Past Events
a short summary of our past events
6 December 2024
The DBA Gala, held on Friday, December 6th, at Swissotel, celebrated the incredible successes of its members and 100 years of Turkish-Dutch friendship.
We were honored by the presence of Ambassador Joep Wijnands, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde, the Minister Counselor of Economic Affairs at the Royal Dutch Embassy Niels Veenis, Deputy Consul-General Karin Jones-Schaper, and Advisor to the Mayor Dr. Mehmet Çakılcıoğlu.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Dutch-Turkish Friendship Treaty, we made this a very special event, with a performance from the band of Seran Bilgi and a special Dutch Bar with typical Dutch Spirits.
Our Chairperson Mehtap Akkaya gave the evening’s welcoming speech, after which our Ambassador Joep Wijnands gave a moving speech looking back on 2024 and presented us with a video capturing the events undertaken together and separately to celebrate the 100-year friendship of Türkiye and the Netherlands.
We sincerely thank all our members for their participation in this event. You all made this event an extraordinary evening.
24 September 2024
On Tuesday the 24th of September we had our Economic Outlook Q3 with keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Ceyhun Elgin, PhD., Professor of Economics at Bogazici University, recognized internationally, with over 70 publications in leading academic journals, at the Chapel of Palais de Hollande followed by a Networking event.
We had an audience of many familiar DBA member faces, but also new faces of some of our more recent members, some of which we had the pleasure of seeing face to face for the first time.
With the opening welcome of our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde underlining the importance of the quarterly economic outlook, and the increased cooperation between the DBA and the Dutch Consulate General, especially in the light of the 100-anniversary of Dutch-Turkish friendship, we were all very happy to have this Outlook at the Chapel again.
Dr. Ceyhun Elgin presented us with a very clear presentation, which all participants also just received by email, tying recent worldwide developments with the possible implications for the Turkish economy. With so much relevant data within the presentation and added information and insights by Ceyhun, we still stayed within the time frame of the seminar, and we were very glad to see that so many of our members also had the chance to ask the questions that were most important for them.
The Networking Cocktail afterward was held in Palais de Hollande where the Q&A continued.
19 September 2024
As the DBA Turkey and its members, we were very grateful to also be invited and present at the insightful lecture of Dr. Klaas Knot, President of the Netherlands Central Bank (DNB).
We want to thank the Koç University College of Administrative Sciences and Economics and the Netherlands Consulate General in Istanbul for their careful preparation and insightful event.
3 September 2024
The yearly Back to Business Drinks event took place on Thursday, September 3rd at the Palais de Hollande.
On this occasion, we also bid farewell to Mr. Paul Zwetsloot, Head of the Economic Department.
The event started with the opening address;
The Welcome by our Consul General Mr. Arjen Uijterlinde, the Welcome by the Chairperson of DBA Ms. Mehtap Akkaya, a Short Address by the Deputy Ambassador Ms. Nathalie Lintvelt, and the Address by Mr. Paul Zwetsloot HEA.
In the speeches, the close cooperation with the DBA was underlined, and to formally express this, a new MoU between the Dutch Consulate and the DBA Turkey was signed by Mr. Uijterlinde & Ms. Akkaya.
After the Adress of Paul Zwetsloot, we as the DBA presented him with a small memorandum of Turkey and thanked him again for his dedication and his role in DBA’s advisory board.
The event was a great opportunity to see many of our members and also meet new potential DBA members, reminiscing on the shared events and projects we undertook together with Paul Zwetsloot.
The event was organized and hosted perfectly by our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and his team.
We are looking forward to even closer cooperation with the Consulate General in Istanbul and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ankara.
27 June 2024
On the 27th of June we had our Economic Outlook Q2, with keynote speaker Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Ünalmış, former Central Banker and World Bank consultant, at Yapı ve Kredi Bankası A.Ş. followed by a Networking Event sponsored by Crow Troy.
Esra Omuzluoğlu, Head of Crossborder Banking Unit of Yapi Kredi opened the session, and DBA vice-chairperson Ufuk Gedikli, General Manager of Randstad Türkiye, welcomed the participants and introduced the speaker of this Economic Outlook.
Yapi Kredi’s vast and immaculate venue and screen complimented Ibrahim’s presentation with over 50 detailed graphs, breakdowns, and comparisons leading to possible trends, forecasts, and predictions.
This Economic Outlook, combined with Yapi Kredi’s venue and location, we extended an invitation to our combined international network and were very happy to see many new faces, and perhaps future DBA members, of the corporate community.
The networking event after the economic outlook was very productive and sparked new ideas for joint effort events in the future and many participants were able to meet our new Board Member Erik Klomp as well.
A big thank you to Yapi Kredi for perfectly hosting this event, Crow Troy for the wonderful Networking cocktail event, and Prof. Dr. Ibrahim Ünalmış for his very clear and insightful presentation.
13 June 2024
On the 13th of June, we had the Exhibitions in light of the 100-anniversary of friendship between Türkiye and the Netherlands event in the Chapel of Palais de Hollande.
With the welcoming done by our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde, and introduction by our Chairperson Mehtap Akkaya, we had the pleasure of seeing the insightful presentations with stills and video shorts of the performing artists.
Çiğdem Yüksel gave us a glimpse into her past, growing up in the Netherlands and motivation that drove her to Photography.
Cigdem then gave the word to F3: Photography Group, consisting of Selim Bonfil, Gökhan Ünal, and Mehmet Yasa.
In their video presentation, they took us with them into their past and their origins in the forming of the group, proving that their synergy truly excels the sum of all parts.
We closed this part of the event with Gökhan Ünal and his photography video presentation of “Rotterdam by Day and Night; A City Rising from the Ashes“.
For the second part we moved to the garden where the sneak-preview exhibitions of the “First migrant women in the Netherlands and their story” and the “Professions that Resist Time” were waiting for us.
After the careful built-up and unique insights of the artists, the images went a step further and sparked recognition, new understanding and insight by conveying an emotion through a skillful and carefully captured moment in history.
We were delighted to be able to have this special event at Palais the Hollande in this wonderful location, just for the Bayram holidays coming up, and seeing so many of our valued DBA members.
