Bosad Chairman of the Board Akın Akçalı answered our questions

In our interview, Mr. Akın Akçalı, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bosad answered our questions. Giving information about Bosad's activities and professional studies, Akçalı shared his opinions and comments about the 8th International paintistanbul & Turkcoat Fair and Congress which will be held in 2020.

Mr. Akçalı, first of all, I congratulate you on your election as the Chairman of the Paint Manufacturers Association (Bosad) and wish you success in your new position. Could you briefly tell our readers about yourself, your educational background and your professional resume?

I was born in 1975 in Istanbul. I started my education in Istanbul and graduated from ATA College. I concluded my higher education from the Department of Economics of Anadolu University, Faculty of Economic Sciences. I have been working as Member of the Board of Directors and General Manager of Akçalı Boya ve Kimya San. Tic. A.Ş. Since 2013, I have been a member of the Board of Directors and Vice Chairman of the Paint Manufacturers Association (Bosad). During the same period, I also continued my professional studies as head of the Foreign Trade Working Group within Bosad. In May 2019, with the appointment made at the IX. Ordinary General Assembly meeting of Bosad, I have assumed the Chairmanship of Bosad. I am actively involved in various social organizations in the field of culture and art. I actively participate in maritime and sailing activities and attend national competitions in this field. I speak English at an advanced level. I am married and have two children.

Could you please give information about the professional studies carried out by Bosad?

As founded in 2003, this year Bosad will complete its 16^th year of operation. During this period, Bosad has come to represent nearly 80% of the paints and raw materials industry in registered economic activities and has significantly increased its professional standing. Within national and international areas, Bosad has continued its efforts to find solutions to the current and structural problems of the industry. In this context, Bosad has been an Observer Member of the European Painters Association (CEPE) since 2007. In 2015, Bosad further strengthened its international professional representation as a member of the World Association of Painters (IPPIC). Within the current organizational structure of Bosad, in order to solve the problems of the industry, as a result of the demands received, more than 20 technical and professional "Working Groups" consisting of relevant experts from our member organizations continue their activities effectively. Today Bosad, as accepted by all industries, has become a reference point in creating a common industry view and presenting it to the relevant authorities.

In the last 10 years, the paints and raw materials industry in Turkey has achieved important economic and commercial significance within Turkey's total chemical industry and continues its professional and industrial activities with the aim of becoming an exporting industry in certain segments.

In this period, the paints and raw materials industry in Turkey undertakes important obligations for the implementation of many international regulations, especially EU legislation and technical applications. Especially for companies in the paints and raw materials industry, both in and out of scale economies, these obligations affect the competitiveness of many of our members. Important steps are being taken towards reflecting the practices within the framework of the obligations imposed on the industry. In this progress, Bosad continues to carry out important professional efforts to solve all kinds of economic and commercial problems faced by our industrial organizations and the responsibilities imposed on our industry by our international commitments. Thanks to the working groups within Bosad, especially in recent periods important steps have been taken towards solving many bureaucratic and technical problems experienced in the goods and services markets connected to our industry. In the upcoming phase I believe that this new progress will continue depending on industrial restructuring and technological change. I also think that Bosad is going through a period of structural change in which its professional responsibilities and duties will increase and become more important. I would like to state that we are in a new working phase in which our cooperation with other professional organizations will gain more importance within the goal of becoming a competitive and export-oriented industry. One of the most important topics in Bosad's new term studies is the participation of our members in a more effective participatory and democratic order. In this context, it is important for us that now our Board of Directors includes two new businesswomen for the first time since Bosad's establishment.

Could we learn your opinions and comments about the 8^th International paintistanbul & Turkcoat Fair and Congress which will be held in 2020 with the cooperation of Bosad and Artkim Fuarcılık?

The paintistanbul & Turkcoat fair and congress project, which is among the most important projects and activities of our paints industry, has been continuing with the contributions of industrial organizations for nearly 10 years. In this period, our exhibition project has evolved into a common organization within professional cooperation with Artkim Fuarcılık and has been organized for the last two terms under the name paintistanbul & Turkcoat for our industry. Our fair organization, which brings together the two main sectors of our industry, continues to be the only industry-defined fair in which paints and raw materials participate. The other part of our project, which is as important as the fair, is the development of our international congress. Considering other equivalent organizations within the main chemical industry, our congress with international participation has gained very important industrial technical standing and achieved significant success with the participation of many internationally recognized academics, industry representatives and technical experts. For the organization of our congress, in addition to numerous technical experts and participants among Bosad members, the high-level participation and presentations of many academics from the academic world in the paints industry allows our congress' quality to have an impact beyond our borders. We aim to further develop our fair and congress project in 2020 and 2022.

Could you please give information about the activities you plan to do during your Bosad Presidency?

The new working phase of Bosad is of great importance for industrial development. Our paints and raw materials industry is now restructuring within the framework of the objective of becoming a regional power beyond our national borders. In the near future, we anticipate that our large-scale manufacturing companies will increase their cooperation with foreign capital corporations to a higher level and make a significant contribution to the technological standing of our paints industry and target a higher level of competition. At the same time, a significant development worth noting: the continuous improvement in the quality of our industrial products, export potential exceeding 45 countries, as well as the new technological product profiles revealed by the R&D-centered structure, constitute important indicators of this change. Another priority that gained importance in Bosad's new working phase is the development of domestic demand for paints products in Turkey and the resumption of initiatives to increase per capita paints consumption to international levels. Let us not forget that, besides decorative paints, the paints industry continues to carry out many important sub-production activities under the group of industrial paints and continues to serve as a main input in every field of our economy and general manufacturing industry.

It is of great importance for Bosad that this process is well planned and supported by professional organizations in the new phase.

One of the main topics we discussed during Bosad's new working phase is the fact that the sustainability concept and objectives should exist in new projects and studies. In the evaluations we have made within the Board of Directors on this matter, the "Sustainability Working Group" is established for the first time in Bosad and it is aimed to continue technical studies in this field. Another important topic of Bosad's professional activities in this phase is the importance of exports for our industry, whereas domestic demand is inadequate. Thus, we will jointly cooperate with İKMİB (Istanbul Chemicals and Chemical Products Exporters' Association) for export-increasing projects and studies. Within this framework, the goal of increasing our exports by developing our value-added product profiles for new overseas markets internationally has gained importance. I would also like to state that, for many years, our industry has not been sufficiently involved in foreign developed country markets. In this phase whereas the domestic market of our national economy has contracted significantly, we foresee that exporting to new foreign markets would be the most important relief point for our industry.