The Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum revealed the results of the CDP Turkey 2016 Climate Change Program in a conference at the Zorlu Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 30, 2016. The CDP Global A List Awards and CDP Turkey Climate Leaders Awards were presented during the conference. 

Nevra Özhatay

The event began with a video message by CDP President Paul Dickinson. Introductory remarks were delivered by Çimsa General Manager Nevra Özhatay. The keynote speaker of the event was International Corporate Governance Network (ICGN) Policy Director George Dallas.

George Dallas

CDP Vice President Sue Howells presented the CDP Global Climate Change 2016 Report Results in a live video conference. Afterwards, Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Director and CDP Turkey Director Melsa Ararat presented the results of the CDP Turkey 2016 Climate Change Report.

Melsa Ararat

Presentations were followed by the CDP A List CEO Panel moderated by Posta Ankara Correspondent and CNN Türk Hafta Sonu Presenter Hakan Çelik. Speakers were Arçelik CEO Hakan Bulgurlu and Garanti Bank CEO Fuat Erbil.

Hakan Çelik, Arçelik CEO’su Hakan Bulgurlu ve Garanti Bankası CEO’su Fuat Erbil

CDP Global A List Leaders and CDP Turkey Climate Leaders received awards

The event concluded with the CDP Global A List and Turkey Climate Leaders Award Ceremony. The 193 companies that performed exceptionally and went on the Global A List had been announced on November 25 at the CDP Headquarters in London. Only two companies in Turkey, Arçelik and Garanti Bankası, were included in the 2016 list. Arçelik CEO Hakan Bulgurlu and Garanti Bankası CEO Fuat Erbil received prizes on behalf of their respective institutions.

Seven other companies were given the “CDP Turkey Climate Leaders Awards” this year. The awards were received by Brisa Human Resources and Institutional Development Director Nilgün Özkan, Coca-Cola İçecek Corporate Relations Director Atilla Yerlikaya, Çimsa General Manager Nevra Özhatay, Ekoten Tekstil General Manager İzhak Aydın Öztürk, Migros Human Resources and Industrial Relations Assistant General Manager Demir Aytaç, Pınar Süt General Manager Gürkan Hekimoğlu and Tofaş External Relations Director Güray Karacar on behalf of their institutions.

The awards were presented to winners by Sabancı University Vice President Sondan Durukanoğlu Feyiz and Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Dean Professor Yusuf Menceloğlu.

Graduates of the fall semester of the "Akbank Family Company Academy" held by Akbank in association with the Sabancı University Executive Development Unit EDU received their certificates.

Akbank held the seventh "Akbank Family Company Academy" in association with the Sabancı University Executive Development Unit EDU. Akbank Family Company Academy aims to increase the competitive strength of family companies, achieve healthy growth, and support efforts towards sustainability and institutionalization.

The program utilizes case studies from Turkey and the world to cover subjects most needed by the executives of family companies, including strategic management, business development, innovation, institutionalization, finance, good management practices, legal issues and human resources management.

Courses designed specifically for family companies were given by EDU advisors who are subject matter experts and long-time executives in business, as well as the trainers of program partners Deloitte Turkey and Pekin&Bayar Attorney Partnership. Factory visits were made to Sabancı Holding companies.

Speaking on the program, Akbank’s Vice President of Small and Medium Enterprise Banking Bülent Oğuz said that institutionalization is vital for the longevity of companies, continuing: "The main reason for the failure of some family companies is the lack of a specific plan and defined processes for transition across generations. Family companies were governed by rules as well as emotions. In an emotionally-sensitive environment, companies must evolve into institutions to carry on to future generations.  Many family companies are unable to achieve sustained growth and financial success due to family disagreements in the long term, and the challenges faced by professionals. Company owners have to deal with family issues on one hand and competition on the other. Companies that have grown and thrived on the hard work of family members over the years come to the brink of ceasing to exist. The Akbank Family Company Academy is the product of dedicated efforts based on these facts. The first group graduated in 2014. We considered the excellent feedback we received from participants and decided to continue the program. The directors or shareholders of participating family companies receive practical training about how to survive and thrive under fierce competition, and carry their companies on to future generations. This program is important to us because we believe that the growth of family companies is critical to the development of the economy in Turkey."

