TÜSİAD Chairmanship: A Vision for a Türkiye Ready for Tomorrow

Following TÜSİAD’s 47th General Assembly held on January 12, 2017, Erol Bilecik assumed the role of Chairman of the Board of TÜSİAD for the 2017–2018 term. At a time when both Türkiye and the world were undergoing rapid economic, political and technological transformation, he brought a strong future-oriented perspective to TÜSİAD’s agenda.

As he took office, his guiding vision was “a stronger Türkiye in global competition.” He defined this goal not solely in terms of economic growth, but through a broader framework encompassing democracy, the rule of law, freedoms, science, technology, education and creativity. He maintained that strengthening Türkiye’s global competitiveness depended on advancing economic and social development together.

Drawing on his background as a business leader in the technology sector, Bilecik made digital transformation one of the defining priorities of his chairmanship. From Industry 4.0 and artificial intelligence to information security and next-generation technologies, he emphasized that the changes reshaping the world represented not merely a technological shift for Türkiye, but an economic and societal transformation. He consistently advocated for Türkiye to become a country that not only uses technology, but also develops, produces and exports it.

This vision translated into tangible and lasting initiatives during his term. In 2017, the “Digital Transformation in Industry: Türkiye’s Perspective” study assessed the current state of digital transformation in Turkish industry and identified key areas for development. This was followed in 2018 by the launch of the TÜSİAD Digital Transformation in Industry Program – TÜSİAD SD², which brought technology users and technology providers together on a common platform. Designed to accelerate the digital transformation of Turkish industry and strengthen the technology ecosystem, the program continued in subsequent years, becoming one of the enduring initiatives to emerge from Bilecik’s chairmanship.

Education formed another key pillar of this digital transformation vision. Bilecik emphasized that people must remain at the heart of technological transformation and that Türkiye’s future could only be built through highly skilled human capital. With this understanding, the TÜSİAD STEM Project was launched in 2017. Supported by STEM Days, teacher training programs, awareness initiatives and research, the project aimed to strengthen young people’s competencies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to give 21st-century skills a more prominent place in the education system. He regarded the development of inquisitive, independent-minded, digitally literate young people capable of competing globally as one of the fundamental safeguards of Türkiye’s future.

Bilecik’s chairmanship also marked an enduring and symbolically significant milestone in TÜSİAD’s institutional history. At the 48th General Assembly held on January 18, 2018, the association’s full name was changed to “Turkish Industry and Business Association,” adopting more inclusive language in line with its commitment to gender equality. While the TÜSİAD brand was retained, the change represented an important step in reflecting, in the institution’s own name, its long-standing commitment to equality between women and men.

Throughout his chairmanship, Bilecik also regarded maintaining and strengthening Türkiye’s ties with the world as a fundamental priority. He represented the views of the Turkish business community on national and international platforms on issues including relations with the European Union and the Customs Union, the investment environment, global trade and international competitiveness. He underlined his conviction that Türkiye’s future lay not in turning away from the world, but in becoming more deeply integrated with the global economy, science, technology and universal values.

Youth and entrepreneurship were equally integral to this future-oriented perspective. He supported the continued development of “TÜSİAD Bu Gençlikte İŞ Var!”, a program bringing young people’s innovative ideas together with the business community, while encouraging the growth of an entrepreneurial culture and greater participation by young people in Türkiye’s economic and social transformation.

The central idea guiding Erol Bilecik’s term as Chairman of the Board of TÜSİAD was that Türkiye should not merely observe change, but prepare for it and become capable of shaping it. He viewed economic development together with democracy and the rule of law, technology together with people, competitiveness together with education, entrepreneurship together with youth, and Türkiye’s future together with strong integration with the world.

At the end of his two-year chairmanship, he left behind a leadership approach that placed digital transformation firmly on the business community’s agenda, regarded science and education as keys to the future, embedded inclusivity in the institution’s name, and sought to strengthen Türkiye’s position in global competition.

An expression he used during his chairmanship captured this vision most succinctly:

“A Türkiye ready for tomorrow.”