Being among the most effective boards of the region where the problems of both the city and the country are discussed EGİAD The Advisory Board was held on Zoom due to the pandemic.
In the event, which was held as the first Advisory Board Meeting of the 16th Term Board of Directors, which took office in March, the association's new commissions, strategic working areas, realized and planned activities were conveyed. In the event, which started with the opening speeches of the Chairman of the Board of Directors Alp Avni Yelkenbiçer, hosted by Mahmut Özgener, Chairman of the Advisory Board, EGİAD ve EGİAD As Angels, it was seen that nearly 3 activities, webinars and visits were carried out in a 30-month period. At the Advisory Board, in which the opinion leaders of Izmir participated, the functioning of economic and commercial activities under pandemic conditions was also evaluated and a road map was determined. In the meeting, which focused on sustainability, the Green Agreement and in this context, the EU harmonization process, digitalization and entrepreneurship, it was stated that investment in the future passes through these topics.
Advisory Board, EGİADAn Indestructible Fortress Behind
EGİAD Chairman of the Board of Directors Alp Avni Yelkenbiçer started his speech by thanking the Advisory Board. Stating that what makes a management successful is the ability to make the right decision and who he consults while making these decisions, he said, “We struggle with many uncertainties while determining the vision, putting forward the strategy and taking action steps that bring them into daily life. Sometimes we have to make decisions to choose between two issues, and sometimes to find specific and creative solutions to the situation. What makes these decisions right is who we consult and how many people we seek solutions with. We are happy that the Advisory Board, with its knowledge and experience EGİADIt stands behind us like an indestructible fortress,” he said.
EGİAD Noting that the aim of the 16th term is to get the association out of this difficult period stronger and to ensure that pioneering, innovative, courageous and even daring steps are taken, as worthy of its name, Yelkenbiçer emphasized that the method of measuring whether it fulfills these goals will be “optimism”. Yelkenbiçer spoke as follows: “If we EGİAD If we can create optimism in our society and contribute to institutions and individuals to look to the future with a little more confidence in the environment we are in and in the works we undertake, then we have fulfilled our goal. We have 2 main themes that we determined in the process of fulfilling our goals. The first of these, dynamism, is our innovative, enterprising, energetic aspect that has the power to move the stones. With the awareness that competition is no longer local or national, but only global, we need to adopt an approach that does not settle for anything less than the best examples in the world, neither in our work nor in the way we do business. Being creative and putting things first is not a luxury for us, it is an obligation. To integrate more members of the Z generation and more successfully into our business life, to contribute and collaborate with, are not the only ones living in İzmir, EGİAD We want to show that the concept of membership or partnership can also be realized across borders. Our second main theme after dynamism is sustainability. But sustainability with sincerity and rationality, not because it is fashionable and has social support. While dynamism is our driving force, our engine that produces energy, sustainability keeps us in line as our balance factor.”
EGİAD Chairman of the Board of Directors Alp Avni Yelkenbiçer evaluated the strategic working areas of the association in detail. Sustainability, Entrepreneurship, Digitalization, EGİAD Yelkenbiçer, who conveyed the planning realized under the titles of Global, Generation Z and Future Business World, and Industry, also summarized the collaborations with various institutions. EGİAD Yelkenbiçer, which also presents the activities carried out by the Angels, said, “We are the first angel investor network accredited to the Undersecretariat of Treasury in Izmir and the Aegean Region. EGİAD Melekleri is the first accredited angel investment network established within an NGO as a business people association in Turkey. It has managed to become an exemplary institution with 44 Angel Investors, 25 Angel Investors Entrepreneur Meetings, 16 investments, more than 2 thousand entrepreneur evaluations, and 8 million TL investment. Apart from that, I can summarize the fields of activity we plan to realize as an association as follows. Generation Z and Future Business Seminars, Joint Procurement Activities, Green Reconciliation Studies, Green Office, Circular Economy Studies, Think Tank Report, Digitalization Check Up, School of Life, Foreign Trade Ambassadors, Mediterranean Cities, EU and US Projects on Entrepreneurship themes, Zero Waste Project, EGİAD As Trade Bridge, University-Industry-NGO Cooperation, our various projects will be working.”
Green Consensus Alert
EGİAD Mahmut Özgener, Chairman of the Advisory Board, made an evaluation on the titles of Kemalpaşa Logistics Village, Green Reconciliation and IzQ. Saying that we need to create more common sense, get together and act quickly in all ongoing projects in the city, Özgener emphasized the importance of raising the awareness of member businesses, especially regarding the Green Agreement, and said, “This issue will closely affect our economic and commercial activities. If we cannot plan the risky process that this new understanding and production transformation will bring, covering the whole world, in time, it will be possible to experience serious losses in terms of exports, with the EU, our most important export partner, and the countries that have stepped into the transformation. In addition, we may have to pay a heavy price with the EU's implementation of a carbon tax at the border. As the Izmir Chamber of Commerce, we have started to work with all the institutions and organizations of our city to facilitate the harmonization process and to spend it efficiently. Finally, we discussed this issue at the regular monthly Izmir Economic Development Coordination Board held last week. We suggested that the work on the Green Reconciliation should be carried out in cooperation with the participation of all stakeholders, and that a structure should be rapidly established in which our Governorship, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, Chamber, Stock Exchange, Unions in Izmir, Izmir Development Agency and Universities with experience will take part and contribute. We will be pleased to receive your cooperation and support in this regard and to work together. In the coming period, renewable and clean energy, environmentally friendly industrial activities, autonomous and electric vehicles, and digital transformation will come to the fore within the framework of the green economy approach. We need to evaluate these issues together and rapidly develop common perspectives by creating synergies.”
Evaluation of Kemalpaşa Logistics Village Project
Özgener also gave information about the Kemalpaşa Logistics Village Project, emphasizing that the Kemalpaşa Logistics Village Project is a very accurate and valuable project for the welfare of the country and the city's economy, the benefit of exporters and industrialists, and the development of the logistics sector. Özgener spoke as follows: “The “supalan field”, which is located only in the Alsancak Port in İzmir, negatively affects the city traffic as it is on one of the main arteries of the city. With the location of the Truck Customs in Kemalpaşa Logistics Village, the entire operation center will be Kemalpaşa, except for the port's main function, handling. With the temporary storage area to be built at the Truck Customs, the customs procedures of all vehicles entering and leaving by road will be carried out here. In addition, the customs laboratory to be located at this location will complete the transactions of the products that require analysis, and the entire operation will be carried out from a single location. We care about and closely follow the Kemalpaşa Logistics Village project, which will play an important role in the clustering and institutionalization of the logistics sector and reducing the costs of our exporters.”
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