Sabancı University Executive Development Unit EDU Director Dr. Cüneyt Evirgen said the following about the program: "As the Sabancı University Executive Development Unit EDU, we held the seventh 'Akbank Family Company Academy' in association with Akbank in a partnership that produces benefits. It is vital for family companies to receive support on their evolution into institutions and their journey to sustainable growth. We committed to a mission to ensure the continuity of best practices in Turkey, and to expand the sphere of influence of family companies, which account for the majority of the private sector. The program brought together the 2nd and 3rd generation owners and shareholders of family companies in various industries, and took steps to ensure the survival of companies across generations."

Participants are able to purchase consultancy programs that include the actions they will need to take for institutionalization and the creation of a family constitution from program partners at special discounts.

A cooperation agreement was signed between Sabancı University, the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry and the leading companies in the industry as part of the Program to Train Researchers for the Defense Industry.

The signing ceremony was held at the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum in Emirgan with the attendance of Sabancı University Acting President Professor Ayşe Kadıoğlu, Assistant Undersecretary of Defense Industry Dr. Cemal Sami Tüfekçi, and the executives of the leading institutions in the industry including ASELSAN Elektronik Sanayii A.Ş., CTECH Bilişim Teknolojileri Sanayii Ticaret A.Ş., HAVELSAN Hava Elektronik Sanayii A.Ş., ROKETSAN Roket Sanayii ve Ticaret A.Ş., TUSAŞ Türk Havacılık ve Uzay Sanayii A.Ş. and TEI Tusaş Motor Sanayii A.Ş.

Building partnerships between universities, public institutions and private companies for the creation and utilization of technology is extremely important.

Speaking at the ceremony, Sabancı University Acting President Professor Ayşe Kadıoğlu said, "We are delighted to have this meeting at the Sabancı University Sakıp Sabancı Museum. Building partnerships between universities, public institutions and private companies for the creation and utilization of technology is extremely important. Universities play the largest role in encouraging creativity through training and research. However, public and private partnerships are what brings research to life. We believe that cooperation with the leading institutions in the industry is instrumental for training new researchers to the industry and implementing projects. This is why we have convened as part of the Program to Train Researchers for the Defense Industry overseen by the Undersecretariat of Defense Industry. As Sabancı University, we are prepared to provide all the support we can through the impressive capabilities and robust infrastructure of our university to ensure a systematic flow of information in the defense industry, leading to the training of qualified researchers and effective cooperation opportunities."

Also speaking in the ceremony, Assistant Undersecretary of Defense Industry Dr. Cemal Sami Tüfekçi said, "In order to achieve our objective of 'Full Domesticity in Basic and Advanced Technologies', which is one of the objectives set by the Undersecretariat for 2020 and beyond, we need to expand our foundation in technology through effective university-industry cooperation, which in turn required qualified people. We have a great need for more scientists and researchers for greater science in Turkey.

The High Council for Science and Technology has set a target of 300,000 researchers by 2023. It is planned that 60% of the 300.000 researchers, or 180,000 individuals, will be employed by the private sector. One of the efforts we undertook to reach our R&D objectives is the Program to Train Researchers for the Defense Industry.

The Program will enable systematic flow of information between defense industry companies and universities depending on the priorities of the industry, existing R&D needs, and the direction of the Undersecretariat, and will ultimately help to meet the need for qualified R&D personnel in the defense industry. 

Today's cooperation protocol involves Sabancı University and CTECH in the ecosystem, where we now have 18 universities and 35 defense companies. I would like to thank everyone who played a part in achieving this objective, and restate my confidence that more universities and defense companies will be included in the Program in the future in order to promote university-industry cooperation, which will serve to meet the need for qualified people and cutting-edge research in the defense industry."

Sabancı University climbs four places and ranks 18th on the Times Higher Education (THE) “Top Universities in BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2017"

16 Turkish universities were included in the BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2017.

Times Higher Education’s BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings include the top 300 universities in Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and other emerging economies such as Turkey, and Sabancı University ranked 18th this year, ascending by four places.

