MAY 6, 2025

KAGİDER in the Business World: Entrepreneurship and Procurement Meeting Attracted Great Interest.

Held for the first time on May 6, 2025, at the Istanbul Congress Center, this special gathering brought together 194 women entrepreneurs and 75 procurement professionals. A total of 46 booths were set up, 120 visitors were hosted, and over 1,000 one-on-one meetings were held.

During the event, a protocol signed between KAGİDER, TEDAR, and TÜSAYDER marked a strong step toward prioritizing women entrepreneurs in supply chains.

In the opening speech, Prof. Dr. Şerif Barış emphasized that being prepared for earthquakes is not a matter of awareness, but a necessity, and delivered important messages to institutions.

One of the most exciting parts of the gathering was the inspiring speeches:

• Didem Tekay, Senior Partner at Management Centre Türkiye, highlighted the impact of unlocking women’s potential on organizations.
  
• Journalist Timur Sırt discussed the importance of customer-focused approaches in the data age.
  
• Serdar Turan, Editor-in-Chief of Harvard Business Review Türkiye, spoke about the skills needed to succeed in entrepreneurship today.
  
• Selin Orçunus from Google Türkiye discussed the effects of digital transformation on entrepreneurship.
  

KAGİDER Board Member Gülin Yücel participated in the "Equality-Oriented Sustainable Entrepreneurship" session of the Chat2Solve talk series organized by Istanbul University Faculty of Political Sciences European Relations Club.

MAY 7, 2025

KAGİDER EU Representative and Senior Advisor for European Policy Ayşe Yürekli was a guest speaker on the YouTube live broadcast of daktilo1984’s “2’li Görüş” program. She evaluated the newly formed Friedrich Merz government in Germany and its implications for Turkey-Germany-EU relations.

MAY 13, 2025

KAGİDER President Esra Bezircioğlu, Vice President Şila Gök, and Secretary General Yeşim Seviğ were in London for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Annual Meetings. KAGİDER, elected to the EBRD’s newly formed NGO Executive Committee for the first time, participated in a session with EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso within the framework of the Annual Meetings.

The KAGİDER delegation met with EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso during the civil society executive session. On behalf of the committee, KAGİDER Secretary General Yeşim Seviğ shared views and recommendations on gender equality, one of the four agenda topics of the session.

MAY 14, 2025

KAGİDER EU Representative Ayşe Yürekli attended a session on the state of local governance in Turkey and the participation of youth and women, held within the European Union Committee of the Regions (CoR) General Assembly (May 14–15).

Led by KAGİDER President Esra Bezircioğlu, the KAGİDER delegation met with TurkishBank Chairman Hakan Börteçene, CEO Erhan Raif, General Manager Emre Kunduracı, and senior executives at Somerset House, hosted by TurkishBank.

T.C. London Consul Mr. Turan Oğuzhan Gönültaş also attended the meeting. Bank officials provided general information about business and investment opportunities in the United Kingdom.

MAY 15, 2025

KAGİDER President Esra Bezircioğlu, Vice President Şila Gök, and Secretary General Yeşim Seviğ attended the 2025 Annual Meeting and Business Forum of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

As one of the 13 NGOs on the EBRD’s Civil Society Executive Committee, KAGİDER presented its proposals on women’s economic participation to EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso and the Board of Directors.

The KAGİDER delegation also participated in high-level meetings during the forum, including the Turkey Investment Session attended by the Turkish Minister of Treasury and Finance, Mr. Mehmet Şimşek.

MAY 15, 2025

In collaboration with London-based think tank SAVVITAS, which works on women's leadership and entrepreneurship, KAGİDER held a roundtable on "International Trade and Women" at the House of Lords in Westminster Palace, under the patronage of Baroness Uddin and The Earl of Erroll, Merlin Hay.

KAGİDER President Esra Bezircioğlu, SAVVITAS Founder Helene Martin Gee, and Baroness Uddin delivered opening speeches. KAGİDER Vice President and Global Relations Committee Leader Şila Gök presented information on KAGİDER Global.

Participants, including KAGİDER members, introduced their work and shared suggestions on empowering women in trade.

MAY 16, 2025

The KAGİDER Delegation led by President Esra Bezircioğlu visited T.C. London Ambassador Mr. Osman Koray Ertaş.

Following the meeting, T.C. London Trade Counselor Ms. Gözde İnaneri briefed the KAGİDER delegation on trade opportunities, investment prospects, and incentives in the United Kingdom.

The KAGİDER Delegation met with the Board and members of the Turkish-British Chamber of Commerce and Industry to strengthen women’s entrepreneurship at the international level.

The KAGİDER Global London Meeting brought together Turkish women entrepreneurs and leaders around international cooperation, knowledge sharing, and a common vision.

What began in New York has now grown in London. These meetings have strengthened the bridges built to make Turkish businesswomen more visible, effective, and empowered globally.

KAGİDER Global continues to be a strong impact platform amplifying women’s voices on the international stage.

Supported by the technical assistance of the World Bank, the Opportunity Equality Model Certificate evaluates private sector companies’ human resources practices from a gender equality perspective. Turner International successfully completed the evaluation process and was awarded the Opportunity Equality Model Certificate thanks to its inclusive and equitable approach that strengthens women’s participation in the workforce.

