Women, do you want to work for a company that supports and promotes female talent? Demonstrating its strong commitment to fostering female entrepreneurship, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has helped 20,000 businesswomen across all Turkish provinces receive finance, advice, training and mentoring through its flagship Women in Business programme.
Strengthening the role of women in the Turkish economy
The bank is a major investor in Turkey and focuses on the private sector. To date, the EBRD has invested €11.5 billion in 300 projects and mobilised €2.3 billion from external sources for these ventures. The EBRD started its work in Turkey in early 2009 as a direct response to the country’s invitation, just as the global financial and economic crisis hit emerging markets hardest.
In Turkey, the bank focuses on investment in sustainable energy, improving infrastructure, strengthening the competitiveness of the private sector, including small firms, as well as deepening local capital and local currency markets, while promoting greater job training for young people, people in remote areas and women. The Women in Business programme was launched in Turkey to specifically increase and strengthen the role of female entrepreneurs in the Turkish economy and offers support in the following ways:
- access to finance from local banks
- Women in Business seminars
- business advice
- business coaching
- industry expertise
- entrepreneurial skills courses
- mentoring
The EBRD helped Aynur grow her bakery business
Aynur Gümüşsoy is one of the 20,000 women who have received support from the EBRD in Turkey. She runs a bakery, and is known for exceptional bazlama, a type of flatbread which is popular in her native Kızılcahamam, a town in Turkey’s Central Anatolia. She received a loan from Turkish lender Ișbank to grow her bakery business through the programme.
Women in Business reaches entrepreneurs in multiple countries
The EBRD's Women in Business programme is not just helping women in Turkey. The initiative is currently active in 18 countries from Morocco and Egypt to the Western Balkans, Eastern Europe, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan, Turkey and the Caucasus.
The EBRD works with women-led small and medium-sized businesses from many different sectors through the programme and helps them gain the skills, knowledge and resources to take the next step.
Work for a bank committed to supporting women in business
Join talented women at the EBRD who are leading and working on exciting projects across many countries - projects that truly make a difference to the lives of women in business.
Search and apply for the EBRD's latest job vacancies and see where your skills could take you.
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Disclosure: Where Women Work researches and publishes insightful evidence about how its paid member organizations support women's equality.