G20 Workshop on Inclusive Business Held in Ankara Mr. Şahbaz, director of the TEPAV G20 Studies Center, delivered a presentation on how the World SME Forum to be established with the lead of TOBB will benefit inclusive policies.
ANKARA – On April 8th, 2015, Ankara hosted the G20 Workshop on Inclusive Business (IB). At the event, a slew of speakers from business, government, and academia spoke on the topic of IB, all with their own unique perspective. Those who spoke on behalf of the private sector ranged from burgeoning entrepreneurs to representatives of multi-billion dollar corporations.
Vodafone Turkey’s Hülya Uçarlar represented the latter perspective, as she spoke on the telecommunication company’s efforts with rural farmers. Lars Krückeberg, on the other hand, spoke of his efforts leading the young startup SolarKiosk. Governmental representatives, including Carolina von der Weid (Brazil) and Ana Luisa Saaverda Granja (Mexico), spoke on how the public sector could encourage and promote inclusive business efforts.
TEPAV’s Ussal Şahbaz spoke on the challenges small-to-medium sized businesses (SMEs) face in the marketplace and elsewhere (particularly in regard to financing and talent acquisition). Mr. Şahbaz then spoke on the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey’s (TOBB) efforts to create a World SME Forum (WSF) which would support SMEs around the world. Şahbaz’s presence at the conference further highlighted the diverse nature of the topic of inclusive business. Inclusive business can refer to socially-conscious enterprises, the efforts of corporations to incorporate under-served populations, and governmental initiatives, as well as the inclusion of small-to-medium sized businesses in global marketplaces and supply chains.