Hopefully, we will be able to see these full exhibitions in Turkish Musea as well in the not-too-distant future.
The event was organized and sponsored by the board of DBA namely by DMT Prefabrik, Eureko Sigorta, Eurocross Turkey and Randstad, and hosted perfectly by our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and his team.
28 May 2024
On the 28th of May, we had our Inflation Accounting Seminar: Inflation Accounting in Türkiye for FY23 and FY24 with keynote speakers from Taxia (Tax & International Advisory); Tax Partner Şaban Küçük, Economist Dr. Bader Arslan and Audit Partner Onur Niş at Eureko Sigorta followed by a Networking event.
With the opening speech of our chairperson Mehtap Akkaya and 3 speakers, with each of them on their niche; Inflation, Tax, and Audit, we had a packed Seminar that lasted well over an hour and even gave us a small economic outlook within the seminar as well.
The vast presentation contained all new regulations and tips for understanding the new rules condensed into clear graphs and tables.
A big thank you to Taxia and the team for giving this Seminar and to Eureko for the perfect hosting of this insightful event.
25 April 2024
On the 25th of April, we celebrated King’s Day at the Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul.
We were delighted to celebrate this special day and meet so many of our DBA members and partners at this great event.
With typical Dutch snacks such as “poffertjes”, chicken with sate sauce, “bitterballs” and even rauwe haring met uitjes (raw herring with onions or in Turkish ringa balığı), the King’s Day felt like a small piece of the Netherlands within Türkiye.
The event was organized and hosted perfectly by our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and his team.
18 April 2024
We were pleased to be a part of the ‘Taste of The World’ event, hosted by CarrefourSA in collaboration with the Chamber Corner, where 11 bilateral Chambers of Commerce and Trade Offices operating in Türkiye came together.
The evening was a huge success with over 400 visitors of the combined Chambers and CarrefourSA’s invitees and management.
We were very honored to play a small part in this tremendous event, and delighted that we had some “Bitterballs” left, ensuring we were on point in meeting demand.
We are looking forward to participating in future Chamber Corner events and a huge thank you to the CCI France-Turquie for spearheading this event, Ayşegül Arıcan, and of course Carrefour Fulya for their excellent execution and dedication.
28 March 2024
We had our Economic Outlook Q1 with keynote speaker Atilla Yeşilada, Global Source’s consultant in Türkiye and author, and co-author, of 7 books on Turkish and world economy at ING followed by a Networking event.
ING immaculate venue complimented Atilla’s presentation style and highlighted the 100-anniversary between the Netherlands and Türkiye with opening speeches of John McCarthy, Arjen Uijterlinde and Mehtap Akkaya.
With the local elections on everyone’s mind, but also the USA presidential elections, the quarterly economic outlook was more relevant than ever and the enlightening insights of Atilla Yeşilada were perfectly timed and relevant.
We thank our members for attending, John T. McCarthy and Ayşegül Akay-Executive Vice President of ING for the perfect hosting of the event, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde, and Atilla Yeşilada for his insightful lecture.
15 February 2024
We had a fantastic turnout at the seminar on personal branding, organized jointly by the Bilateral Chambers of Commerce in Türkiye and expertly led by Tülay Perazzini.
Her insights into personal brand development were highly enlightening. We extend our thanks to Tülay for imparting strategies and tips that will greatly benefit our attendees’ professional development.
We would also like to thank the Yapı Kredi Bank Cross Border Banking Unit for their outstanding hospitality and crucial role in facilitating this event. To all our attendees, your participation and enthusiasm were key to the seminar’s success.
The Bilateral Chambers of Commerce in Türkiye will continue to organize joint events, providing essential opportunities for learning and networking. Keep an eye out for future updates!
14 February 2024
We had a member-inspired special two-hour seminar on recent inflation developments and the outlook with keynote speaker Murat Üçer, PhD. who serves as Global Source’s consultant in Turkey, co-founder of Turkey Data Monitor, and senior lecturer at Koç University in Istanbul at the Chapel of Palais de Hollande followed by a Networking event.
This seminar was created on popular demand by our corporate members who report to the HQ in the Netherlands and closely follow macroeconomic developments in Turkey, particularly the exchange rate and market movements, and decide on their pricing policies based on developments in consumer demand and disposable incomes.
Murat Üçer shared his take on the recent inflation developments and gave the audience his prognosis for the upcoming months while addressing the members’ questions in great detail based on his expert knowledge of the Turkish economy. It was a very special and productive seminar, where questions from DBA members deepened the discussion and added more insights, helping participants address the challenges ahead.
The Networking Cocktail afterward was held in Palais de Hollande.
We thank our members for attending, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde for the perfect hosting of the event, and Murat Üçer for his insightful lecture.
13 December 2023
On the 13th of December, Wednesday, we had our DBA Türkiye Gala. The evening was organized for our esteemed members as a token of appreciation for their loyal support.
We were honored by the presence of the Ambassador Joep Wijnands, the Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde, and the Minister Counselor of Economic Affairs at the Royal Dutch Embassy Paul Zwetsloot.
To celebrate the 100-year anniversary of the Republic of Türkiye, we made this a very special event with a performance from the renowned singer Paul Dwyer, who performed his famous ‘100. Yıl Marşı’ together with his son.
The welcoming speech of the evening was done by our Chairperson Mehtap Akkaya, Ambassador Joep Wijnands made a moving speech looking forward to 2024 when we will celebrate the 100-year friendship of Türkiye and the Netherlands.
We sincerely thank all our members for their participation in this event. You all made this event an extraordinary evening.
12 December 2023
We had our Economic Outlook Q4 with keynote speaker Prof. Ege Yazgan, PhD. Professor of Economics and director of Center for Financial Studies (CEFIS) of Istanbul Bilgi University at the Chapel of Palais de Hollande followed by a Networking event.
This time we changed the format to a shorter presentation and a longer Q&A within the allotted time to make the session more interactive. We were very glad to see that so many of our members had the chance to ask the questions that were most important for them, thereby giving a new perspective to this Economic Outlook.
