SECRETARY GENERAL

The Secretary General of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry is the Chamber's highest-ranking administrator that conducts the entire business of the Chamber within the framework of the duties specified in the relevant legislation, by-laws, and the internal regulations of the Chamber as well as those issued by the Chamber Assembly and the Board of Directors.

In discharging his duties, the Secretary General exercises to powers vested in him as per the provisions specified in the relevant legislation, by-laws, and the internal regulations of the Chamber as well as those granted by the Board of Directors. He ensures that the services provided and the activities conducted by the Chamber are performed in compliance with the relevant legislation and regulations.

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INDUSTRY GROUP HEAD

The Group Heads are the supervisors of the departments and units subordinate to them and ensure the development of the services provided by their respective groups, the coordination of their work, and their inspection in every manner.

INFORMATION PROCESSING CENTER

The Information Processing Center formulates the information technologies policy of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, keeps a close watch on technological developments, performs the work dictated by the said policy, reviewing the latter when necessary and notifying the Chamber management accordingly, and conducts planning, investment, development, and training activities in the field of information technologies for this purpose.

PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEPARTMENT

The Istanbul Chamber of Industry's members firms are categorized into 48 separate professional groups. The professional committees representing each group consist of five, seven, or nine firm representatives elected from among these groups. The professional committees consisting of 258 firm representatives in total and constituting the central pillar of the Chamber's work mainly perform the following duties:

• To work in accordance with the foundation goals of the Chamber, to ensure the development of the profession in keeping with the general interests, to make efforts to preserve professional discipline and ethics in order to ensure continued integrity and confidence in the relations of the members of the profession with each other and with the public at large;
• To ensure that the measures deemed beneficial and necessary are taken and the relevant research and studies conducted in issues pertaining to the professional groups;
• To conduct studies in professional topics, to submit opinions to the Chamber management;
• To submit proposals to Board of Directors of the Chamber for the determination of mandatory professional decisions and business trends (practices);
• To submit proposals to Board of Directors of the Chamber to ensure that required action is taken against members of the profession failing to comply with the rules of the profession.

The professional committees convene at least once a month to discharge the aforementioned duties and discuss the issues specified.

The Professional Committees Department holds the committee meetings where sectoral issues are identified and solutions sought, performs reporting tasks at these meetings, and assists with the taking of decisions in compliance with the relevant legislation and the regulations in effect by providing information to the committee on the agenda items. It makes sure that time-sensitive issues are passed on to the Chamber's relevant bodies and/or to whom it may concern in a timely manner. It provides liaison between the committees and the Chamber Organization and follows up the implementation of the actions that need to be taken as per committee decisions.

Joint meetings of the Professional Committees

The representatives making up the 48 professional committees come together at the Joint meetings of the Professional Committees held by the Professional Committees Department twice a year to discuss sectoral issues on a more macro scale.

INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT

The Industry Department draws up expert's reports by conducting on-site inspections at firms' offices and customs zones and by examining the relevant documentation through the agency of expert teams formed with the participation of experts (engineers) from within the Chamber and from the outside for the purpose of meeting requests by Istanbul Chamber of Industry members for clarification on the implementation of the regulations concerning exports, imports, customs, and incentives as well as answering inquiries forwarded to the Istanbul Chamber of Industry by government authorities.

It conducts work to help formulate a Chamber opinion on issues bearing a significant relevance to Turkish industry and provides a constant flow of information to industrialists by maintaining a close watch on developments on a sectoral basis in industry in Turkey and other countries.

CAPACITY DEPARTMENT

The Capacity Department works to determine the capacities of the public and private sector facilities in operation across the entire manufacturing industry for the purpose of knowing and constantly monitoring our country's potential for production, raw materials, and auxiliary materials.

MEMBER RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

The Member Relations Department performs actions related to the membership of industrial firms in the Istanbul Chamber of Industry as per the relevant regulations. It examines the applications of industrialists that were registered at the Istanbul Trade Registry and registers them in the Chamber. It constantly monitors the status of members and updates their records to reflect any changes that may occur.

RESEARCH DEPARTMENT

The Research Department conducts general, sectoral, and regional research projects to determine the structural and conjunctural developments and changes in the economy. It conducts periodical surveys in fields such as production, financing, foreign trade, and technology in Turkey's industry and publishes the results to the Chamber members and the general public after evaluating them on the basis of balance sheets among other criteria. It watches the economic developments in other countries, compares them with those in the Turkish economy, analyses the Turkish industry and the Turkish economy in that context to determine their requirements, and announces the results to the Chamber members and the general public.

SME SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The duty of the SME Services Department is to provide informing and awareness-raising services on the SME policies and programs in view of innovation, financing, the business environment and the European Union in a globalized world with the aim of enhancing the competitive power of the Small-to-Medium-Size Enterprises (SME's) that account for a large majority of our members.

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ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT

Created in 1990, the Istanbul Chamber of Industry's Environment Department conducts efforts on the environment in coordination with the "Environmental Specialization Board" and the "Environmental Consultation Board" for the purpose of ensuring the effective use of resources, the reduction of waste, and the protection of human health and environmental quality. It supports the work of Chamber members in these fields and acts in a consultative capacity when required. It carries out coordination with environment-related organizations and universities, exchanges information, and organizes conferences, seminars, and symposiums to develop environmental awareness.