Acting President Ayşe Kadıoğlu made a statement saying, “We are proud to have achieved sustainable progress and advanced by four positions compared to last year. We believe that we will have even better success in the future. The fact that our score in each of the 5 main criteria (Teaching, Research, Citations, International Outlook and Industry Income) has increased, with particular improvements in Citations and Industry Income, is an indicator of the importance we attach to cooperation and research."

Acting President Kadıoğlu continued: "Sabancı University owes this success to the hard work and dedication of its undergraduate and graduate students, faculty members, employees, supporters and friends.  It is due to the human-focused, performance- and merit-based approach to our students, faculty and employees that encourages a questioning and free spirit, and provides leading services in education and research.  We are also glad to see other Turkish universities advance in the rankings."

Similar to the World University Rankings, the list uses a methodology that covers Teaching, Research, Citations, International Outlook and Industry Income using 13 performance indicators.

Together with Sabancı University in 18th place, other Turkish universities on the “BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings" are Koç University (15th), Bilkent University (37th), Boğaziçi University (39th), ITU (51st), Atılım University (62nd), METU (80th), Istanbul University (138th), Hacettepe University (164th) and Izmir Institute of Technology (193rd), while Erciyes, TOBB and Yıldız Technical Universities were in the 201st to 250th range, and Anadolu, Ankara and Gazi Universities in the 251st to 300th range.  

Müjdat Çetin has been elected as the vice-chair of the IEEE Computational Imaging Special Interest Group.

The purpose of the Computational Imaging Special Interest Group (CI SIG) is to promote and orient activities within the technical area of computational imaging, distinguished from image processing by the role of computation in the image formation process. The CI SIG provides leadership for the organization and the technical programs of major IEEE conferences in this area. It also solicits, evaluates, and endorses nominations for awards in this research domain. Müjdat Çetin will start serving as the vice-chair in 2017 and will take over as chair in January 2018.

The 2016 Report on Woman Directors in Publicly-Traded Companies in Turkey was revealed

The percentage of woman directors in publicly-traded companies increased to 14.2 in 2016

The fourth “Independent Woman Directors Conference of Turkey” in association with IFC (International Finance Corporation), a member of the World Bank Group, and Zorlu Holding was held at the Zorlu Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 9th, 2016 as part of the Independent Woman Directors project implemented by the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum with the strategic support of Egon Zehnder International’s Turkey office. 

The "2016 Report on Woman Directors in Publicly-Traded Companies in Turkey" was revealed to the public. According to the report, the ratio of women serving as members of the Board of Directors of companies traded on the Istanbul Stock Exchange increased from 11.5% to 14.2% in five years.

The fourth Boards Empowered by Women awards were presented to Adana Çimento T.A.Ş., Alcatel Lucent Teletaş Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. and Avivasa Emeklilik ve Hayat A.Ş. during the conference.

The “4th Independent Woman Directors Conference of Turkey” was held at the Zorlu Performing Arts Center on Wednesday, November 9th as part of the Independent Woman Directors project implemented by the Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum to empower company boards of directors with the inclusion of women. During the launch of the 2016 Report on Woman Directors in Publicly-Traded Companies in Turkey, the "Boards Empowered by Women” Awards were presented with a ceremony attended by Sabancı University Acting President Professor Ayşe Kadıoğlu.

“Presence of women in executive management is one of the top priorities at IFC”

Introductory remarks were given by IFC's Regional Gender Focal Point for Europe and Central Asia, Sammar Essmat. Sammar Essmat began by emphasizing that the presence of women in executive management was one of the top priorities at IFC. Essmat said that the percentage of woman directors on boards was good news for Turkey and an important development for the private sector. Sammar Essmat also discussed IFC’s work to close the gender gap in the private sector. Essmat said that IFC had supported 18 projects in Turkey over the last year for this purpose, and stated that they wanted to achieve a shift of culture regarding gender equality on boards in Turkey. Sammar Essmat continued, “The percentage of women on boards increased, but we have more work to do. Only 5% of companies in Turkey have woman directors." Sammar Essmat concluded, “Gender equality in management improves the financial performance, investor confidence and reputation of companies."
 
