Support Chain for Women Exporters Strengthens
The TIM WINGS – Roadmap for Women Exporters program, initiated by the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM), was hosted by the Uludağ Exporters’ Associations (UIB).
As part of the TIM WINGS (Women International Networking and Global Sales) project, which aims to enhance the competitiveness of women entrepreneurs and ensure their more effective participation in the export ecosystem, “The Roadmap for Women Exporters Meeting” was held with the participation of representatives from TIM, Turkish EXIMBANK, the Export Credit Guarantee Company (IGE), the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE), and the Bursa Businesswomen and Managers Association (BUIKAD).
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS ARE PREPARING FOR GLOBAL MARKETS
Pınar Taşdelen Engin, Deputy Coordinator Chairwoman of UIB and Chairwoman of the Board of the Uludağ Textile Exporters’ Association (UTIB), emphasized the implementation of comprehensive support mechanisms to increase women’s representation in exports. She stated: “As Exporters’ Associations, we are committed not only to developing projects that will increase the added value of our exports but also to securing national and international resources for these projects. The TIM WINGS program is an integral part of this vision.”
“A SUPPORT PACKAGE OF 13.5 BILLION TL OFFERED TO WOMEN EXPORTERS”
In her opening remarks, Pınar Taşdelen Engin highlighted that the support mechanisms developed for women exporters are key to inclusive growth in exports. “With TIM WINGS, we have provided a tailored roadmap for women entrepreneurs. So far, 29 companies have received the TSE K 645 Women Entrepreneur Certificate, and 6 more are continuing the process. Many of these companies have benefited from financial support provided by institutions like Eximbank and IGE. In total, a support package of 13.5 billion TL has been made available to women exporters.”
600 WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS REACHED THROUGH TRAINING PROGRAMS
Engin also shared information about the Textile and Apparel P&D Project, which was launched for women for the first time in TIM’s history. She noted that they are currently in the needs analysis phase with 25 companies: “We will offer these companies individual consulting services and position them more strongly in international markets. Within the scope of the TIM WINGS vision, and in collaboration with Akbank Transformation Academy, we organized the ‘Break Boundaries in Export’ training programs, through which we provided nearly 600 entrepreneurs with valuable knowledge in areas such as foreign trade, digital marketing, and financial literacy.”
ROADMAP FOR WOMEN EXPORTERS PANEL
The first panel of the meeting was moderated by TIM representative Meral Beyazıt. Panelists included Müge Kum from the Ministry of Trade, Kürşat Bacanlı from the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE), Sinem Albayrak from IGE A.Ş., and Burak Nardal from Turkish Eximbank.
The panel addressed various support mechanisms needed by women exporters, covering topics from the TSE K 645 certification process to access to finance. Müge Uz, representing the company POLYTEKS, shared the firm’s success story in obtaining the TSE K 645 Women Entrepreneur Certificate through the TIM WINGS program and discussed the benefits of being a certified woman entrepreneur.
WOMEN EMPOWER FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL
In the second panel, information was provided on the She Globe Trade project led by BUIKAD.
BUIKAD Chair Şeyda Şençayır stressed the importance of making support and awareness efforts for women exporters more visible: “The world has become a place where ideas and business models that transcend borders compete. We want to show that women entrepreneurs are not alone in this race. Our goal is to help women expand their skills and business networks in a journey of empowerment that stretches from local to national and from national to global—supporting women already exporting in increasing their market share, and guiding those who want to enter export markets.”
Commenting on the project, Pınar Taşdelen Engin said: “We highly value the proliferation of such projects that guide our women entrepreneurs on their export journeys.”
The panel, moderated by BUIKAD Board Member Dr. Arzu Erdi, featured speakers including Pınar Taşdelen Engin, Founder of VGE Tekstil and BUIKAD Member Veda Girgin Eroğlu, and UİB Deputy Secretary General Dr. Ayşe Mehtap Ekinci. They discussed export preparation processes, success stories, export support for women entrepreneurs, and the services provided by exporters’ associations in detail. The event concluded with the presentation of plaques to the participants.
