The 26th Ordinary General Assembly of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen Association (MÜSİAD) was held at the İstanbul Congress Center. As a result of the ordinary general assembly, Mahmut Asmalı became MÜSİAD's new president.
After the 26th Ordinary General Assembly of MÜSİAD, MÜSİAD's new board of directors was composed of Mahmut Asmalı, Gökhan Yetkin, Mehmet Develioğlu, Soner Meşe, Ahmet Doğan Alperen, Muhammed Ali Özeken, Davut Altunbaş, Abdülsamet Temel, Osman Çalışkan, Hıfsı Soydemir, Abdullah Eriş, Abdullah Bozatlı, Tahir Tuluk, Bekir Sami Nalbantoğlu, Faruk İbrahim Özbek, Mustafa Aktaş, Tevfik Dönmez, Mehmet Şahin, Abdurrahman Uzun, Mustafa Çalışkan, Savaş Yılmaz, Erkan Gül, Abdülkadir Sıcakyüz, Yunus Furkan Akbal and Meryem İlbahar.
Among the substitute members of the new board of directors were Osman Nuri Önügören, Selim Sar, Süleyman Tarakçı, Esra Kaftancıoğlu, Muharrem Ahmet Yüksel, Yunus Kartal, Yasin Emre Ertemel, Halit Kerim, Ali Gökhan Er, Fahrettin Oylum, Ünsal Sözbir, Ömer Karatemiz, Osman Özdemir, Mücahid Yıldız, Faruk Güzeldere, Cemil Yüksekdağ, Mehmet Metin Korkmaz, Halil Köklü, Fatih Canpolat, Fatih Altunbaş, Murat Altuğ Karataş, Hüseyin Sarpkaya, Mazlum Engin Akdağ, Murat Kundak and İsmail Somalı.
"We will carry the flag further forward and higher, all together"
In his speech at the closing programme of the 26th Ordinary General Assembly of MÜSİAD, held with the participation of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Mahmut Asmalı said, "As we leave behind our 31st year, our MÜSİAD has undertaken a very important task in the economic and social development of our Türkiye and in its becoming a global player. I extend my gratitude to all our presidents who have contributed from its foundation until today, to our board of directors members, to our domestic and international branch managements, to all our members and to our veteran employees."
Asmalı noted the following:
"As a brother of yours who joined MÜSİAD in 2006 as a private soldier, who worked with 4 presidents and who served on sector boards, on boards of directors and in the post of deputy chairman, with the consensus of all our branches and management levels and with the approval of our general assembly, God willing we will all together carry this flag we have taken over further forward and higher.
MÜSİAD is a hearth, a school, a voluntary body, and its door is open to everyone who wishes to serve our country and our people. When we became members here we joined as private soldiers and over time we strove wholeheartedly to fulfil every duty entrusted to us. There came a day when we took part in organizations, there came a day when we served on boards. And finally, as a result of the consultations held, consensus was reached on forming a board of directors together with us. Every duty I have taken on at MÜSİAD is an honour for me and my family. I promise in your presence that I will work with all my strength during this honourable and sacred duty."
"MÜSİAD is an idea, a community of principles and action"
Asmalı, who used the expression "Within the framework of its founding philosophy, MÜSİAD has supported every effort that will contribute to Türkiye's development and raise the welfare level of its people.", continued his words as follows:
"With the projects and activities it has carried out through the labour of all its members and with the research reports it has published, it has made great contributions to our country's administrations in every period. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the governments led by our esteemed President for working closely with the business world, for supporting us and for encouraging us.
MÜSİAD is an idea, a community of principles and action. MÜSİAD's priority is Türkiye. MÜSİAD's priority is the Islamic world. MÜSİAD's priority is the oppressed nations, the salvation of humanity. In line with these priorities, our enthusiasm, determination and resolve to carry further the flag we have taken up is complete. Together with our elected management and all our members we have worked day and night to leave works behind for Türkiye and for all humanity, and we will continue to work. We are aware of how great the responsibility we have undertaken is. Have no doubt that we will fulfil these responsibilities with the spirit and enthusiasm that carried MÜSİAD to these days."
Drawing attention to the fact that all its founders, managers and members who have served under its roof have a share in MÜSİAD's coming to these days, Asmalı said, "That is precisely why I once again thank everyone who has contributed, from its service staff to its most senior manager. I also pray to Almighty God for mercy upon our deceased members."
