Istanbul Business World Elects New Chairman, ITO Leadership Goes to Chairman Avdagiç

Istanbul's business world elects new Chamber of Commerce chairman, representing approximately one-third of Turkey's national income.

The new Board of Directors Chairman of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (İTO), of which on average 1 in 4 companies in Turkey is a member, is Şekib Avdagiç. The Council Members of İTO, representing 81 different professions, gathered today at the Chamber's Eminönü Central Building to elect the new Board of Directors. According to the election results concluded at 17:00, Şekib Avdagiç became the 24th Board Chairman of İTO, which has a solid history spanning 136 years. The new board of directors under Avdagiç's leadership consists of the following members: Şekib Avdagiç, İsrafil Kuralay, Servet Samsama, İbrahim Doğan Salman, Dursun Topçu, Ahmet Özer, Yakup Köç, Burhan Polat, Levent Taş, Bahadır Yaşık, Adil Coşkun.

Turkey's Bright Future Under Our President's Leadership Assured

Istanbul Chamber of Commerce's new Chairman Şekib Avdagiç, in his address to Council Members following the announcement of election results, said: "A brand new path lies ahead of us. Our projects, which will add strength to the power of our 400,000 members, will serve as a strong guarantee for Turkey's bright future under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Our precision projects that will play a key role in growth are ready. We do not have even an hour to waste," he said. Avdagiç separately thanked all institutions, civil society organizations, and sector representatives, particularly Istanbul Chamber of Commerce members, who provided full support during the candidacy process with great consensus. Avdagiç stated: "Many of our colleagues stood with us at this point, provided support, and rolled up their sleeves. I offer my gratitude to all of them on this occasion."

'We Are Here to Implement Projects That Will Raise Istanbul's Brand Value'

Emphasizing that İTO is a very strong soldier of Turkey's vision of being a leading country in an environment where borders are being redrawn and new rules of economics and trade are being written, Avdagiç said: "We are here to implement projects that raise Istanbul's brand value, to strengthen the bridges extending from Turkey to the world." Avdagiç stated: "We counter the perception games in currency with our trade power. We are here to break the shackles of interest with our production capacity. We are people who view investment decisions nourished by domestic resources as a national matter. That is why Istanbul Chamber of Commerce is, for us, a centuries-old plane tree that gives courage to the business world. We regard the favor you have shown me and my colleagues in this light as a responsibility," he said. Istanbul Chamber of Commerce is one of the world's five largest chambers by membership. İTO represents on average 1 in 4 companies in Turkey. Members of İTO generate 28% of national income, 43% of total tax revenue, and more than 50% of total foreign trade volume.