The Networking Cocktail afterward was held in Palais de Hollande where the Q&A continued.
We thank our members for attending, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde for the perfect hosting of the event, and Prof. Ege Yazgan for his insightful lecture.
9 November 2023
Our joint seminar on integrity as a competitive advantage in cooperation with the Netherlands Consulate General in Istanbul and Transparency International Netherlands at the Chapel of Palais de Hollande followed by a Networking event.
Our speaker is the Executive Director of Transparency International in the Netherlands, Lousewies van der Laan, she also is the Chair of the Board of the Dutch Consumer Association, a Board member of the Dutch AI Foundation, and a former Member of the Dutch- and European Parliament.
Since 1995, the Transparency International network investigates and publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index, which draws attention to the problem at a global scale. It is the duty of governments to lend support in this direction and establish a sound and functional whistleblower protection regime.
During the seminar, the importance of speak up culture and best practices to manage integrity and compliance with the EU law were discussed. A recently published guide to build an effective whistleblowing program was presented to Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and the Dutch Business Association Turkey board members Mrs. Damla Hendriks and Mr. Ufuk Gedikli.
We thank our guest speaker Mrs. Lousewies van der Laan, President of Transparency International Netherlands, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde for the perfect hosting, and our members for joining the event.
4 October 2023
Our Economic Outlook Q3 with keynote speaker Prof. Ege Yazgan, PhD. Professor of Economics and the director of Center for Financial Studies (CEFIS) of Istanbul Bilgi University at the Chapel of Palais de Hollande followed by a Networking event.
Prof. Ege Yazgan has been a faculty member at Istanbul Bilgi University, Department of Economics since 2000 and received his PhD degree in Economics at the University of Sussex. He is currently serving as the interim rector at Istanbul Bilgi University, and previously held administrative positions at the same university as rector, vice-rector, and dean. He also continues his research activities as the director of the Center of Financial Studies (CEFIS).
During his passionate presentation, Ege highlighted the actors and factors weighing in on the past- and current economic situation and zoomed in on critical events in the timeline between 2007 and 2022 that set specific monetary policies in motion. He also gave the audience his prognosis for the upcoming year based on the past and current course of action, and his own findings.
However, with the newly appointed central-bank governor and deputies, and provincial elections ahead in March 2024, we will be sure to tune in for the Economic Outlook Q4.
The Networking Cocktail afterward was held in the garden of Palais de Hollande where the Q&A continued, and was gracefully extended by the Consulate to give everyone time to mingle and exchange thoughts.
We thank our members for attending, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde for the perfect hosting of the event, and Prof. Ege Yazgan for his insightful lecture.
20 September 2023
Just before the Prince’s Day Event, we had a meeting with Ambassador Joep Wijnands, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde, and Minister Counselor of Economic Affairs Paul Zwetsloot arranged by the Dutch Consulate and the DBA.
The meeting was organized with the DBA Board to discuss a collective vision of working even closer together to strengthen Dutch-Turkish relations, also in respect to upcoming events and celebrations, such as the 100th anniversary of the friendship between the Netherlands and Türkiye.
At the Prince’s Day event, we were delighted to celebrate this special moment and meet so many of our DBA members and partners at this great event.
Through NLinBusiness we also got the pleasure of meeting FcN and welcoming the trade mission organized by the FcN at the event as well.
With typical Dutch snacks such as “poffertjes”, Dutch fries with sate sauce, and even “bitterballs” the Prince’s Day felt like a small piece of the Netherlands within Türkiye.
The event was organized and hosted perfectly by our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and his team.
20 August 2023
We had a luncheon with the sponsors for the Bosphorus Cross-Continental Swim Earthquake Relief for the Karsu Foundation at Divan Brasserie Beyoğlu.
The swimmers Ambassador Joep Wijnands & Minister Counselor of Economic Affairs Paul Zwetsloot were present just one hour after having swum 6,5 km. As well as Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde who graciously sponsored the Luncheon so that all the proceeds of sponsorship could go to the Karsu Foundation.
Our Chairperson Mehtap Akkaya presented the DBA cheque to the manager of Karsu, Yilmaz Köse for the raised total by the DBA Members of € 20,750 for the victims of the Earthquakes.
With anecdotes of Joep Wijnands and Paul Zwetsloot about the race and preceding’s, words of our chairperson Mehtap Akkaya and Yilmaz Köse of the Karsu Foundation, and of course our enthusiastic members who could meet each other at a different setting, the luncheon was a great success.
After the luncheon we had one more token of our appreciation for the sponsors, a custom embroidery (bath/swimming) towel including company logo, graciously sponsored and made by our DBA member Aysu Textile.
We want to thank our DBA members, the Embassy of Ankara, the Consul General in Istanbul, and the Karsu Foundation for the co-operation in this fundraising event.
20 June 2023
Our Economic Outlook Q2 with keynote speaker Ahmet Çimenoğlu, PhD. the Chief Economist of Koç Holding followed by a Networking event at Divan Brasserie Beyoğlu.
Ahmet Çimenoğlu has been serving as Senior Economist since 1995 and later as Head of Strategic Planning and Research under Yapı Kredi Bankası A.Ş. until 2009. As of 2009, he has been the Chief Economist and Strategic Planning Department / Economic Research Coordinator under Koç Holding A.Ş.
Since March 2019, he is also in the Board of Directors of Yapi Kredi Bank.
His specializations are in macroeconomics, banking and finance.
During his passionate presentation, Ahmet highlighted the economic situation globally as well as in Türkiye. He also touched on upcoming markets with historical figures concerning opportunities and threats in the years ahead.
The Networking event afterward created an excellent platform where our members and partners had a chance to meet each other face to face, with DBA members, other Chambers of Commerce and Consul General present.
We thank our members for attending, the participation of our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde at the networking event, David Naves, Head Press and Cultural Affairs and Mustafa Basaran, Senior Commercial Officer of the Consulate and of course and Ahmet Çimenoğlu for his insightful lecture.
13 June 2023
How Impact Investments offer business opportunities and can contribute to a better world was explained to us by keynote speaker Mr. Can Atacık, an expert in this field.