"The ratio of women serving as members of the Board of Directors of companies traded on the Istanbul Stock Exchange increased from 11.5% to 14.2% in five years."

The "2016 Report on Woman Directors in Publicly-Traded Companies in Turkey" issued by Sabancı University was presented by Sabancı University Corporate Governance Forum Director Melsa Ararat. The survey covers 410 companies traded on the Istanbul Stock Exchange. The boards of 168 of these 410 companies are composed entirely of men. This number was 178 in 2015. Among 2813 directors sitting on boards, 14.2% or 304 individuals are women. 304 woman directors hold a total of 399 seats among them. These 399 chairs are filled with 224 non-executive and non-independent, 102 independent and 73 executive positions. The ratio of independent woman directors to total board members is 6.5%.

Melsa Ararat noted, "The ratio of women serving as members of the Board of Directors of companies traded on the Istanbul Stock Exchange increased from 11.5% to 14.2% in five years. Since 2012, the number of BIST companies that have at least one woman director on their boards has been slowly but steadily rising. This ratio increased from 52.9% in 2012 to 59% in 2016. Furthermore, 10% of the companies listed on BIST have at least three woman directors. According to research, based on the minority status of women on boards, there must be a minimum of three woman members on a board to become effective." 
According to the findings of the report, 31 companies had a chairwoman in 2016. This corresponds to 7% of all companies. There were only 14 woman CEOs that sat on boards of directors. Accordingly, only 3.4% of publicly-traded companies have woman CEOs.  

The foreword to the 2016 Report on Woman Directors in Publicly-Traded Companies in Turkey was written by International Finance Corporation's Global Manager of the Corporate Governance Group, Darrin Hartzler. 

“As roles are redesigned in the new world, women have a lot to do"

Following Melsa Ararat’s presentation, the keynote of the conference was delivered by IBM Türk Managing Director Defne Tozan. Defne Tozan began by explaining the effects of the inclusion of women in business on social life. Tozan said that all companies were turning into technology companies due to the development of technology, and that the importance of having a qualified workforce trained in STEM fields increased as a result.  Tozan argued that women would have a lot of work to do as roles were being redesigned in the new world, and that women needed to make an even greater effort to be a part of the business world as it was traditionally dominated by men. Defne Tozan stated that she was fortunate to be working for an equal-opportunity employer like IBM, and discussed the investments made by the company in women. Tozan concluded that Turkey's welfare depended on girls who read and think, and woman directors in business.

The keynote speech was followed by a presentation by Egon Zehnder International London's Global CFO Services President Çağla Bekbölet on Egon Zehnder’s Board of Directors Practices. Çağla Bekbölet said, “Egon Zehnder London office has been the leader of diversity and inclusion in executive and board appointments, and has been working actively on the representation and expression of different ideas and backgrounds for the last five years." She explained that Egon Zehnder started an inspiring campaign in the UK to have woman CEOs and CFOs in 25 of the 100 companies listed in the FTSE100 until 2025. Saying that the public and business awareness campaign received great interest and support, leading to an increase of woman CEOs from 5 to 7 and the appointment of 12 woman CFOs in FTSE100 companies in the first year alone.

Bekbölet concluded saying, “Egon Zehnder maintains the same approach to independent director appointments, bringing different candidates to decision-makers and helping their evaluation from a different perspective."

Afterwards, the Boards Empowered by Women Award Ceremony was held with the attendance of Sabancı University Acting President Professor Ayşe Kadıoğlu.  The fourth Boards Empowered by Women awards were presented to Adana Çimento T.A.Ş., Alcatel Lucent Teletaş Telekomünikasyon A.Ş. and Avivasa Emeklilik ve Hayat A.Ş., which are companies included in the BIST Star Market.

The awards were based on index calculations designed by Sabancı University faculty members Melsa Ararat, Işın Güler and Özgecan Koçak. The index considers “Representation of Women on Boards,” “Representation of Independent Woman Directors on Boards,” “Representation of Women on Committees,” “Presence of Female Board of Directors Chairs and CEOs” and the presence of at least three female members. The index is recalculated every year.

