Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

Stating that the chambers system in Turkey is held up as an example throughout the world, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “Although it might look as if we adopted the system from Europe, it is actually a derivation of a system in our tradition. Despite being very proud of our history, many are unaware of what the Akhi system was. The ones who started the chambers system were our ancestors.”

Stating that when you take into account the structure of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey, it is comprised of 365 chambers and exchanges as well as 59 sector councils and women and young entrepreneur councils spanning 81 provinces and 160 counties in Turkey, Hisarcıklıoğlu went on:

“One of the most obvious facts that I encountered when I first toured all chambers and exchanges for the first time was that there were a great many deficiencies in the physical infrastructure of our chambers and exchanges. The larger chambers had no issues but the smaller ones were suffering. We decided then that we needed to invest in the physical infrastructure. But it was evident that our budget would not allow this. We decided to pitch in and, today, 233 chambers and exchanges have moved into their new service buildings. They have attained the most modern service building. Is this enough? It was not enough for us. Improving physical infrastructure is very important in regards to prestige but insufficient. We are a service institution and we needed to provide service. The number of chambers and exchanges which had English speaking personnel was 5. They were unable to produce projects. We reviewed how the system functioned in the world. Today, 131 chambers and exchanges have become 5 starred. What does that mean? These 131 chambers and exchanges provide their members with identical level of service. 22 chambers and exchanges are undergoing examination to become certified as well, which will bring the number of 5 star certified chambers and exchanges to 153. While we had only 5 chambers which had English speaking personnel before, now, we have 355 chambers and exchanges which have English speaking personnel. In the last year, 450 EU projects have been completed by 365 chambers and exchanges, earning 410 million TL in grants.

We’ve established 59 sector councils in which large companies will take part. The companies which will take part in these are the largest companies of a specific sector in Turkey. While we represent them, we need to listen to their troubles and find solutions for them. They are our members from the smallest to the largest. We must help with all of their troubles – that is how we established the sector councils and their councils.”

- Turkey’s future lies in entrepreneurship

Emphasizing that the number of entrepreneurs must be increased in order to prosper, Hisarcıklıoğlu said that Turkey’s future lies in entrepreneurship. Reporting that 750,000 young people join the workforce each year, the TOBB President said, “We must find employment for these youths. We have a goal: To become one of the top 10 economies of the world. The way to prosperity is through entrepreneur numbers. That is why we need new entrepreneurs. There are 2 potentialities; women and children. We must utilize them to the best of our abilities.”