Kale Group's founder and Honorary President Dr. (hc) İbrahim Bodur is remembered with prayers, longing and respect at memorial meetings in Çan and Istanbul on the ninth anniversary of his death.
The legacy left by the doyen industrialist and philanthropist İbrahim Bodur, who laid the foundations of Kale Group in Çan 68 years ago, was one of the pioneers of industrialization in Türkiye, and prioritized people and social benefit in every step he took, continues to inspire today. The values that İbrahim Bodur adopted throughout his life continue to inspire Kale Group's work in many areas ranging from sustainability to social benefit.
Zeynep Bodur Okyay, President and CEO of Kale Group, expressed his feelings in his speech on the occasion of the commemoration as follows: “When I lost my father nine years ago, a huge void opened up inside me. But today, that void is filled with his teachings, memories, and voice. He taught us honesty, diligence, compassion, and the value of being human. He was always after producing, creating benefits, and building values. The love he left us for people and our country continues to illuminate our path.”
A vision brought to life together with social entrepreneurs: İbrahim Bodur Social Entrepreneurship Program
Kale Group, in order to keep the vision of its founder İbrahim Bodur alive, launched in 2017 Ibrahim Bodur Social Entrepreneurship Program It continues to support social entrepreneurs with. The program has paved the way for more than a hundred social entrepreneurs to date, and contributes to the solution of social and environmental problems we face with awards given in the Early Stage, Advanced Stage, Collaboration and Youth categories.
Zeynep Bodur Okyay also drew attention to this meaningful connection and said, “We will remember my father this year with social entrepreneurs who aim to add value to society. We will share his belief in social transformation once again at the award ceremony we will hold on June 3. Because we believe that people who continue to live with what they leave behind are never forgotten.”
Dr. (hc) Who is İbrahim Bodur?
Ibrahim Bodur, who came from the Nevruz village of Çanakkale and contributed to the development of the country through industrialization and devoted his 88-year life to the land where he was born, saying 'human first', started his working life when he was only 21 years old. His main desire was to be satisfied with the people of the land where he was born and to lead the development to start in Anatolia. In 1957, when he laid the foundations of the ceramic tile factory in Çan, whose population did not exceed 1.000 people, he ignited the first sparks of local development. He also made the local people share his dreams. The foundations of being one and succeeding together were laid there. Not only Çan, but all the people of Çanakkale were introduced to the concept of 'public company'. He shared the success of Çanakkale Ceramic Factory and grew together. Many young people had educational opportunities and supported local development with the qualifications they acquired.
İbrahim Bodur's faith, determination and effort were embodied not only in Çanakkale but in every corner of Anatolia. From Mardin to Izmir, from Erzurum to Yozgat, from Isparta to Istanbul, it continued to fight shoulder to shoulder with the people of the region and contribute to local development with effort in every city where it took industry. It not only shaped the future of the ceramics industry. He invested in different sectors to make Turkey a pioneer in every field. It started from the soil and reached to the sky.
In order to make the countless investments made and the continuous support given to education sustainable, Dr. (hc) İbrahim Bodur founded the Kaleseramik Education, Health and Social Aid Foundation. Thanks to the projects developed with the support of the Ministry of National Education, vocational training courses and hundreds of renovated village schools, as well as scholarships given to university students, many bright young people graduated successfully.
In his industrial journey that lasted more than half a century, İbrahim Bodur cared about providing social benefit and sharing the values he produced with the society at every step he took. The İbrahim Bodur Social Entrepreneurship Award Program, which was launched after his death, aims to support social entrepreneurs who take action to solve social problems in line with this belief.
İbrahim Bodur's passion for art predated his industrialism. During the hours he spent in the Robert College library, he not only studied but also engaged in literature. His admiration for poetry and Turkish Classical Music led him to write essays at that age and to establish a Turkish Art Music Society within Robert College and organize concerts. İbrahim Bodur maintained his bond with art from the first years when he took action for the great industrial breakthrough.