“The essence of the Independent Woman Directors Project  is better governance.”

The closing speech was delivered by Independent Woman Directors Project Advisory Board Member Sibel Asna. Sibel Asna said that she could not fathom the difference and inequality between women and men, and that although the difference was ostensibly attributed to religion, customs and traditions, concerns about power, economics and sharing wealth were the true underliers. Asna said that the wealth in dispute was about to be depleted, arguing that the essence of the Independent Woman Directors Project  was better governance: “The only way out is a fair and egalitarian governance model that puts the human and sustainability in its focus." Asna said that the way to achieve this was equal representation of men and women in decision-making bodies. 

Asna said that the sensibilities of women regarding sustainability were much greater than men either due to human nature or the roles given to them, continuing: "We continue to ignore or deny the fact that the real problem of the world is sustainability and that the first step in correcting it is equality of women and men in decision-making bodies. If we want to leave a habitable world to our children, we must put an end to this denial. It is inevitable that we demand from the traditionally male-dominated society the emergence of a system that includes and embraces all differences." 

Asna said that the Independent Woman Directors Project made efforts to hold regular meetings, idea and experience sharing opportunities among the 276 women included in the database, and that the Project helped many women to become appointed to executive roles through training programs. Concluding her speech, Asna emphasized the importance of supporting and being involved in this initiative.

Materials Science and Engineering Graduate Program 2009 alumnus Canan Dağdeviren added a new achievement to her long line of success. Canan was chosen 1st in the world in Medical Innovation by JCI - Junior Chamber International, one of the largest global nongovernmental organization for the youth, for her invention of the wearable cardiac pacemaker. Canan Dağdeviren received her prize at an award ceremony in Canada on November 2.

Canan continues to be the pride of our country with one award after another.

The results of the 2015 edition of the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World" competition held by JCI (Junior Chamber International), the third largest global nongovernmental organization for the youth and an organization supported by the United Nations, since 1981. Representing Turkey in the competition, our graduate Canan Dağdeviren and Mehmet Z. Baykara came first in the world.

Having invented the wearable cardiac pacemaker at the age of 28, our graduate Dr. Canan Dağdeviren is now after cancer. Dağdeviren says, “I will develop a device for the treatment of breast cancer, and an apparatus for use in colonoscopies. My work is underway."

Dr. Canan Dağdeviren, the first Turkish scientist to be elected to Harvard University Junior Fellowship, said that she was deeply affected by the death of her grandfather at the age of 28 due to cardiac failure, and had resolved to do something for cardiac patients until she was at the age when her grandfather passed away. Dağdeviren is also included in the "35 Innovators under 35" list compiled by MIT Technology Review last year, and the "30 Scientists under 30" list by the Forbes magazine, and she has made history with her invention of the wearable cardiac pacemaker.

Source: DSN News Agency

The Sabancı University Technology-Based Startup Acceleration Center SUCOOL and Turkey's first technology-based commercialization and seed fund company Inovent held an event at Karaköy Minerva Palas on Saturday, November 19 to present startups supported by Sabancı University to potential investors.

The Sabancı Startups event featured 11 startups that completed the Sabancı University Technology-Based Startup Acceleration Center (SUCOOL) program and launched products and/or formed into a company, and startups using incubation services within Inovent A.Ş. The audience included angel investors, risk capital company representatives, and members of other incubation and acceleration companies in the ecosystem.

Introductory remarks were made by Sabancı University Entrepreneurship Council Director Dilek Çetindamar and Inovent Director Merih Pasin. Dilek Çetindamar discussed the entrepreneurship philosophy and vision of Sabancı University. Çetindamar explained the activities implemented by the university to support and grow entrepreneurship. Çetindamar said, "We have been serving our students and other entrepreneurs nationwide in a multitude of ways since the day we were founded, and it is no coincidence that Sabancı University is Turkey's Most Innovative and Entrepreneurial University." Dilek Çetindamar continued,"Like our valuable entrepreneurs, Sabancı University never stops innovating. We will open an office in the city during 2017 to continue working together. This new office will work on the internationalization of ventures with the support of the Istanbul Development Agency and in partnership with Siemens and the Entrepreneurship Foundation."

