WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S.-Türkiye Business Council announced today that Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder & CEO of Chobani and Founder of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, will serve as the Council’s new Chair.
“Chobani and its Founder & CEO Hamdi Ulukaya represent the shared entrepreneurial spirit of the American and Turkish business communities,” said President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Suzanne P. Clark. “As the new chair of the U.S. Chamber’s U.S.-Türkiye Business Council, Ulukaya will bring his dynamic leadership and commitment to innovation to one of our most important bilateral relationships. The U.S. Chamber looks forward to working together with Ulukaya as we continue to advance U.S.-Türkiye trade and investment while accelerating recovery efforts following the devastating earthquakes this February.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched the U.S.-Türkiye Business Council on May 16, 2013, with then Chairman & CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, Muhtar Kent. The Council, under the leadership of Kent, has worked with both governments and business communities to better connect our economies and supply chains, especially in strategic areas of agriculture, defense, digital economy, energy, healthcare, travel, and women’s empowerment. David MacLennan, Chairman & CEO of the Cargill Corporation, took the leadership role over from Kent in 2018, and became the second chairman of the Council. As the Council celebrates its 10-year anniversary, trade flows between the United States and Türkiye have more than doubled since its founding to approximately $35 billion.
“As business leaders, we have the power and responsibility to shape the future of our industries and communities. I am honored to join the U.S.-Türkiye Business Council, to collaborate and leverage our collective knowledge and resources to drive positive change and create a more equitable and sustainable world for all. I thank David MacLennan for his dedication to these business communities over the last few years,” said Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder & CEO of Chobani. “The business council serves as a powerful and effective way to bring people of Türkiye and United States of America together, form connections, and develop a prosperous relationship for these two countries. I am so proud of the work that has been done, and the work that we will do together.”
The U.S. Chamber thanks Cargill and its Executive Chairman David MacLennan for their steady leadership of the U.S.-Türkiye Business Council from April 2018 until the conclusion of their term April 30, 2023.
The U.S.-Türkiye Business Council is the premier business advocacy organization established to expand the bilateral commercial relationship and increase trade and investment between the United States and Türkiye. The council represents more than 100 member companies, leading U.S. and Turkish firms trading and investing in both countries.
