TAİDER 11th Family Businesses Summit

The 11th National Family Businesses Summit, organized by TAİDER Family Businesses Association, took place on December 1-2, 2023, at the InterContinental Istanbul under the theme “Resilience in Family Businesses Against Global and National Uncertainties.” The summit brought together distinguished speakers and participants to discuss "Resilience," offering various perspectives on topics ranging from surviving natural disasters to being a socially responsible company, entrepreneurial stories, and adapting to new technologies.

TAİDER Board Chair Fatma Olten remarked that the summit was highly effective and beneficial: “In recent years, we have seen that sudden and unexpected crises like pandemics or wars test the resilience of family businesses. This year, our aim at the traditional summit was to shed light on the resilience that family businesses need. We are happy to have concluded another productive summit enriched by the contributions of many important participants.”

Recognizing the importance of family businesses for both the world and Turkish economy, TAİDER Family Businesses Association, continuing its work with the motto “Unity in Family, Sustainability in Business,” successfully completed another traditional summit.

The 11th National Family Businesses Summit, themed “Resilience in Family Businesses Against Global and National Uncertainties,” was held at the InterContinental Istanbul on December 1-2, 2023.

The summit began with a mini concert by the Olten Philharmonic Orchestra, followed by opening remarks from Murat Ülker, Chairman of the Board of pladis and Godiva and a Member of the Board of Yıldız Holding. Welcome speeches were given by Fatma Olten, Chair of the TAİDER Board, and Farhad Forbes, Chairman of the Family Business Network (FBN) Board and Co-Chair of Forbes Marshall.

Over the two days of the 11th National Family Businesses Summit, discussions, sessions, and workshops were held on various topics under the theme “Resilience in Family Businesses Against Global and National Uncertainties,” including “Leadership in Times of Crisis,” “Transformation through Public Offering in Family Businesses,” “100-Year-Old Brands in the 100th Year of the Republic,” “Triple Transformation: Digital Transformation – Green Transformation – Social Transformation,” “Entrepreneurship in Family Businesses,” “Family Businesses and Underlying Waves in Turkey,” “Image and Communication Workshop,” “Flexibility and Well-being in Life,” and “Generational Musicianship and East-West Fusion in Music.”

Additionally, on the evening of the first day of the summit, moments of pride and excitement were experienced at TAİDER’s Republic Ball, held in honor of the 100th anniversary of our Republic. Commenting on the ball, TAİDER Board Chair Fatma Olten said, “As the TAİDER family, we shared the excitement of organizing an event befitting this special celebration year of the Republic with our guests. At the '100th Year Republic Ball Cocktail and Dinner,' we aimed to recreate the balls from the early years of the Republic. Accompanied by the wonderful music of the band Kargalar Kafeste, we had and provided a night worthy of the Republic.”

“Family businesses are a heritage; we are committed to preserving this heritage”

Speaking after the summit, TAİDER Summit Committee Chair Şebnem Zeybek said: “At our summit, we aimed to address all topics that would offer different perspectives to our stakeholders, from surviving natural disasters to being a socially responsible company, from entrepreneurial stories to adapting to new technologies. In the 100th year of our Republic, we listened to the journeys of our 100-year-old brands and the stories of overcoming challenges that would also provide ideas to other family businesses. As the TAİDER family, which sees family businesses not just as companies but as a heritage passed on to future generations, we will continue to work on ways to make this heritage more valuable.”

“The only summit in Turkey dedicated to family businesses”

TAİDER Family Businesses Association Chair Fatma Olten emphasized how pleased they were with the interest shown in this year's summit, which continues to grow stronger each year, stating: “We know that the transition rate from the first to the second generation and from the second to the third generation is very low both in Turkey and worldwide. Focusing on developments in our era, we considered the theme 'Resilience in Family Businesses Against Global and National Uncertainties' crucial for ensuring the continuity of family businesses. At this point, understanding what needs to be done for the needs of family businesses became important. At TAİDER, we aim for a healthy transition from generation to generation and the sustainability of family businesses. We designed the summit’s content based on this idea. We thank all members, institutions, and organizations who supported us at every stage of the summit, which has become unique as the only summit in Turkey dedicated to family businesses. With the confidence and pride of being a large family, we look forward to coming together again at our next summit.”

Thanks to the Summit Supporters

The institutions, organizations, and companies that supported the TAİDER family throughout the summit were, of course, not forgotten. Thanks were extended with gifts to Pamir Karagöz from the main supporter QNB Finansinvest, Serter Baltacı from the platinum supporter EY (Ernst & Young), Meltem Akol from the supporter Akol Law Firm, Melike Özcan from member supporter Canpa Holding, Buse Tellioğlu from Tellioğlu Group of Companies, Melis Yüksel from Tur Transit, Yalçın Yeşilova from Yeşilova Holding, and Gülfem Perçin from Yorglass.