"We wholeheartedly believe that Türkiye will make a great leap forward in the coming period"
MÜSİAD President Asmalı stated that a period in which very important developments are taking place in Türkiye and in the world is being passed through and said, "Extraordinary developments are taking place all over the world in every field, from the economy to social life, from foreign policy to security. Over the last 20 years Türkiye has recorded very great advances in many fields, from the economy to social life, from transport to energy, from foreign policy to national defence. Very great services have been rendered in the national and spiritual field. May God be pleased with everyone who has laboured, above all our esteemed President."
Emphasizing that Türkiye came through this difficult process quite successfully while the COVID-19 pandemic, the most important development of recent years, had created great shock and confusion all over the world, Asmalı made the following assessment:
"Praise be to God, thanks to the rational investments it has made in the field of health over the last 20 years and to its great transformation, Türkiye has become one of the countries that managed this pandemic best in the world. At a time when even developed economies were experiencing great difficulties, Türkiye succeeded in keeping the impact of the pandemic on the economy limited. It achieved record increases in exports and investments, above all in economic growth. Just like the successful process in the field of health, thanks to our geographical position, our strong infrastructure in logistics and the manufacturing industry and our qualified workforce, we wholeheartedly believe that Türkiye will make a great leap forward in the coming period.
As MÜSİAD, with our 89 branches at home, our 225 contact points in 95 countries abroad, our total of more than 11 thousand members and our economic size composed of approximately 60 thousand companies, today as yesterday we will be the greatest supporter and stakeholder of this leap forward. Türkiye has existed in this geography with its 1000-year history and, God willing, it will continue to exist forever."
"We will carry MÜSİAD and Türkiye to new horizons"
Stating that a strong economy is essential for a strong Türkiye, Asmalı concluded his words as follows:
"A Türkiye with a strong economy will be the greatest pioneer of the rebuilding of a world in which right and law, justice and equality, peace and trust, welfare and happiness prevail. Listening to our elders who said, 'Sow the seed; if it does not sprout, let the soil be ashamed', we sowed seeds with Young MÜSİAD in order to raise the generations that will be the pioneers of this world in the future. Over the last 20 years these seeds have sprouted, given shoots, grown strong and have now begun to stand on their own trunks. God willing, this term will be the term in which we gather the fruits. Together with this, with the strong support we will give to our MÜSİAD Women working group, God willing we will bring to life many successful projects concerning the present and the future of our working and family life.
We will draw our strength from our past and focus on today and the future. By combining the experiences of the past with the innovations of today, with God's help we will carry MÜSİAD and Türkiye to new horizons. I extend my heartfelt thanks to all our members who deemed me worthy of this honourable duty at our general assembly today, to my esteemed president Abdurrahman Kaan, from whom I took over the duty, to all my board of directors colleagues, to all our veterans who contributed to this organization and to all our guests who honoured us from home and abroad."
Abdurrahman Kaan: In the period that has passed, the 10 years ahead of MÜSİAD have been mapped out
MÜSİAD 6th Term President Abdurrahman Kaan, who shared his assessments at the programme, touched upon the "Renewal Process" the institution is going through and said that in the period that has passed the 10 years ahead of MÜSİAD have taken shape.
Kaan used the following expressions in his speech:
"Today, as I hand over my 4-year duty to the brother who comes after me with peace of mind, I am honoured to present with pride the point reached by the Institution of which my family was among the founders and within which I too grew up and matured. My term of office coincided with perhaps the most difficult processes for Türkiye and those in which we had to stand most firmly. Elections, external economic attacks, threats, the pandemic, natural disasters... As one ended, another began. However, with the renewed new MÜSİAD identity, we succeeded in responding to events instantly and with institutional maturity.
From the first day I took office I was aware that I was in a race against time. A model compatible with the 30-year-old giant plane tree, with a Renewed Türkiye and with our new state system was necessary. It needed to be renewed. It had to be such a model that it would both restore the decline in MÜSİAD's bureaucratic and social perception and bring this institution to a much more active, fast and productive structure. But beforehand, it was essential that a technical analysis be made down to the finest details of the institution's current situation and of how far the limits of its structuring could be expanded. We did this work with our professors and fellow travellers, meticulously trained in this field and expert in systems engineering. We then submitted it to the appreciation of our managers so that they could contribute to the structure. It was difficult, of course; but in the end the 10 years ahead of MÜSİAD were mapped out."
