15th Competition Congress Was Held With the Theme “Sectors of the Second Century”

At the congress, held for the 15th time this year by the Federation of Sectoral Associations (SEDEFED) with the main theme of “Sectors of the Second Century,” the sectors of the new century ahead of our Republic and twin competition were discussed.

The Competition Congress, attended by many experts, businesspeople, civil society and public representatives, was held at Hilton Bomonti Hotel on November 28, 2023. The opening speeches of the congress, hosted by Hande Berktan, were made by SEDEFED Chairman of the Board of Directors (BOD) Emine Erdem, TÜSİAD Chairman of the BOD Orhan Turan, and TÜRKONFED Chairman of BOD Süleyman Sönmez.

Emine Erdem: “The only way to win is to learn faster than anyone else.” – Eric Ries

“Another source of pride for us is that our 15th competition congress is taking place in this special year when we celebrate the 100th anniversary of our Republic. The vision of rising to the level of contemporary civilizations, which constitutes the starting point of our Republic values, was undoubtedly an ideal that not only helped a nation determine its future and direction but also gave meaning to the concept of competition. We all know that our sectors may have different priorities for their sustainability, but what is difficult and important is to adapt with a common commitment to the changes that affect all sectors at the macro level and shape the future together.  In our age, these macro changes are happening simultaneously all across the world. Unfortunately, it is no longer possible to avoid the effects of the climate crisis, geopolitical risks, epidemics and humanitarian crises. Similarly, our way out of all these challenges is also globalized and progresses on two main paths: digital and green transformation.  This is exactly the truth we need to accept to shape a new century around competition in a world with twin transformations. In other words, we must talk about digital competition and green competition and quickly learn the rules of both competitions together.”

Speaking afterward, Turan said: “As you all know very well, ‘competition’ comes from the nature of the business world. When we look at the determinants of competitiveness today, we identify three basic dynamics. Firstly, the technological transformation is accelerating and reshaping what, how and where we produce; what and how we consume; where and how we live; how we socialize; how we have knowledge and experience, in short, all areas of our lives. Secondly, the climate change scenarios indicate that one day it will be declaredly necessary to transform into an economic and social structure compatible with the ecological system. Therefore, timely compliance with the requirements of green transformation is not only our responsibility as individuals but also essential for maintaining the competitiveness of our enterprises and our country. The third one is the geostrategic transformation. The process of restructuring the global system, which started after the Cold War, continues accelerating and is witnessing tremendous human tragedies as we see around us. This process also leads supply chains to be reshaped all across the world. We have to read the global conflict environment and the change in the balance of powers well so that we position ourselves in a way that will benefit us the most.”

Süleyman Sönmez: “We should not lag behind in well-trained labor force.”

Stating that it is of critical importance for the country, the region and the world that Türkiye unites in a common dream and captures the transformations in light of reason and science, TÜRKONFED Chairman Süleyman Sönmez said: “Our country should not lag behind in the well-trained labor force which will realize the high value-added production required by the technology- and efficiency-based second century. We must use the twin-transformation lever more effectively to make the leap we want in global competitiveness, both sectorally and in terms of our labor force capacity.”

The congress continued with the exclusive speakers. The speakers and their topics of speeches were as follows: M-GEN Digital Agency Founder Ufuk Tarhan “The Future of Competition,” Microsoft Türkiye Customer Experience Deputy General Manager Cavit Yantaç “How is Artificial Intelligence Changing Industries?” Paris Bosphorus Institute President Dr. Bahadır Kaleağası “Global Geostrategy and the Future of the Business World,” KAGİDER Chairman of the Board Esra Bezircioğlu “Women in the Second Century.”

There were two panels at the congress with high levels of participation.

In the first panel, titled “Combating the Climate Crisis and Sustainability Strategies,” the speakers and their topics of speech were as follows: T.R. Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Climate Change Directorate Climate Change Expert Emine Çelebioğlu, “Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan of Türkiye”; Green Collar Women Association (YEYKAD) Founding Member and Sustainable Energy Finance Consultant Seyran Hatipoğlu, “Access to Green Finance”; Nutritionist, KAGİDER Board Member and FAO Türkiye Supporter Dilara Koçak, “Sustainable Food and the Future of Individual Food Consumption”; TAV Airports Sustainability and Business Excellence Coordinator Başak Helen Taşkan, “Interstakeholder Cooperation and Sustainability Integration”; and SKD Türkiye chairman of the BOD Ebru Dildar Edin “The Role of NGOs in the Climate Change Process.”

NGO representatives discussed the future of the sector.

In the second panel, organized with the theme “Future of Sectors,” the following speakers evaluated the issue in terms of the sectors they represent: Oğuzhan Bulgurluoğlu, chairman of the BOD of Elevator and Escalator Industrialists Association (AYSAD); Aydın Erdemir, chairman of the BOD of Directors of the Turkish Port Operators Association (TÜRKLİM); Tuğrul Günal, chairman of the board of Supply Chain Management Association (TEDAR); Ethics and Reputation Association (TEİD) Board Member Atty. Banu Özyalçın; Onur Ünlü, chairman of the board of Energy Efficiency and Management Association (EYODER); Haluk Erceber, chairman of the BOD of the Turkish Chemical Manufacturers Association (TKSD).

Bulgurluoğlu said: “Of course, there are much larger sectors in Türkiye, but the lift sector is also an important sector that touches many people.” Emphasizing that the demand for lifts in Türkiye started in the 1950s, Bulgurluoğlu said that after high imports, there was a serious jump in production along with the demand. “Companies are leading our technology, and we were competing with them in the first years. Now, there are 30% to 70% domestic companies in the sector. The increasing need for housing in the 1990s accelerated the development of the lift sector. Today, we think that our sector will be quite active in the second century of the Republic, with urban transformation and the need for permanent housing in earthquake zones, and we are training up to this. I can say that our current imports are half of our exports, and most of the imports consist of components. We have comprehensive legislation, so, when we run the market in line with it, there will be no problem with the safety. Well-trained staff is a must. The power of global competition will come with quality manpower, AI, R&D, ethics, infrastructure, information and communication components. The state established “Emlak Konut Elevator Factory,” the national elevator factory with the participation of TOKİ. It is essential to pave the way for the private sector and prevent unfair competition. Our sector is composed of almost 25,000 domestic companies. It is hard to play against the state.”  Bulgurluoğlu stated that the public sector produces a significant amount of housing, but certain regulations are required for the sector to grow healthily. He also said that the sector will have a greater say in foreign projects in the short and medium term.