Mr. Atacık gave an overview of impact investing in a compact, informative way whilst touching on subjects such as investment types and structures, the anatomy of an impact bond, calculating a social impact bond’s value for money, the corporate approach, and the growth of thematic bonds.
Tailor-made to the members of the Dutch Business Association, the presentation contained strong examples of impact investments, big and small, from all over the world, that contribute towards a better future and ended with the quote of Roelof Botha, Sequoia Capital:
“See the future that can be, and bring it forward to today”.
A special thank you to Damla Hendriks, CFO of Eureko Sigorta for hosting this event, to Véronique van Haaften for organizing, and to Consul-General Arjen Uijterlinde and deputy Consul-General Karin Jones – Schaper for joining us.
10 May 2023
Yesterday we had our first extended board meeting at Eureko Sigorta HQ.
With the hybrid setup, we made it possible for everyone to join offline and online.
The course and the agenda of DBA were discussed and agreed upon unanimously.
We ended the Board Meeting with a networking event with the new DBA Board.
We would like to thank Board Member Damla Hendriks for the courteous use of the Eureko office for the Board Meeting, and for hosting the networking event.
26 April 2023
After the devastating earthquake disaster, we experienced on February 6, Turkey’s Bilateral Chambers of Commerce have been working together with great synergy to provide the necessary support to disaster areas, both locally and internationally, and we continue our work with the hope to see concrete reflections of our solidarity in the medium and long term as well as in the short term.
In this context, we would like to thank search and rescue expert and disaster volunteer coordinator Mr. Rezzak ELAZAT, Yoshinori Moriwaki, Japanese Earthquake Expert and General Manager of Hazama Ando Corporation Türkiye, Assembly Buildings, and all participants who made it possible for us to organize our fourth “Basic Disaster Readiness Training” on Wednesday.
21 March 2023
We had our bi-yearly General Assembly followed by a Networking event at Divan Brasserie Beyoğlu.
The general assembly consisted of the reading and discussion of the Annual Report, the approval of the estimated budget and most importantly; the election of the Board of Directors, Replacement Board, Audit and Replacement Audit Boards.
The new Board of Directors consist of:
Mehtap Akkaya, Chairperson
Ufuk Gedikli, Vice-Chairperson
İlker Soydan, Secretary
Damla Hendriks, Treasurer
Ahmet Aydoğan, Member
We wish to congratulate them, and all new Board members and going strong into 2023-2024.
We thank our members for attending, the participation of our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde at the networking event, Mustafa Basaran, Senior Commercial Officer of the Consulate as the observer at the GA and Gregor van der Mark for leading the GA.
10 March 2023
The Economic Outlook Q1: Türkiye 2023 – At a Crossroads again while Healing her Wounds
Held by our regular guest speaker economist Osman Cevdet Akçay, took place at the Sans Restaurant.
The Networking Meeting afterward where the Q&A continued, was an excellent platform where our members had a chance to meet each other face to face, especially since this was our first event and many of our new members were able to join and be introduced.
We thank our members for attending, the participation of Paul Zwetsloot, Head of Economic Diplomatic Network, and Osman Cevdet Akçay for his passionate lecture.
18 January 2023
On Wednesday the 18th we had the Chamber Corner Networking Event at Swissôtel The Bosphorus, Istanbul.
The event was organized jointly by the International Chambers of Commerce and Trade Promotion Agencies in Istanbul.
15 December 2022
The DBA Turkey Gala 2022 evening was organized for our esteemed members as a token of appreciation for their loyal support.
We were honored by the presence of Ambassador Joep Wijnands, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde, and Head of Economic Diplomatic Network Paul Zwetsloot.
This year we went all-out to make this a very special event with the band of Seran Bilgi, DJ, and special table decorations emphasizing orange.
The welcoming speech of the evening was done by our board member Mehtap Akkaya, followed by a few words from the newly appointed Ambassador Joep Wijnands.
We sincerely thank all our members for their participation in this event. You all made this event an extraordinary evening.
13 December 2022
The Economic Outlook Q4: Turkey going into 2023:
Does the economy matter, or is it overwhelmingly politics? More muddle through to come or a certain predictable destiny?
Organized in cooperation with the Dutch Consulate General and our guest speaker economist Osman Cevdet Akçay took place at the Chapel of the Palais de Hollande.
The lecture went on a little longer than planned, but with the attendees hanging onto every word of the speaker, nobody noticed.
The Networking Cocktail afterward was held in Palais de Hollande where the Q&A continued, and was gracefully extended by the Consulate to give everyone time to mingle and exchange thoughts.
We thank our members for attending, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde for the perfect hosting of the event, and Osman Cevdet Akçay for his passionate lecture.
3 November 2022
Two DBA members, Erik Klomp of Novodoor and Esmeralda Sepers of Sepers CS, were guests at “Wereldveroveraars”, a weekly program on BNR radio.
“In Wereldveroveraars (World Conquerors), Jelle Maasbach follows entrepreneurs who take the step abroad. How do they prepare and what do they encounter?”
In January, the DBA Turkey was contacted by NLinBusiness to ask if we could make a shortlist of DBA members who fit this profile and contact them for a short description of themselves and an elevator pitch.
After the selection of BNR, Erik was selected to talk about his experiences of doing business in Türkiye, with his company Novodoor, which provided the doors at the new Istanbul Airport.
Esmeralda was selected as Turcologist to explain more about Türkiye, its hierarchy, and legal aspects.
Erik speaks about Turkish hospitality and his love for the country and the people, about drinking tea and maintaining business relations, and about contracts vs trust and the reality.
Esmeralda speaks about etiquette, culture clashes, and similarities, drinking with business partners, and interpersonal relations and why Türkiye is the place to be to do business and is full of opportunities.
The podcast link can be found here, in Dutch.
The DBA Turkey is always glad to support Dutch entrepreneurs who want to invest and do business in Türkiye.
13 Oktober 2022
We had a very special mini-event; 6 weeks ago, the DBA was contacted by dr. Jost Sieweke; Program Director of the Executive MBA: Leading with Purpose of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) with a request: if he and his group of 10 part-time Executive MBA participants could arrange a meeting with the DBA Turkey to learn more about the specifics of making/doing business in Turkey and challenges Dutch companies may experience when entering the Turkish market, among others.