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EU AND FOREIGN ECONOMIC RELATIONS DEPARTMENT

The EU and Foreign Economic Relations Department informs the members of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry on topics such as international cooperation opportunities, active exportation program, participation in domestic and foreign trade fairs, and announcements of foreign tenders.

Information on the EU and Foreign Economic Relations Department can be reached at http://www.abm-istanbul.org/

LEGAL DEPARTMENT

The Legal Department collects and monitors the financial and other relevant regulations concerning industry, drafts proposals for amendments, and informs the members of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry of the proceedings.

It examines and finalizes any disputes that may arise between the Istanbul Chamber of Industry and its members on matters pertaining to registration, registration fees, membership dues, and additional dues. It coordinates with the Budget and Accounting Department to monitor any debts owed to the Chamber and ensures their collection. It examines, evaluates, and finalizes any legal problems that Chamber members, Chamber staff, and third parties may have concerning the Chamber and its organization.

It drafts legal opinions on the implementation of the laws, by-laws, communiqués, and regulations concerning the Chamber, the members, and the organization and submits recommendations.

It evaluates the requests that consumers send to the Istanbul Chamber of Industry and forwards them to the entities concerned.

PRESS INFORMATION DEPARTMENT

The Press Information Department conducts the Istanbul Chamber of Industry's relations with the media organizations and exchanges information with them. Its work includes notifying all media organizations of Chamber activities that need to be announced to the public, ensuring their attention and participation, and following up the results.

The Press Information Department disseminates information on the Istanbul Chamber of Industry's Assembly meetings; formal events such as ceremonies, seminars, and panel discussions; the reports prepared, and other activities to media organizations by sending them press releases or bulletins at an average frequency of twice a week. In this way, it promotes dialogue with and the flow of information to/from media organizations while keeping the public informed about the Istanbul Chamber of Industry's views and recommendations on various subjects.

LIBRARY AND PUBLICATION SALE

The Istanbul Chamber of Industry Library serves researchers with statistics on Turkey and the international scene, economic reports, commercial guides, country reports, periodicals, catalogues on trade fairs, and miscellaneous reference materials.

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HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT

The Human Resources Department monitors and keeps records pertaining to the recruitment, assignment, promotion, awarding, illness, and leave affairs of the Chamber staff. It regulates and conducts the technicalities regarding the employment benefits of the staff (salaries, overtime, allowances, etc.) as well as their medical and social benefits, housing allowance, social security, and retirement.

It also administers a General Orientation Program to newly recruited personnel, organizes the required training to meet the training requirements of the staff, and conducts the apprenticeship procedures of students wishing to serve their apprenticeship with the Istanbul Chamber of Industry and foreign students wishing to serve their apprenticeship with the Chamber through the agency of AIESEC and IAESTE.

BUDGET AND ACCOUNTING DEPARTMENT

The Budget and Accounting Department conducts all accounting procedures of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry in accordance with laws and regulations, draws up and keeps the accounting records and documentation.

It prepares the daily collection, payment, and deduction slips as per legislation and the Accounting Regulations of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey. It draws up the monthly balances and account balances. It preserves the prepared documents as required by the law.

ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT

The Administration Department ensures the regular conduct of internal business in the Istanbul Chamber of Industry's office building. It does the repair and maintenance work on the Chamber's immovable and movable property and associated utilities. It conducts general cleaning, office keeping, food, telephone switchboard, civil defense, fire safety, and general security services. It procures stationery, equipment, office supplies, and similar materials for the Chamber and keeps records of all property, equipment, and materials on the inventory.

The Administration Department does the logging and distribution of incoming documents; the logging, dispatch, and mailing of outgoing letters; the reproduction of decisions, circular letters, and announcements; and the delivery of all kinds of publications (periodicals, books, brochures, etc.) published by the Chamber to the Chamber members and other subscribers.

The Administration Department supports the in-house and external activities where other departments are the proponent and keeps/manages the general archives of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry.

ODAKULE MANAGEMENT

The Odakule Management does, gets done, and coordinates such repair/maintenance, renovation, and new investment work as may be required in the Odakule Building, a 22-story office building of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry with 14,600 square meters of indoor space that was opened in 1976.

It conducts the relations with the tenant firms and organizations sharing the Odakule Building with the Istanbul Chamber of Industry and carries out the actions regarding the collection of rent and upkeep contributions.

It keeps the conference hall in the Odakule Building prepared for the Assembly meetings of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry and other gatherings.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT UNIT

The Quality Management Unit conducts all work for monitoring, evaluating, maintaining, and developing the Quality Management System of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry in compliance with the EN ISO 9001:2000 standards, the Chamber's Quality Policy, and objectives.
In this context, the Quality Management Unit conducts efforts to inform and raise the awareness of all parties concerned, chief among them the members of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry, on Management Systems (e.g., ISO 9000, ISO 14000, OHSAS 18000) and Quality Management topics.
It holds seminars, conferences, and panel discussions on the subject; and conducts projects in cooperation with other agencies and organizations. It provides consultancy services to Chamber members on Management Systems and Quality Management topics or redirects them to other sources.