as our confident generations increase, our country becomes stronger.”

- Sabancı points to an entrepreneurial ecosystem

TOBB Youth Entrepreneurs Council Chair Ali Sabancı stated that they have important goals to reach for 2023 as a country, “In order to reach the modern civilization level and increase per capita income to 25,000 USD, conduct 500 billion USD in exports, to become richer stronger with a robust democracy; to be a country active and effective in global politics and to be one of the world’s 10 largest economies.”

Sabancı urged support for the Global Entrepreneurship Week, BİST Private Market, G3 Forum, Funds Forum and similar projects, saying, “If we fail to create a healthy entrepreneurial ecosystem, many valuable projects, ideas and entrepreneurs will left by the wayside.”

- TOBB Youth Entrepreneurs Council:

Chair: Ali Sabancı - Pegasus Airlines INC.

Vice Chairs:

Cihat Alagöz - TÜYAP Fairs INC.

Göktekin Dinçerler - Turkven

Gülden Yılmaz - Koton INC.

Sezai Hazır – Youth for Habitat Foundation

Members:

Acun Ilıcalı - Acun Medya

Ali Yücelen – TUGİAD

Alp Saul - Pronet Security and Consultation INC.

Alphan Manas - Brightwell Holdings

Arda Kutsal – Webrazzi

Arzu Kaprol - Arzu Kaprol

Ayşe Şule Bilgiç - Düş Yeri

Beyhan Başol - Ege Region (Aydın GGK President)

Burcu Akdarı Toprak – GYİAD President

Cengiz Konukoğlu - SANKO

Dr. Mete Çakmakçı – Turkey Technology Development Foundation

Emre Kurttepeli - Mynet Company Group

Erkan Güral - Kütahya Porcelain

Esra Tarhan Civelek – Marketing Consultants

Haluk Okutur - Simit Sarayı

İbrahim Kürşat Tuna - Marmara Region (Çanakkale GGK President)

İbrahim Yetkinşekerci – Southeastern Anatolia Region (Gaziantep GGK President)

Kadir Büyükhelvacıgil - Helvacızade INC.

Mahmut Köroğlu - Eski Van GGK President

Murat Kolbaşı - Arzum Appliances

Murat Özyeğin - Fiba Holding

Mustafa Sak - Adopen

Nevzat Aydın - Yemeksepeti.com

Pelin Akın - TAV

Prof.Dr Erhan Erkut - Özyeğin University

Selçuk Kiper - Gate Events

Serdal Şahutoğlu – Mediterranean Region (Hatay GGK President)

Serhat Yaya – Central Anatolian Region (Konya GGK President)

Serpil Timuray - Vodafone

Sina Afra - Markafoni

Sinan Bora - Gold Master

Sinan Ergin  - Asemble Organization and Consultation

Sinan Öncel - Twigy

Tamer Özmen - Microsoft Türkiye

Tayfun Karataş - Fatsa TSO Y.K. President

Tayfun Özlü – Black Sea Region (Trabzon GGK President)

Vasıf Bakırhan – East Anatolia Region (Bitlis GGK President)

Ziya Kalkavan - Kalkavan Holding

- TOBB Women Entrepreneurs Council:

Chair: Evrim Aras – Aras Kargo INC.

Vice Chairs:

Ayfer Yılmaz Akademisyen - Advisor

Nurten Ceceli  Alkan Ceceli Schools

Ruhsar Pekcan Karon Engineering

Zeynep Bodur Okyay Kale Group

Members:

Aynur Tartan - TV Producer

Başak Saral – International Entrepreneurship Center

Bedriye Hülya - B-Fit Founding Partner

Berrak Kutsoy - Pegasus Airline, Presidential Advisor

Canan Özdemir - The House Café

Cevahir Asuman Yazmacı - Cevahir Han Owner

Didar Avcı Türk - Güneydoğu Anadolu Region (Diyarbakır KGK President)

Elif Çoban - Şölen INC.

Esen Türker - Ege Region (Aydın KGK President)

Fatma Semiz - Angiad President

Günseli Özen Ocakoğlu - Marketing Turkey

Hatice Gülay Atik - Karadeniz Region (Samsun KGK President)

Hatice Güner Kal - Marmara Region (İstanbul KGK President)

Meral Eredenk - Kurdaş Avivasa

Merih Eskin - Darka Plastic Machinery

Mutlu Alkan - Malkan Machinery

Nur Ger - Suteks Tekstil INC.

Nurhan Tekocak - Doğu Anadolu Region (Elazığ KGK President)

Oya Narin - Martı Otel INC.

Pınar Abay - İng Bank

Rana Dal - Akdeniz Region (Adana KGK President)

Serpil Polat - İç Anadolu Region (Ankara KGK President)

Şafak Çivici Altınay - Sefes Furniture

Zerrin Özel - Darbazlar Transport and Mining

Zeynep Erkunt Armağan - Erkunt Tractor

Zuhal Akyüzlü - Of TSO CouncilPresident