Zeynep Bodur Okyay

Bodur Okyay actively contributes to many non-governmental and international organisations by taking part in their management levels. Having served as the President of the Assembly of the Istanbul Chamber of Industry for two consecutive terms between 2013 and 2022, she currently serves as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Global Relations Forum Association, Board Member and Executive Committee Member of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), Chair of the Türkiye–Morocco Business Council at DEİK and member of Turkish Industry and Business Association (TÜSİAD), Impact Investing Advisory Board, and Carnegie Europe Advisory Board. Bodur Okyay, who has been actively supporting the G20 processes since the 2015 Turkish Presidency, most recently served as the B20 Co-Chair of the "Women, Diversity and Inclusion Action Council" during the Brazilian Presidency.

She was awarded the "Cavaliere del Lavoro" decoration by the Italian State in 2006 for her contributions and services to Turkish-Italian relations and received the “Ufficiale dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” high-level state decoration in 2014. In 2010, she was honoured with the Franco Nobili Award within the scope of “Türkiye in Europe” for her contribution to the relations between Türkiye and the European Union countries. In the same year, she received the Distinguished Service Award from the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye.

Having also supported the establishment of a Turkish Chair at Harvard University through her work at the Harvard Alumni Association, of which she is one of the founders, Bodur Okyay leads many pioneering programmes within Kale Group to contribute to Türkiye’s education, design, art, local development, and social entrepreneurship ecosystem as Chair of the Board of Trustees and Chair of the Board of Directors of Dr. (h.c.) İbrahim Bodur Kaleseramik Education, Health, and Social Aid Foundation.

Bodur Okyay is fluent in Italian and English, having graduated from the Italian High School, Istanbul Technical University Department of Management Engineering, and Harvard University’s graduate executive training programmes, respectively. She is married to Osman Okyay, Vice Chairman of Kale Group, and has one child.