At the Business for Goals (B4G) Executive Board Meeting which was held on 17th May 2022, Şükrü Ünlütürk, who has been the President of the Executive Board since 11th March 2021, handed over his duty to İrem Oral Kayacık.
İrem Oral Kayacık, became the new President of the Executive Board of Business for Goals (B4G). Founded in 2019 by a joint initiative of TÜRKONFED, TÜSİAD and UNDP, B4G is open to the participation of everyone working to transform the business world in line with SDGs and to guide the public-private sector policies for sustainable development path.
İrem Oral Kayacık stated that the cooperation of the business world with civil society is very valuable for social change and transformation; “I would like to thank our esteemed President Şükrü Ünlütürk for his efforts, who has successfully led the B4G presidency since March 2021 and handed me this flag, which we attach great importance to for a sustainable future. We will continue to contribute to the development of the private sector to be in lined with the Sustainable Development Goals that B4G has carried out together with the joint efforts of TÜSİAD, TÜRKONFED and UNDP. Supportive collaborations of the private sector play an essential role in making valuable progress on issues such as the climate crisis, gender equality and green transformation, which are among the priority issues of both the United Nations and the European Union. In order for us to reach SDGs, other than the larger instiutuions in our country, SME’s should also prioritize this issue. I believe this transformation will gain momentum with the power of multi-stakeholder non-governmental organizations and the leadership of the B4G platform.”
About İrem Oral Kayacık
Born in 1981, İrem Oral Kayacık graduated from Istanbul Robert High School and then Boğaziçi University, Department of Economics. She has completed a MBA program in Real Estate and Finance at New York Columbia University.
İrem Oral Kayacık started her career in the sales department at the L’oreal Paris office, and later worked as a Commercial Marketing Analyst at Pepsi Bottling Group. In 2005, she joined Odak Group family and has worked at different positions in group’s companies. She has mostly focused on commercial real estate finance and project development.
She took an active role in the finance, development, leasing and management stages of İzmir, Adapazarı and Antalya Agora Shopping Centers projects. With the belief of in-house entrepreneurship, she has managed the development processes of businesses such as Family Entertainment Centers and Cinemas within the scope of shopping centers since 2008. She performs as the Chairperson of the Executive Board of Shopping Centers and as a Board Member of the Board of Directors of Odak Group.
In addition to her business life, she values contributing to non-governmental organizations. In this context, she served as a Member of the Board of Directors at TÜRKONFED and TÜSİAD and as the Chairperson of the Entrepreneurship and Youth Round Table.
Borgip, a Regional Development Project for SMEs, she worked in the field of education within the scope of her responsibilities in providing training. She also provided guidance to entrepreneurs in the “There is a Job in This Youth” program. In addition to these, she took part in TAIDER Founding Board of Directors and Endeavor Advisory Board.
About Business for Goals (B4G) Platform
Established by TURKONFED, TUSIAD and UNDP in 2019, the Business for Goals Platform serves as a platform open to all large-, medium- and small-sized enterprises willing to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into their corporate policies and strategies, all public agencies keen on public-private partnership, local governments, academia, international organizations and non-governmental sector.
The Business for Goals Platform is a joint action platform established by the private sector to promote the Sustainable Development Goals and forge new partnerships.
The Platform fosters joint learning, development and work with its stakeholders. It takes steps to strengthen all stakeholders so that all can participate in the economy of the future working towards the Sustainable Development Goals in a sustainable development perspective. For more information visit www.business4goals.org website.