Now here we are, 6 weeks later, with a few members of the DBA, handpicked by Jost himself, to give a presentation about their company, how they came to Turkey, and most importantly, to each address one of the points of interest brought on by the students.
The location was gracefully provided by Diederik Leggers of Marlow Navigation and the organization planning was done by Erik Klomp of Novodoor.
The meeting was then followed by a Q & A and networking drink.
We thank Jost Sieweke for his online research and choice of the DBA Turkey as the go-to source for Dutch companies.
And of course, we secretly hope to see the MBA students back as DBA members themselves in the future.
A thank you to Eppo Woortman of DeİsKo, Niels de Boer of İpragaz, and Yalcin Essiz of Essiz Metal for taking time out of their busy schedule and participating in this meeting.
5 Oktober 2022
We said farewell to our DBA Turkey Chairman, Gregor van der Mark.
To give him a proper farewell, a luncheon was organized in the Grand Hyatt Hotel Istanbul.
Even though this was a spontaneous event, organized by Board Member Denny Caouki, many of our valued Board Members and Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde were able to take time out of their busy schedules, and attend.
Denny made a speech on behalf of the Board to thank Gregor for his extraordinary dedication to the DBA Turkey and transformation the DBA underwent in his relatively short time as Chairman.
For this, he has our sincere thanks and gratitude, on behalf of the DBA Turkey we presented him with a small memento to remember us by.
The Consul General presented Gregor with a special gift on behalf of the Dutch Consulate in Istanbul as a token of appreciation for the close cooperation with the DBA Turkey.
Wishing you and your family all the very best in the next chapter of your successful career.
15 September 2022
At the Back to Business Event, we welcomed new Ambassador Joep Wijnands. We had the pleasure of meeting him and Paul Zwetsloot, Head of Economic Diplomatic Network Türkiye with the DBA Turkey board.
At the meeting, arranged by the Dutch Consulate, and were able to discuss a collective vision of working even closer together to strengthen Dutch-Turkish relations.
After a welcome speech by Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde, followed by Ambassador Joep Wijnands and our Vice-Chairman Nurdan Erbuğ we celebrated the Back to Business at the Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul.
We were delighted to celebrate this special moment and meet so many of our DBA members and partners at this great event.
It was organized and hosted perfectly by our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and his team.
The DBA Turkey is looking forward to a fruitful cooperation with the new members of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
9 September 2022
30 years anniversary of TH Klimaat Istanbul Tour
To celebrate the 30-year anniversary of TH Klimaatbeheersing, managing director Robert Bosman organized an Istanbul Tour for the entire team.
This was organized with the help of his neighbor Viptrex in the Netherlands, one of DBA Turkey’s members.
Together with DBA Turkey’s Board Member Eppo Woortman they arranged a meet and greet with the Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde at Palais de Hollande and a tour of the premises.
The DBA was also invited to attend this informal celebration.
We thank the Consul General and staff for always being open to supporting Turkish – Dutch relations.
6 September 2022
Presidents of Bilateral Chambers visit Brussels
The Presidents of the German, French, Italian and Belgium/Luxembourg Bilateral Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Istanbul, Türkiye have paid a two-day-visit to Brussels with the aim to promote the modernization of the Customs Union between Türkiye and the European Union. The four Chambers present, represented eight European institutions in total. During the breakfast presentation of the position paper and the following one-to-one meetings afterwards with Members of the European Commission, European Parliament and the press reporting about Türkiye, constructive and open discussions have taken place. The Presidents Dr. Markus C. Slevogt, Mr. Franck Mereyde, Mr. Livio Manzini and Mr. Tuğrul Şeremet stated that the need for modernization will benefit to both Türkiye and the EU. The successful visit was closed with an evening reception that was attended by European high-level representatives.
We thank all our counterparts in Brussels for their hospitality and time and hope this visit has created a solid base for future discussions.
25 July 2022
The Ambassador of Germany in Turkey, Jürgen Schulz, organized a farewell dinner for the Dutch Ambassador in Turkey, Marjanne de Kwaasteniet. The dinner was hosted in the beautiful historical residence of the German Ambassador to Turkey in Tarabya, Sariyer.
It was an honor to attend the evening. DBA Turkey wishes to express its gratitude to our Ambassador for her continuous support over the past four years to help us grow and extend DBA Turkey.
We wish her and her husband the best of luck in the new stage of their lives.
5 July 2022
The worldwide business hub network of NLinBusiness provides services, knowledge, a soft landing and connections for Dutch entrepreneurs with international ambitions.
The business hubs of Dubai, Nairobi and Istanbul met at the office in The Hague to meet and greet the NLinBusiness team and align and shape our future plans.
We thank our International Business Manager Annemarie Dijkman for hosting us and organizing this great, productive day.
22 June 2022
The Economic Outlook Q2: Turkey; Shifting back and forth between uncertainty and “we hope”, organized in cooperation with the Dutch Consulate General and our guest speaker economist Osman Cevdet Akçay took place at the Chapel of the Palais de Hollande.
The Networking Cocktail afterward was held in the garden of Palais de Hollande.
We thank our members for attending, Deputy Consul General Karin Jones-Schaper for the perfect hosting of the event and Osman Cevdet Akçay for his passionate lecture.
19 May 2022
DBA Turkey congratulates its loyal member İpragaz, SHV Energy Turkey, with its 60th anniversary in Turkey!
İpragaz, part of the Dutch SHV Family since 1999, performed Turkey’s first-ever cylinder filling that led to the genuine birth of the Turkish LPG sector.
It was an honor to be part of the dinner and press conference, attended by the economy Managers and Columnists of Turkey’s leading press organizations.
17 May 2022
We had the Chamber Corner Networking Event at the Grand Hyatt Istanbul for the first time again in 2 years.
The casual setting in the garden made the event very lively so that members of all chambers could easily catch up with one another.
The event was organized jointly by the International Chambers of Commerce and Trade Promotion Agencies in Istanbul.
We sincerely thank all participating chambers for this well organized and successful event.
