Vefa İbrahim Aracı Announces Candidacy for İKMİB Chairmanship

Turkey's chemical industry has formally entered a new leadership cycle. Vefa İbrahim Aracı, a leading industrialist and exporter in the sector, announced his candidacy for the presidency of Istanbul Chemical Substances and Products Exporters Association (İKMİB) on 17 February.

The candidacy announcement took place with strong participation from the sector's umbrella organizations, associations and civil society groups. Announcing his candidacy with the message "Time for Unity in Chemistry," Aracı stressed that he views the process not as a competitive race but as a responsibility towards the sector's common future. "This position is not an office, it is a trust placed in us by our sector," said Aracı, emphasizing that the strength of the chemical sector is nourished by shared wisdom, solidarity and unity rather than fragmentation.

The Istanbul Chemical Substances and Products Exporters Association (İKMİB), which represents over 8,000 firms spanning a broad production area from pharmaceuticals to plastics, cosmetics to construction chemicals, is among Turkey's strongest institutional frameworks in the chemical sector. Chemistry, Turkey's second-largest exporting sector, reached an export volume of USD 31.9 billion in 2025, capturing 13.5 percent of total exports and exporting to 238 countries and regions. Against this strong backdrop, İKMİB has formally launched its new leadership cycle.

Vefa İbrahim Aracı, a leading industrialist and exporter in the sector, announced his candidacy for the İKMİB presidency at a press conference held on 17 February at Mandarin Oriental Bosphorus, Istanbul. The event was attended by high-level participation from the sector's umbrella organizations, associations and civil society groups. The press conference was attended by İKMİB President Adil Pelister, ZÜCDER President Burak Önder, MAPESAD President Tayfun Koçak, BOSAD President Kenan Baytaş, PAGDER President Kenan Benlilers, PLAT President İmer Özer, PAGEV President Yavuz Eroğlu, SÜRDER Board Chairman Kazım Dinç, EVSİD President Talha Özger, İSTOÇ President Öner Yüksel, İSTOÇ Board Chairman Ahmet Acar, ASAD Board Chairman Celal Altuntaş, Gebze Plastic OSB Board Chairman Mustafa Koray Kantarcı, Kocaeli Maritime Chamber of Commerce President Vedat Doğusel and GEBKİM OSB Board Members, along with many other sector representatives.

Speaking at the candidacy announcement, V. İbrahim Aracı acknowledged the collective effort of İKMİB's past administrations behind this success and thanked all sector representatives who have served to date. "Chemistry is not merely a sector; it is a strategic production force that sustains the entire industry," said Aracı, emphasizing that global competitive conditions need to be addressed with greater care and a more holistic perspective.

A Comprehensive Approach Covering 16 Sub-Sectors at İKMİB is Essential
The multi-layered structure of the chemical sector requires a common perspective encompassing all sub-sectors. İKMİB Presidential Candidate V. İbrahim Aracı stated that they have adopted a comprehensive approach covering all 16 sub-sectors operating within the union, noting that sustainable export growth in the chemical sector is only possible with this understanding.

Aracı said, "The chemical sector forms a large whole with its 16 sub-sectors. Given where global competition has reached, sectoral organizations need to be as strong as individual companies. Addressing export strategies on a sub-sector basis, conducting proper analyses at the HS code level and focusing on areas with high value-added potential are defining priorities for the coming period. Particularly, high import requirements in basic chemicals create a significant burden on the current account balance. This picture necessitates that our production capabilities and investment environment be addressed with a holistic perspective. Within this framework, maintaining investment incentives aimed at increasing domestic production capacity in basic chemical product groups at our relevant Ministries' agenda and closely monitoring this process on behalf of the sector will be one of İKMİB's areas of responsibility."

GEBKİM OSB: A Strong Reference for İKMİB's Vision
Foregrounding his industrialist identity, V. İbrahim Aracı noted that the production and export experience he gained within Koruma Companies Group has allowed him to closely observe the sector's on-the-ground dynamics. Kocaeli Gebze V Chemical Specialization OSB (GEBKİM), Turkey's first chemical specialty organized industrial zone, brought to life under Aracı's leadership, is being presented as the concrete realization of vision during the candidacy process. GEBKİM, which stands out with its sustainability-focused infrastructure, Green OSB approach and industry-education partnerships, offers an exemplary ecosystem to the sector through clustering and integrated production models. Emphasizing that this model, which provides cost advantages and efficiency in global competitive conditions, demonstrates the power of moving together in the chemical sector, Aracı said, "Chemistry grows not through individual companies but through strong ecosystems. We aim to bring this model we have successfully implemented at GEBKİM to a broader base under the İKMİB umbrella."

High Value-Added Export Model Coming
Explaining his roadmap if elected İKMİB President, V. İbrahim Aracı stated that his priorities are to transform the sector into a structure that produces higher value-added and is managed with data-driven decision mechanisms. Noting that export strategies will be prepared on a sub-sector basis, Aracı said that an export approach focusing particularly on high value-added product groups will be strengthened.

Stressing that green transition and digitalization should not merely be adaptation processes but direct competitive advantages for companies, Aracı noted that a management understanding based on measurement and correct data will be institutionalized within İKMİB, stating, "Strengthening communication within the sector, making information sharing systematic and giving the Chemistry Technology Center a more effective and visible structure are among our priority goals. Supporting an investment environment that will increase domestic production in basic chemicals holds strategic importance for the sector. The phrase 'Time for Unity in Chemistry' is not a slogan; it represents a new working culture. We will carry out this process with an approach that is inclusive, reassuring and places shared wisdom at its center."

Message of "Continuity" from Adil Pelister
Speaking at the event, İKMİB President Adil Pelister emphasized that the sector's greatest strength is the will to move together.

Pelister said, "Our chemical sector is playing a key role in our country's sustainable growth journey. The steps we have taken in the process, our efforts to strengthen our exports, our governance approach, our sectoral collaborations and our work to strengthen our information infrastructure have demonstrated that chemistry is not merely an industrial branch but a strategic future area. While strengthening our R&D, testing and certification infrastructure through our Chemistry Technology Center, we aimed to increase our sector's capacity to generate value-added. Because we know that competition is now possible not only through production but through knowledge creation—that is, know-how—and technology development. I see the approach presented by Vefa İbrahim Aracı as a continuation of this common journey."

This Unity Will Shape the Sector's Future
Concluding his remarks with the message "Time for Unity in Chemistry," Vefa İbrahim Aracı emphasized that the chemical sector's future can only be shaped through shared wisdom, strong communication and a culture of moving together.

Noting that a new period lies ahead for the sector, Aracı said, "This journey is the common responsibility and common future of Turkey's chemical sector. It is our collective duty to correctly interpret the effort and accumulated experience that has been created so far, to preserve our sector's values and to carry this legacy more strongly into tomorrow's world. We undertake this responsibility by drawing strength from our sector's confidence, placing shared wisdom at its center and making working together our principle. I thank Mr. Adil Pelister and our valued board members for the effort and steadfast leadership that has brought our sector to its current strong position. This responsibility we are taking on is a continuation of a strong legacy."