Inovent Director Merih Pasin said that Istanbul had ample opportunities for entrepreneurs. Pasin stated that although this should encourage entrepreneurship, the Global Entrepreneurship and Innovation indexes told otherwise. Pasin also pointed out that on the bright side, Turkey had a good efficiency rating in the global innovation index and 72% of university graduates had a positive attitude to entrepreneurship.

Startups presented
Birlikte.Al: A platform for Property Crowdfunding where individuals can invest in real property shares and create a real estate portfolio. (www.birlikte.al)
Chefteam: A career platform that helps kitchen teams meet the HORECA (Hotel/Restaurant/Café) industry. (www.chefteam.org)
FazlaGıda: A platform that enables excess or near-expiry food products to be donated to food banks and charities. (www.fazlagida.com)
Shopier: Allows users to sell goods and collect payments on their own website, blogs or social media accounts. (www.goshopier.com)
Helpy by Appcent: A customer complaint management platform for owners of mobile apps. (helpy.appcent.mobi)
HizmetTalebi: A marketplace between companies and service providers for corporate event and organization needs. (www.hizmettalebi.com)
Innovamed: Wearable textile technologies against chronic pain. 
MentalUp: Gamified brain exercises designed to help children discover their intellectual potential and develop mental skills. (www.mentalup.net)
Peek: Location-based live feed and indoor interaction application. (www.peek.rocks)
PureMilk: A filtration system that quantifies and purges unwanted substances in breast milk. 
Raklet: A management and payment platform for communities. (http://www.raklet.com)

About SUCOOL 
SUCOOL is the technology-based and innovative startup acceleration center of Sabancı University. SUCOOL supports its entrepreneurs through training, mentorship, business development, office space, legal counseling, and customer or investor introductions, and organizes tours abroad to promote its startups. Founded in 2013, SUCOOL has supported more than 30 startups to date. Support provided by SUCOOL to startups include training, mentorship, preincubation, investor and customer meetings, and business idea validation from the idea stage to company formation.

About Inovent A.Ş.
Inovent was founded by Sabancı Üniversitesi in 2006 as Turkey's first technology commercialization and seed fund company. Its current portfolio includes 20 tech companies.

The NANOGRAFEN venture, founded by Material Science and Engineering 2007 Master's and 2011 PhD Graduate and SUNUM Researcher Dr. Burcu Saner Okan and Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Dean Professor Yusuf Menceloğlu in partnership with Inovent A.Ş. for the production of high-quality, affordable and high-quantity graphene, won two awards.

Nanografen was a finalist in the Big Bang contest held at the ITU Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center on November 12, 2016, and won a cash prize of 60,000 TL. 25,000 TL of the grant was provided by Monitise, and 35.000 TL by the Association of Automotive Exporters in the "Automotive Technologies" category.

Meanwhile, Burcu Saner Okan came second in the "Nanocomposites Project Marketplace" held by Yıldız Technical University on November 2, 2016 in order to provide international cooperation opportunities to academics and industrialists working on nanocomposites. The presentation for the contest focused on the results of using graphene obtained from waste tires with a method developed by Nanografen for the production of high performance, lightweight and resilient composites. Sabancı University-Kordsa Composites Center of Excellence researcher Dr. Jamal Seyyed Monfared Zanjani was a contributor to this project. 

About Nanografen

Named one of the top 20 ventures in Turkey among 5400 entrants, Nanografen focuses on the design and production of nanocomposite materials for the plastics industry using carbon obtained from waste resources and converting it to graphene-like materials. Nanografen was founded by Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center Researcher Assistant Professor Burcu Saner Okan and Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences Dean Professor Yusuf Menceloğlu in partnership with Inovent A.Ş. in December 2013. The production line recently built in Hadımköy, Istanbul will mass-scale domestic production of cutting edge nanomaterials.