16 May 2022
The Chambers Presidents’ Luncheons restarted!
After not having met during the past two years of COVID, DBA Turkey was happy to take the lead in organizing these useful Luncheons for the Presidents of the connected European Chambers of Commerce in Istanbul again.
We met at the Palais de Hollande to catch up and discuss future initiatives. We thank our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde for hosting us.
12 May 2022
Prior to the reception on the occasion of King’s Day, we had the opportunity to present our Association to the Dutch business community in Antalya, in the presence of Dutch Ambassador Marjanne de Kwaasteniet, Helene Rekkers, Head of Diplomatic and Economic Network in Turkey and Maarten Wegen, Agricultural Counsellor for Turkey.
We were happy with all positive responses to our plans to intensify the ties with this region!
DBA Turkey congratulates the Honorary Consul in Antalya, Mr Savas Titiz for being knighted as Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau by the King of the Netherlands for his valuable work serving more than two decades as Honorary Consul.
4 May 2022
On the 4th of May, the Netherlands commemorates the victims of war.
At 20:00, we observed two minutes of silence at the Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul in honor of those we have lost.
The DBA, DNSI and DSC were represented at the remembrance day.
27 April 2022
On the 27th of April, we celebrated King’s Day at the Dutch Consulate General in Istanbul.
We were delighted to celebrate this special day and meet so many of our DBA members and partners at this great event.
It was organized and hosted perfectly by our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and his team.
21 April 2022
We are proud to announce that the DBA Izmir Chapter is live!
The official launch yesterday evening was attended by our new members in the Aegean region as well as the representatives of the businesses of our existing members in Izmir. We were honored by the presence of Helene Rekkers, Head of Economic Diplomatic Network Turkey and Seyit Akyüz of the Economic Department of the Dutch Embassy.
DBA Turkey is looking forward to further building and strengthening this hub together!
A sincere thank you to the Honorary Consul of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Izmir, A. Oğuz Özkardeş for his valuable support and hosting us yesterday at the Mövenpick hotel.
24 March 2022
Quo Vadis Turkey, the new Economic Model; Model, Programme, Both or Neither?
Our second DBA hybrid event of 2022, organized in cooperation with the Dutch Consulate General and our guest speaker economist Osman Cevdet Akçay took place yesterday at the Chapel of the Palais de Hollande.
With a healthy mix of online- and offline participants (60%-40%), twice the amount as the last Economic Outlook of Q4 2021, we can call this a great success!
The event, moderated by our general manager Véronique van Haaften, was followed by an informal cocktail reception where our members connected and discussions continued.
7 March 2022
We gathered for the International Women’s Day event in Palais de Hollande.
Our Board Member, Ms. Aysegul Akay, Wholesale Banking Executive Vice President at ING, held an inspirational talk on the role of women in the area of sustainability.
After the talk there was a networking cocktail allowing people from different backgrounds and areas of expertise to get to know each other.
We thank WoMen of Orange and our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde for hosting this event.
1 March 2022
To Pay or not To Pay was the title of our hybrid DBA Turkey event today. Founding partners Robert de Liefde and Ramazan Bicer of Level International gave an interesting insight into the re-set of global tax. After the presentation, talks continued during the networking reception.
The event was organised in the Chapel of the Dutch Consulate in Istanbul. We thank our Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and his team for hosting us today.
You can view the complete presentation transcript here
20 January 2022
We had our New Year’s Drink at the Grand Hyatt Istanbul in a casual setting so that our members could catch up with one another.
The event was organized for our esteemed members and new members to ring in 2022.
We were honored by the presence of Ambassador Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde and Head of Press, Public Diplomacy and Cultural Affairs David Naves.
We sincerely thank all our members for their participation in this event. We created a very special atmosphere together yesterday evening.
18 December 2021
Our General Manager Véronique van Haaften had the pleasure of meeting Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency Commissioner Hilde van der Meer at the End of Year Investment Cocktail at Palais de Hollande. We are looking forward to further strengthen the relations between Turkey and the Netherlands together!
The successful event was hosted by Ambassador Marjanne de Kwaasteniet and Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde.
10 December 2021
Today we signed the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) in the presence of Dutch Ambassador Marjanne de Kwaasteniet and Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde between the DBA Turkey and NLinBusiness, further strengthening our bonds and cooperation.
The contract was signed by our Chairman of the Board Gregor van der Mark and NLinBusiness International Business Manager Annemarie Dijkman.
On our way to accreditation as NL Business Hub in 2022!
9 December 2021
We had our first DBA Turkey Gala combined with a very special auction for Lösev In Memoriam of our founding Chairman Caspar van Haaften, hosted by the Chairman of the Board Gregor van der Mark.
The evening was organized for our esteemed members as a token of appreciation for their loyal support.
We were honored by the presence of Ambassador Marjanne de Kwaasteniet, Consul General Arjen Uijterlinde, Head of Economic Diplomatic Network Helene Rekkers and NLinBusiness International Business Manager Annemarie Dijkman.
The total amount raised was handed to the Lösev representatives Gulcag Tuncer and Zuhal On by our General Manager Véronique van Haaften at the end of the successful evening.
We sincerely thank all our members for their contributions to this event. You all made this event a very special evening.
4 December 2021
27 October 2021
Our first hybrid event with guest speaker Osman Cevdet Akcay about the Economic Outlook of Turkey took place at the Palais de Hollande.
With a healthy mix of online- and offline participants, the DBA will organize these hybrid events more often for its members so that everyone has the ability to join in, even when short on time.
Our sincere gratitude to Osman Cevdet Akcay for this informative perspective on Turkey’s Economic Outlook and for presenting the subject with facts combined with his own experience, expectations, and humor.
13 October 2021
DBA Chairman Gregor van der Mark participated in an event from the ministry of foreign affairs to welcome Dutch Vice-Minister for European Cooperation Anita van der Ende at Palais de Hollande. During an informal meeting with network partners, the many dimensions of Netherlands – Turkey Bilateral relations came to the fore.
28 September 2021
Today we had our first “Chairman Chat” this first edition from (planning) a monthly or quarterly event for members to reflect how they think about DBA and discuss wishes and ideas direct with the Chairman of the association.