MAY 20, 2025

KAGİDER Vice President Güzin İlker, Board Members Senur Akın Biçer, Beylem Leblebici Birsen, Beyza Berkol, Manolya Tanla, Özlem Demirci Duyarlar, and KAGİDER members gathered in Samsun to commemorate the 106th anniversary of the start of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s national independence movement. The delegation laid a wreath at the Monument of Honor.

KAGİDER EU Representative Ayşe Yürekli participated in a meeting at the European Parliament in Brussels, hosted under the patronage of Ilhan Kyuchyuk, MEP from the liberal Renew Europe group, which focused on multidimensional cooperation opportunities on the island of Cyprus. The guest speaker was Mahmut Özçınar, Mayor of Güzelyurt and President of the Union of Turkish Cypriot Municipalities.

MAY 21, 2025

Organized in collaboration with KAGİDER and Garanti BBVA, and hosted by the Women Entrepreneurs Board of the Samsun Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a gathering was held as part of the “Women in Trade Meetings.” The event brought together women entrepreneurs in Samsun along with key names such as the President of the Samsun Women Entrepreneurs Association, TOBB Samsun KGK President, and the KOSGEB Samsun Provincial Director.

Women entrepreneurs had the opportunity to gain up-to-date knowledge on market and financial access and formed valuable connections to take their businesses forward.

As part of the annual “Turkish Cuisine Week,” and within the scope of cultural diplomacy, KAGİDER EU Representative Ayşe Yürekli attended a high-level gastronomy reception hosted by Ambassador Faruk Kaymakcı, Turkey’s Permanent Representative to the EU. At the reception, she met with Deputy Head of Mission Özgür Çakar and Brussels Consul General Onur Sevim.

As part of the “Orange Support for Women Entrepreneurs” project carried out in Kahramanmaraş in collaboration with ING Türkiye, training continued. KAGİDER Member Seçil Şendağ delivered an online session titled “Effective Communication and Networking” to aspiring and current women entrepreneurs from Kahramanmaraş.

MAY 22, 2025

The guest of KAGİDER’s May breakfast meeting was *Gazete Oksijen* columnist Kerim Rota, who gave a speech titled “Turkey’s Economic Outlook and the Nameless New World Order.” He provided insights into both Turkey’s economy and the shifting global balance.

KAGİDER shared the results of the Turkey Women’s Entrepreneurship Monitoring Report with the public.

The data collection, analysis, and reporting were carried out by Akademetre with the support of KAGİDER.

According to the report, women’s entrepreneurship is stronger than ever. It highlights that trust in the future is increasing and that women's motivation for entrepreneurship is shifting from necessity to opportunity.

The report also evaluates the current state and development areas of women's entrepreneurship in Turkey.

Click here for the detailed report.

KAGİDER EU Representative Ayşe Yürekli represented KAGİDER as an Expansion Candidate Country Member (ECM) at the second working group meeting of the opinion “Unleashing the Fifth Freedom: The ERA Law,” which aims to strengthen the European Research Area under the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC).

Since early 2024, KAGİDER has been a part of the ECM initiative civil society group.

MAY 23, 2025

KAGİDER Deputy Secretary General Esen Sirel participated online in the International Conference of Women Leaders of Turkic States held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She gave an inspiring speech titled “International Experiences and Collaborative Pathways for Women Entrepreneurs in the Turkic World” to promote women’s entrepreneurship.

MAY 26, 2025

KAGİDER’s 12th Ordinary General Assembly, held on Monday, May 26, 2025, was successfully completed with the valuable participation of our members.

Chaired by Ümit Boyner, with Gülsün Zeytinoğlu as Vice Chair and Burcu Ekşioğlu as Secretary, the General Assembly once again demonstrated that KAGİDER draws its strength from its members.

We are pleased to share with you the newly elected members of the Board of Directors, Supervisory Board, and Disciplinary Board for the 2025–2027 term, along with the 2023–2025 Activity Report, President Esra Bezircioğlu’s General Assembly presentation, and her vision speech for 2025–2027.

2025–2027 Board of Directors 

2025–2027 Supervisory and Disciplinary Boards

Resumes of the 2025–2027 Board Members

2023–2025 KAGİDER Activity Report

President Esra Bezircioğlu’s General Assembly Presentation

Opening Speech by President Esra Bezircioğlu

Vision Speech for 2025–2027 by President Esra Bezircioğlu

MAY 27–28, 2025

KAGİDER EU Representative Ayşe Yürekli attended the Turkey-EU Working Group meeting and the Enlargement Special General Assembly within the framework of the 10th Enlargement Day flagship conference organized by the EU Committee of the Regions (CoR).

She also met with invited speakers, Üsküdar Mayor Sinem Dedetaş and İzmit Mayor Fatma Kaplan Hürriyet.

MAY 28, 2025

As part of the "Lighting the Future with Women’s Labor" project carried out in cooperation with Polat Enerji, a training titled “How to Establish and Manage a Cooperative?” was held for the women’s cooperative planned to be established in Armutlu, Yalova.

The comprehensive training was delivered by KAGİDER Member Remziye Büyükayman and attended by 25 women.

MAY 29, 2025

The Opportunity Equality Model Certificate, implemented with the technical support of the World Bank, analyzes private sector companies’ human resources practices from a gender equality perspective.

SANOVEL successfully completed the evaluation process and earned the certificate thanks to its inclusive and equitable approach that empowers women in the workforce.