Ahead of the upcoming chamber elections, senior figures across Turkey's industrial and export ecosystem gathered at a consultation meeting hosted by Ender Yılmaz, candidate for the Presidency of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry (ICI). The assembly addressed ongoing manufacturing bottlenecks, export financing, workforce deficits, and green transition strategies.
50 Years in Industry, 25 Years Serving the Chamber
Drawing on five decades of manufacturing operations and a quarter-century of governance roles across ICI, Ender Yılmaz emphasized an inclusive administration driven by collective intelligence.
Core priorities outlined by Yılmaz include:
Shaping Industrial Policy: Positioning ICI as an active policy-shaper across economic and industrial governance.
Green & Digital Twin Transition: Structuring targeted roadmaps and accessible financing mechanisms to facilitate sustainability and digital transformation for member manufacturers.
Skilled Labor Development: Deepening partnerships with vocational institutions to alleviate persistent technical labor shortages.
Market Access & Diversification: Defending market shares in traditional export hubs while establishing pathways into alternative global markets.
Erdal Bahçıvan: “Ender Yılmaz and His Team Will Be the Voice of Istanbul’s Industrialists”
Delivering remarks at the gathering, ICI Chairman of the Board Erdal Bahçıvan affirmed his endorsement:
“Serving our industrialists for 13 years at such a prestigious institution as the Istanbul Chamber of Industry has been a profound privilege. I take pride and peace in having fulfilled this presidential mandate honorably. Having worked closely with Ender Yılmaz for many years, I have directly witnessed his deep industrial expertise, problem-solving mindset, and dedication to stakeholder consultation. I am confident he will carry this presidential responsibility with the highest caliber. Ender Yılmaz and his team will serve as the unified voice of Istanbul's industrialists on every national and international platform.”
Ender Yılmaz:
“All our past chairmen and boards have contributed immensely to bringing ICI to its premier standing today. Chairman Erdal Bahçıvan raised this bar even higher through his exceptional service. I thank him for his contributions to our institution and his confidence in my candidacy. We will ensure our members actively participate in decision-making processes, mobilizing every resource of the chamber to strengthen manufacturing.”
Broad Industry and Business Representation
The event convened prominent business leaders across textiles, food, plastics, and export councils:
ICI Board & Assembly Leadership: Deputy Chairman Cemal Keleş; Board Members Sultan Tepe, İnan Altınbaş, Vehbi Canpolat, Faruk Sarı; Vice Assembly Presidents Sadık Ayhan Saruhan and Yüksel Özyurt.
Prominent Industrial Figures: Ahmet Öksüz (Vice President of TİM), Yavuz Eroğlu (Chairman of PAGEV), İsmail Gülle (Former TİM President and ICI Assembly Member), Mehmet Reis (Chairman of Reis Gıda), and leading textile industrialist Kemal Güneş.
Assembly Members: Over 60 senior industrialists, including Fikret Tanrıverdi, Hüseyin Bozdağ, İbrahim Aydoğan, Doğu Kaya, Berç Darçın, Ali İhsan Şerbetçi, Kerim Çolakoğlu, Süleyman Çakır, Mustafa Tacir, and Gökhan Turhan.
