Implemented by TÜRKONFED with the support of Türkiye İş Bankası since 2021 to help women entrepreneurs adapt more quickly to business development processes, the WeLead project received two awards ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. The project was granted the “Jury’s Special Award” at the Türkiye’s Leading Women Awards and also received the “Women-Friendly Brands 2025 Awareness Award.” Highlighting that the number of women entrepreneurs in Türkiye is less than one-fifth of male entrepreneurs, Prof. Dr. Yasemin Açık, President of TÜRKONFED’s Women in Business Commission, said: “If we want to increase the number of women entrepreneurs, we must go beyond encouraging them and provide training and mentoring opportunities, as well as support their access to finance. Since 2021, through the Women’s Power in Entrepreneurship project, we have been providing such support to women entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs all across Türkiye.” Özge Küllah Kurtuluş, SME and Business Banking Marketing Manager at Türkiye İş Bankası, added: “Our vision is not only to be a financial partner for women entrepreneurs in their business journey but also to be a companion in all aspects of their lives.”
Two Awards for the “WeLead” Project
March 7, 2025 – Istanbul. Organized under the leadership of TÜRKONFED with the support of Türkiye İş Bankası, the WeLead project — designed to help women entrepreneurs adapt faster to the changing and digitalizing business environment — received two awards ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8. The project was granted the “Jury’s Special Award” at the Türkiye’s Leading Women Awards, organized by Ekonomi Gazetesi in strategic partnership with Koç University’s Gender Studies Center (KOÇ-KAM) and in collaboration with Arya Women Investment Platform. The ceremony was attended by TÜRKONFED President Süleyman Sönmez, TÜRKONFED Women in Business Commission (İDK) President Prof. Dr. Yasemin Açık, Türkiye İş Bankası SME and Business Banking Marketing Manager Özge Küllah Kurtuluş and Türkiye İş Bankası SME and Business Banking Marketing Unit Manager Nazlı Coşkun. The project also received its second award from the Women-Friendly Brands Platform, winning the “Women-Friendly Brands 2025 Awareness Award” in the “Supporting Women Entrepreneurs and Women’s Empowerment” category. The award was jointly received by Prof. Dr. Yasemin Açık and Özge Küllah Kurtuluş.
Prof. Dr. Yasemin Açık: “The awards we receive show the difference we create for women”
Prof. Dr. Açık explained that at the start of the project in 2021, research was conducted to identify the current situation and needs of women entrepreneurs working in different regions of Türkiye: “Based on these findings, we designed a variety of training and support programs. With both online and in-person training, we helped thousands of women entrepreneurs improve their business processes, and guided aspiring entrepreneurs to take their first steps with greater awareness. As is well known, the number of women entrepreneurs in our country is less than one-fifth of that of men. If we want to increase this number, we must go beyond encouragement and provide training, mentoring, and access to finance. The awards we received demonstrate that our efforts have created real impact for women entrepreneurs and motivate us to reach even more women.”
“March 8 is an important day to raise awareness”
Stressing the importance of International Women’s Day in raising awareness about women’s stronger presence in all areas of life, Prof. Dr. Açık said: “We see March 8 as an opportunity to discuss the steps that will move women forward in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Our goal is to contribute to the creation of a sustainable and inclusive ecosystem where women can realize their full potential. But we must not forget: real change is only possible not in one day but throughout the year, through policies and projects that consistently support women’s empowerment.”
Özge Küllah Kurtuluş: “Our project is crowned with awards as we shape the future with leading women”
Emphasizing that one of the keys to sustainable development is women-led businesses contributing to the economy and boosting female employment, Özge Küllah Kurtuluş said: “We are committed to supporting women’s participation in the economy. With the Women’s Empowerment Declaration we signed in 2023, we pledged to provide 100 billion TL in financing to women-led enterprises within five years. We also aim to reach 15,000 women entrepreneurs with financial literacy programs over this period. Since the declaration, in just two years, we have provided a total of 88 billion TL in financing to women entrepreneurs. Beyond financial access, achieving gender equality and equal opportunities requires more. With the WeLead project that we launched with TÜRKONFED in 2021, we are proud to accompany women entrepreneurs across Türkiye in building their success stories. The awards our project has received are proof of our determined efforts. We believe that the project’s success comes from the strength and perseverance of women. Every step taken to empower women in business not only brings hope for the future but also inspires aspiring women entrepreneurs.”
“We will continue working together for a more equal world”
Kurtuluş highlighted the significance of March 8 in underlining that women must have equal opportunities in every area of life: “We celebrate the courage, determination, and achievements of women entrepreneurs. Every step you take toward gender equality and equal opportunity not only opens your own path but also inspires all women. We hope to see more initiatives that support women on their journey to the future with confidence.”
Training, Mentorship, and Business Development Support for Women Entrepreneurs
In its first phase (2021–2023), the WeLead project reached 5,043 women entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs through online and portal-based training programs, while also providing mentoring, collateral-free and interest-free loans, and business development support. In the second phase (2024–2026), the project aims to reach 6,500 women entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs. Alongside continued mentoring and business development support, the project includes design-thinking trainings, podcast recordings, purchasing days with women producers, and inspiration meetings with women entrepreneurs, thereby strengthening communication networks among women. In addition, in cooperation with UN Women, work continues on preparing an international handbook on gender-sensitive procurement and supply processes.