Young MÜSİAD 16th Ordinary General Assembly

Young MÜSİAD 16th Ordinary General Assembly

Dear MÜSİAD Family, esteemed guests,

Most valued young people,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I greet you all with respect and affection. On this day when we are together on the occasion of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of our Young MÜSİAD, I would first of all like to state this: I take great pride in standing before such a visionary, dynamic and determined community of young people.

Because we know that Young MÜSİAD is in fact a mission, an idea and a dream given flesh and blood.

Because Young MÜSİAD is not merely a youth structure; it is at the same time a deep-rooted foundation that carries the spirit, values and vision of MÜSİAD into the future.

Every single young person here internalizes the culture of MÜSİAD while still at the very beginning of the road; they learn that commerce must be conducted not only with profit but also with morality. In this respect Young MÜSİAD is almost a school, a place of learning… A nest of inspiration that raises the MÜSİAD members of the future, the virtuous business people of the future…

The first steps taken 23 years ago, in 2002, have today brought us to 4,500 members and to 60 representative offices at home and 39 abroad. And today, how fortunate we are that we can see that our Young MÜSİAD has become a force that puts its signature to major organizations on its own and that makes a difference with its independent structure. Behind this success lie sincerity, labour and, most importantly, steadfastness of direction.

Today Young MÜSİAD brings together young business people who carry moral and humane values in their hearts, who have opened their minds to innovative ideas and who bear in their souls the passion to lead the future. This picture is not merely a civil society success; it is at the same time a hopeful development for the future of our country.

My dear young friends,

Today the world is passing through a process of constant transformation. Concepts such as technology, digitalization, artificial intelligence, sustainability and the green transformation now stand at the very centre not only of daily life but of the business world as well.

In this new order, in which global competition grows sharper with each passing day, there is a greater need than ever for young entrepreneurs who can adapt quickly, think strategically and make no concessions on ethical values.

And here, our Young MÜSİAD stands out as a formation that captures the spirit of this age in the best possible way and that indeed manages to give it direction. Young MÜSİAD does not merely follow technological transformations; it also succeeds in being one of the actors of this transformation itself.

It has become a centre where young people are raised who not only produce business ideas but who can also shape these ideas according to the economic and social needs of the future…

Here, a generation is being raised that stands at the centre of innovation, that reflects the vision of sustainability in its ways of doing business, and that gains competence in many fields from artificial intelligence to digital technologies.

Our brothers and sisters of Young MÜSİAD interact with different cultures on a global scale; they keep their finger on the pulse of trade, production and entrepreneurship not only in Türkiye but in all four corners of the world. By blending the opportunities offered by the digital economy with domestic and national values, they advance with sure steps on the path to becoming the leading business people of the future.

Here today we see that Young MÜSİAD harbours within it young people who not only answer the needs of today but who also build the business models that will give direction to the world of the future.

And this gives us hope for the days to come. And we know very well that Young MÜSİAD also possesses the power to carry our country to a stronger and more prestigious position in the global arena.

In this context I believe that our Young MÜSİAD fills a very important gap… By keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive, it prepares our young people for the future. It instils in them not only how to set up a business but also the understanding of the “Medina Market”, one of the fundamental principles of our MÜSİAD; it teaches them to remain moral, to share, to stand in solidarity.

For this reason, its responsibility in fact increases to the same degree. Yet I am certain that our brothers and sisters who labour for Young MÜSİAD will shoulder this burden with enthusiasm and pride, without hesitating for even a moment…

Dear MÜSİAD Family, esteemed members of the press, dear young people,

As it has for 23 years, God willing Young MÜSİAD will hereafter also continue to draw its strength from its principles, its moral stance and its unity of hearts.

Thanks to this togetherness, business people who are committed to the ethics of commerce, who make no concessions on their values, and who are effective on both the local and the global scale will continue to be raised.

Young MÜSİAD is a structure that has become the symbol of faith, of the entrepreneurial spirit and of moral standing.

For this reason, God willing, it will continue to raise generations that draw strength from the values they believe in and that display a moral stance, and to produce value.

Because a youth that produces value means at the same time a principled understanding of commerce and a strong vision of the future.

On this occasion, I extend my gratitude to all my brothers and sisters who have laboured for Young MÜSİAD to this day, to our past-term presidents and to our administrators. I wish success to the friends who will take office in the new term, and I would like to state once again that we will always be by their side.

I say may God be your helper and guide, and I wish you success on this journey.

May God protect you.

Mahmut Asmalı

President of MÜSİAD