The Family Business Sustainability Workshop was held at IZU. At the international workshop organized in cooperation with the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA) and Kyoto Sangyo University, senior representatives from Türkiye’s leading family owned companies Ziylan Group, Yıldız Holding, Sinpaş Real Estate Investment Trust, Eksim Holding, Kale Group, and Hayat Holding shared their institutionalization stories and experiences with participants.
The international workshop titled “Sustainability and Family Business: From the Past to the Present,” jointly organized by TÜBA and Kyoto Sangyo University, took place at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University’s Abdullah Tivnikli Conference Hall. The workshop, which focused on the sustainability of family businesses, was attended by TÜBA President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker, IZU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevat Acar, TÜBA Sustainable Development and Finance Working Group Coordinator and IZU Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bulut, IZU Vice Rector Prof. Dr. Nihat Erdoğmuş, Ziylan Group Chairman Mehmet Büyükekşi, former Chairman of Yıldız Holding Ali Ülker, Board Member of Sinpaş REIT Mahmut Çelik, Eksim Holding Chief Financial Officer Bora Çermikli, Kale Group Senior Advisor Yalçın Yılmazkaya, and Hayat Holding Vice President for Eurasia and the Americas Enes Çizmeci, along with academics and businesspeople from Türkiye and abroad.
BULUT: THE WORLD’S OLDEST FAMILY BUSINESS IS IN JAPAN
Speaking at the opening, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bulut reminded participants that family businesses around the world face sustainability challenges alongside financial and environmental issues. Noting that the oldest family business in the world is located in Japan, Bulut added:
“This six hundred year old company in Japan is followed by others established in France, Italy, and Germany. The oldest family business in Türkiye is Şekerci Hacıbekir, founded in the eighteenth century. The average lifespan of family companies in our country is about thirty years. Their most significant challenge is sustainability.”
IZU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevat Acar also emphasized that uncontrolled consumption has pushed natural resources to the brink of depletion since the Industrial Revolution. “The vast majority of businesses begin as family enterprises. Those that overcome sustainability challenges through institutionalization continue to exist,” he said.
“SUSTAINABILITY IS AS IMPORTANT FOR SOCIETIES AS IT IS FOR INDIVIDUALS”
TÜBA President Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker stated that the workshop aims to address the question of “How can family businesses preserve their strengths and values and sustain their existence?” He added:
“Sustainability is important not only for individuals but also for societies. Through examples from countries such as Türkiye, Japan, Finland, Germany, and Indonesia, we will identify the local and global factors that contribute to success.”
FROM ONE PAIR OF SHOES A DAY TO 100,000 PAIRS DAILY
In the workshop’s first session, senior representatives of Türkiye’s leading family businesses shared their experiences.
Ziylan Group Chairman Mehmet Büyükekşi described how his uncle Ahmet Muktad Ziylan started the company sixty-five years ago in Gaziantep by producing one pair of shoes per day, and how it has grown into a company with 800 stores in 24 countries across three continents, producing 100,000 pairs daily in 2023.
“Our guiding principles have never changed: hard work, honesty, innovation, work ethic, and a sense of responsibility to our customers. Ziylan Group grew around these values,” he said.
ÜLKER: THE GROWTH OF COMPANIES IS SIMILAR TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT
Former Chairman of Yıldız Holding, Ali Ülker, summarized the eighty-year journey of the Ülker brand founded by his grandfather Sabri Ülker in 1944. He noted that Ülker has always embraced the principle “Make people happy, and you will be happy.”
Comparing companies’ growth stages to human life, Ülker said, “A child who learns to walk advances with baby steps and frequent falls. Family businesses also do not begin professionally; they learn and gain experience through trial and error.”
ÇELİK: WE PRODUCE NOT ONLY BUILDINGS BUT ALSO TRUST
Sinpaş Holding Board Member Mahmut Çelik said the business, founded by his uncle Avni Çelik in 1974, has expanded beyond construction into energy and tourism. Citing Avni Çelik’s words, “We build not only buildings but also trust,” he highlighted the importance of family values passed down through generations and noted that early professionalization played a key role in their sustained success.
ÇERMİKLİ: 90% OF FAMILY BUSINESSES DO NOT SURVIVE
Eksim Holding CFO Bora Çermikli began by recalling that the Tivnikli family started with flour production in the 1980s and now exports flour to more than forty countries. The group entered the energy sector in the 2000s and is now Türkiye’s third-largest wind energy producer.
Noting that rapidly growing institutions inevitably face challenges, he emphasized that management and sustainability are the most critical. He also stated that 90% of family businesses in Türkiye do not survive beyond the second or third generation, underscoring the importance of the workshop.
“ANYONE CAN DO THE EASY THING YOU TRY THE HARD ONE!”
Kale Group Senior Advisor Yalçın Yılmazkaya shared the story of Kale Group, founded in 1957 in Çanakkale’s Çan district. He noted that the founder, İbrahim Bodur, adopted the principle of reflecting profit back into society.
Quoting Bodur’s advice, “Anyone can do the easy thing try the hard one,” Yılmazkaya said this principle guides Kale Group’s investments in areas such as turbojet engines and national infantry rifles.
WHAT ROLE WILL THE NEXT GENERATIONS PLAY?
The final speaker of the opening session was Hayat Holding Board Member Enes Çizmeci, a fourth-generation representative of the group. He explained that the company founded by the Kiğılı brothers in 1937 now operates in seventeen countries.
“The vital question for us is this: our grandfathers founded the business, our fathers manage it what will the third and fourth generations do?” he said, highlighting the importance of strong values, education, and gaining experience.
“As companies institutionalize, we too have become professional employees. We report our work and remain accountable,” he added.
In the afternoon sessions, participants discussed the sustainability perspectives of family businesses and their transformation from past to present, drawing on examples from around the world.