27 September 2021
Today we had the honor to host an event at the Dutch Consulate in İstanbul, the event was Sponsored by RANDSTAD SPORT and PERNORD RİCARD with quest speaker Giovanni Guidetti. Giovanni is one of the most successful coaches in volleyball with a track record of many success with international local and national teams from USA, Netherlands, Bulgaria, Turkey. Giovanni made an interesting statement of how to manage teams in different cultures. Most interesting is his vision on the mentality of star players (international in mind no difference), the engagement of people surrounding the team to be able to lift the team to higher levels and his “moon vision”. Our quests enjoyed the enthusiastic Giovanni and the network drinks in the form of nice Whiskeys from our sponsor Pernod Ricard.
21 September 2021
Today we had the most interesting event about Air and how our future can develop when it comes to population and changes in air around us. Mr Eppo Woortman had most interesting presentation on this topic
05 September 2021
Today DBA organized a introduction breakfast for Arjen (new consul) and the Dutch community in Istanbul. This is one of the cooperations with NVI of which we will see more in the future. Perfect place “Le Cuistot Bistro by Chef Carlos”
17 August 2021
On August 17th we had the pleasure to have one of our face to face events at the consulate in İstanbul. This event was part of our warm welcome for the 65th Consul General of The Netherlands Arjen Uijterlinde to İstanbul and farewell for Bart van Bolhuis. İn the presence of the ambassador of the Netherlands in Turkey, Marjanne de Kwaasteniet, The board members of the Dutch Business Association and other high valuable quests, speeches were made to highlight the actions from Bart and to welcome Arjen
Bart van Bolhuis was Consul General during the past 4 years and will move to The United States, we wish both Bart and Arjen a lot of success with their new assignments.
8 July 2021
”International Travel Regulations & On-site Covid-19 Testing Services” many regulations when traveling thru the world nowadays. Eurocross monitors all the regulations and brings a solution for 24 hours PCR testing. For more information please visit the website of Eurocross
3 July 2021
Today DBA will be present at the “Sustainable Development Goals Bike Tour” coordinated by the Dutch Consulate and Danish Consulate Generals.
DBA Members, Eureko sigorta and KLM sponsored this event, the bicycles were provided by ISBIKE. ISBIKE can be rented throughout entire Istanbul, check here the information from ISBIKE
29 June 2021
Today, we had the pleasure of hosting the webinar on “Economic Outlook for Turkey. The webinar started with opening remarks by our Chairman Gregor van der Mark
We would like to thank our guest speaker, top economist Dr. Murad Kayacan (CPA) for sharing his valuable insights for Turkish economy. Also warmest thanks to our audience for participating our webinar.
Keep following us for our upcoming webinars.
24 June 2021
Back out side with a small delegation of the Dutch Business Association Corporate Members
2 June 2021
Startup Ecosystems in Turkey & the Netherlands and Talent Acquisition
Turkey is one of the most promising countries for Startup ecosystems with its various Startup
entrepreneurs and bright minds. The Turkish government is a very active and strong supporter of the Startup ecosystem in Turkey, offering a variety of programs and policies to enable the establishment and growth of Startups.
With investment and financing of these initiatives, Turkey is becoming a hot spot for future Startup ecosystems worldwide.
As one of the top 5 innovation leaders in Europe, the Netherlands is home to a vibrant, collaborative Startup ecosystem. The Netherlands ranks as the best European country for Startups, while Amsterdam is Europe’s fastest growing Startup ecosystem. The Netherlands is a global frontrunner when it comes to talent, ranking No. 6 worldwide for talent competitiveness.
We are happy to organize ‘’Startup Ecosytems in Turkey & the Netherlands and Talent Acquisition’’ webinar in cooperation with Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Turkey, Startup Amsterdam, Eduned and KWorks.
28 May 2021
Ceramics for Animals
The Dutch Consulate General in İstanbul organized an exhibition to sell ceramics made by Thessy Ries and other ceramic artists.
All donations will be used to improve the living conditions of the stray animals of İstanbul. DBA Turkey is happy to make a donation to the chosen charity Yedikule Hayvan Barınağı.
We would like to thank Thessy Ries for this wonderful event, our Consul General Bart van Bolhuis for hosting the exhibition and our Board members Nurdan Erbuğ (Anadolu Hayvancılık) and Korkut Yetkin (Asya Lale) for sponsoring.
20 May 2021
Wellness Talks – Healthy Diet in Pandemic
Exp. Nutritionist Begüm Kurt and Sr. Business Development Director at Healthy Fit Figen Çınarlı talked about eating habits and nutrition questions such as how to eat to strengten the immune system and control you diet during pandemic.
Check out Healthy Fit’s offers:
28 April 2021
JOINT POSITION PAPER PUBLISHED FOR THE MODERNIZATION OF THE CUSTOMS UNION
German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Turkey) highlighted the importance of the Customs Union in a joint initiative between TOBB, TEPAV and the Bilateral European Chambers.
Today there has been a digital event about the modernization of the Customs Union organised by AHK Turkey and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Turkey. The opening remarks of the event were made by Dr. Markus C. Slevogt – President of AHK Turkey, Walter Glos – Director of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Turkey and Ayhan Zeytinoğlu – Vice President of TOBB.
Following the keynote speakers H.E. Nikolaus Meyer-Landrut – Ambassador, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Turkey and H.E. Jürgen Schulz – Ambassador of Federal Republic of Germany and Jane Grady – Deputy Her Majesty’s Trade Commisioner; Sibel Güven – Program Director from TEPAV made an introduction of the Customs Union Position Paper.
Levent Apaydın – President of Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Turkey, Georg Karabaczek – Austrian Trade Commissioner for Turkey, Georgia & Azerbaijan, Livio Manzini – President of Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Turkey, Zeynep Necipoğlu – President of French Chamber of Commerce in Turkey, Chris Gaunt, OBE – President of British Chamber of Commerce in Turkey, Arpat Şenocak – President of Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Turkey and Gregor Van Der Mark – President of Dutch Business Association Turkey attended also the discussion session of the event.
