About us
About us
A team with export, business development and B2B organisation experience in African markets. We built the forum on what has worked in our own practice.
Our mission
Turning opportunity into concrete business connections
To turn trade and investment opportunities between Türkiye and Africa into concrete business connections; to bring companies together with the right partners and to support long-term cooperation.
- 01
Concrete connection
Not a general introduction; a pre-scheduled meeting with a counterpart working in your own product group.
- 02
The right partner
Every registration is verified; matching is based on company, position and stated needs.
- 03
Long term
The aim of the two days is not a one-off introduction but the start of a business relationship that continues after the forum.
Our story
Both sides need the same thing
For years we have worked with buyers, distributors and institutions in different African countries. Along the way we saw that both sides need the same thing: a reliable counterpart and a planned meeting.
GIB Forum was founded to answer that need in Istanbul, in two days.
Founders
Two founders with field experience
The founders know African markets from the field: one from the production and export side, the other from business development and B2B organisation.
Işık Durak
Co-Founder
Işık Durak is the founder and general manager of Minerva 108 Yönetim ve Danışmanlık A.Ş.
She works in cosmetics manufacturing and export, with field experience in African markets.
Gizem Yalçın
Co-Founder · Africa–Türkiye Trade Relations
Gizem Yalçın has experience in international business development, export consulting and the development of trade relations between Türkiye and Africa. A graduate of Istanbul University, she has held management roles in several sectors and brought the leadership, team-management and organisational experience gained there into international business.
Focusing in particular on African markets, she has supported companies seeking to export to Africa through market development and market-entry processes. She has worked on building and managing sales teams, analysing customer data, planning sales processes and managing advertising campaigns.
She has taken part in organising international business forums and B2B programmes in Istanbul and in several African countries, bringing Turkish companies together with African importers, investors and business people. By building relationships with diplomatic representatives, business associations and sector organisations, she has contributed to the creation of international partnerships.
As co-founder of the Global Investments and Business Forum (GIB), she aims to develop trade and investment opportunities between Türkiye, Africa and global markets, to connect companies with the right partners and to support long-term international cooperation.
Team
Sales, operations and digital infrastructure
Alongside the founders, separate people are responsible for exhibitors, venue and accommodation, and digital infrastructure.
Domestic sales
Relations with participating Turkish companies and sponsors; stand and tier proposals.
Operations
Venue, hotel and supplier relations; on-site arrangements during the forum days.
Digital infrastructure and participant operations
Registration, verification, meeting matching and participant communication.
For questions on registration, stands, sponsorship and operations, use the topic-specific email addresses on the contact page; every message is passed to the person responsible.
Get in touch
Visitor registration, stands, sponsorship or partnerships: the contact page lists a separate email address for each topic so you reach the right person.