The coordinators of the joint initiative announced: „For the past 25 years, Turkey and the European Union have facilitated trade relations through a Customs Union and since then the Customs Union has served as main pillar enhancing trade, investments and further customs reforms. Hence, AHK Turkey in a joint initiative between TOBB, TEPAV and the Bilateral European Chambers highlighted the importance of the Customs Union from a business perspective by facilitating this position paper. We outlined the achievements of the Customs Union and its positive effects on bilateral economic relations. Moreover, we stressed the need for a modernized and expanded Customs Union framework as a win-win for all partners.”
Dr. Markus C. Slevogt, President of the German-Turkish Chamber of Industry and Commerce said: „The customs union is an integral part of German-Turkish trade relations. It serves as a catalyst for growing prosperity and enhancing economic development in Germany and Turkey alike. Therefore, the modernization of the Customs Union is an important step in order to strengthen the already deeply rooted relationship between these two countries and to prepare it for the challenges of the upcoming decades.“
Levent Apaydın, President of the Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Turkey said: “The depth and scope of the Customs Union should be addressed to meet the requirements of the global economy. Upgrading the existing Customs Union provides a potential for a better and stronger Turkey-EU partnership and of course a better and stronger Belgian/Luxembourg – Turkish partnership in every aspect as it was the case two decades ago. There is no doubt that such achievement will create a ‘win-win’ situation for both sides in economic terms and will increase Turkey’s ability to better harmonize its trade and economic policies with the EU, in a time of intensifying, global cutthroat competition, with financial volatility and turbulent waters globally.”
Georg Karabaczek, Austrian Trade Commissioner for Turkey stated: “Our survey of Austrian Companies active in Turkey shows that 76% of the CEO’s expect positive effects on their business from a modernized and deepened customs union between Turkey and the EU.”
Livio Manzini, President of Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Turkey commented: “Turkish Italian trade relations are maybe the oldest ones as well as being one of the largest and more balanced one Turkey has with any other country. Over time we have witnessed how expanding commercial ties have always gone hand in hand with closer and better bilateral relations creating a virtuous win-win cycle. To rekindle the momentum of closer integration now is the time for a bold initiative on the commercial front by modernizing and deepening the customs union agreement.”
Zeynep Necipoğlu, President of French Chamber of Commerce in Turkey said about the customs union: “Turkey is the EU’s fifth largest trading partner, while the EU is Turkey’s largest. French business actors see Turkey as a potential hub to develop activities in the Middle East and Central Asia. The modernization and the upgrading of Turkey-EU Customs Union, represent an opportunity for enhancing the economic integration between Turkey and EU countries. The French-Turkish business communities strongly support the encouraging actions.”
Chris Gaunt, OBE, President of British Chamber of Commerce in Turkey added: “Given that Europe and the Global economies will have to reset and adjust according to the new normal post Covid, an enhanced customs union agreement for Turkey will provide the impetus to re-engage with the EU single market and generate increased bilateral trade and economic prosperity.”
Arpat Şenocak, President of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce in Turkey stated: “The Swiss-Turkish business community is a strong supporter of the modernization of the Customs Union. Based on the encouraging steps taken in the context of the renewal of the Free Trade Agreement between Turkey and the European Free Trade Association (including Switzerland), we believe that improving the framework for trade between the EU and Turkey would certainly bring mutual success and benefit for both parties, and help building a stronger dialogue.”
Gregor Van Der Mark, President of Dutch Business Association Turkey said: “From business perspective, The EU Customs Union Agreement needs to be updated to the same level as the business is tomorrow this to ensure a better future for all.”
For the complete position paper please visit https://www.dtr-ihk.de/tr/bilgi-koesesi
22 April 2021
“Updates on Tax – 2021” by Taxia
30 March 2021
” The Global Impact of the Dutch Elections” by NLinBusiness
The Netherlands is a country with a strong focus on export. The outcome of the upcoming Dutch elections (15-17 March) will significantly impact international business activities. Thespeech of Ingrid Thijssen, president of VNO-NCW, who will reflect on the elections’ results and its impact on doing business internationally, will be followed by a panel discussion with experts such as Cees Westera, Managing Partner at Public Matters, Rem Korteweg, Senior research fellow at the Clingendael institute and Frank Heemskerk, Secretary General European Round Table for Industry, who will shine their lights on the election outcome from different perspectives.
16 March 2021
Economic Outlook 2021
DBA organised “Economic Outlook” webinar in cooperation with ING Turkey. We would like to thank guest speakers Chris Turner and Muhammet Mercan for sharing their forecasts for the global and Turkish economy. Also, many thanks to our Chairman Caspar van Haaften for hosting our webinar, our Board member Ayşegül Akay for her supports and all participants for joining.
23 February 2021
”Time is Ripe for Starting New Service Businesses in Turkey” by Dogma Alares
Dogma Alares is a next-generation consulting firm; composed of strategy consultants, machine learning engineers, service designers and full-stack digital application developers. They produce tangible results, not long inexecutable reports and they take ownership of their customers’ problem end-to-end and implement highly sophisticated yet easily usable solutions.
15 December 2020
“Scrum: 25 Years Old and Counting for Creating Agility” by Tolga Kombak, Managing Partner ACM
Scrum is a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while
productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.
Scrum itself is a simple, lightweight yet difficult to master framework for effective team
collaboration on complex products.
Since it was first presented by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland in 1995, use of Scrum has
spread widely in the world and 14th Annual State of Agile Survey in 2019 shows that 76% of the
participants are using Scrum or combinations of Scrum with other methods for their Agile product
development.
Mr. Tolga KombakTolga is a trainer, Agile coach and consultant, keynote speaker with 16
years of prior hands-on software development experience in the finance
sector. For the last decade he has been training, coaching Agile teams
and consulting various companies in their Agile transformation journey.
He has taken role in various companies’ Agile transformations from
small-middle enterprises to 10,000+ people big organizations supporting
governance, Agile Leadership cultivation and team level Agile way of
working.
Tolga is one of the 300 Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainers in the world and one of three in Turkey. He is also an ICAgile Accredited Trainer.
OUR DIAMOND MEMBERS 2024
