Following the proclamation of the Republic, Ankara was designated as the capital of Türkiye. At the time, it was a modest Anatolian city with a population of approximately 30,000, where economic life was primarily based on agriculture and livestock farming, and commercial activities were largely limited to the trade of agricultural and livestock products.
In order to establish a city capable of fulfilling the requirements of being the capital, extensive infrastructure and superstructure construction projects were initiated in Ankara. These developments revitalized commercial life and subsequently led to the establishment of small-scale manufacturing workshops aimed at meeting the growing demand for construction materials. After the 1920s, the establishment in Ankara of major public industrial institutions such as the Machinery and Chemical Industry Corporation, Sümerbank General Directorate, and Etibank General Directorate, together with their affiliated factories, encouraged both the creation of small private enterprises serving as subcontractors to these factories and significant migration to Ankara for employment opportunities. In this sense, industrialization and population growth in Ankara became both the cause and the result of one another.
These developments led to a substantial increase in the number of manufacturers, tradesmen, and merchants operating in the city. As a result of the growing need for professional solidarity among merchants and tradesmen, the Ankara Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established in May 1923.
Particularly after 1950, Ankara’s industrial sector experienced further growth as a result of government policies prioritizing the private sector. Since the challenges faced by industrialists differed significantly from those of merchants, and in order to ensure these issues could be effectively communicated to and followed up with the government and relevant authorities, the idea of establishing an independent chamber of industry emerged.
The Ankara Chamber of Industry was officially established on November 18, 1963, through the extensive efforts of Dr. Orhan Işık, Mümin Erkunt, Cenap And, Necati Tereyağoğlu, and Ahmet Karamancı. The Chamber was founded with 259 industrialist members across 11 professional groups and an initial budget of 30,000 Turkish Lira.
At the first Assembly meeting held on the same date, a secret ballot election resulted in the appointment of Rasih Selcanoğlu as Chairman of the Assembly, Celal İmre as Vice Chairman, and İsmail Bengi and Haluk Türkmen as Clerk Members of the Assembly Council.
The members elected to the Executive Board (now the Board of Directors) were Dr. Orhan Işık (Chairman of the Board), Mümin Erkunt, Ahmet Karamancı, Hami Kartay, Orhan Koloğlu, Halil Kaya, and Özdemir Yarar.
The first members of the Chamber Assembly were:
- Ahmet Karamancı
- İhsan Özkaşıkçı
- Sami Koruç
- Hasan Ulaş
- Hami Kartay
- İsmail Bengi
- Abdülkadir Tüfekçioğlu
- Burhan Aktürk
- Mümin Erkunt
- Şeref Sürmen
- Mehmet İlalan
- Saim Köklü
- Orhan Işık
- Ahmet Bozkurt
- Celal İmre
- Haluk Türkmen
- Halil Kaya
- Necati Tereyağoğlu
- Orhan Koloğlu
- Rasih Selcanoğlu
- Cenap And
- Özdemir Yarar
The Chamber’s first Secretary General was Munis Faik Ozansoy.
The Ankara Chamber of Industry initially began its operations in a small office located in a business center on Şehit Teğmen Kalmaz Street. Shortly thereafter, it continued its services on the fourth floor of Terzioğlu Business Center in Kızılay. Later, the Chamber purchased and restored the building located at Atatürk Boulevard No. 193 and moved into its current premises in 1977.
Founded on the belief that sustainable development can only be achieved through industrialization and with the aim of ensuring that industry attains the position it deserves within balanced national development, the Ankara Chamber of Industry today continues to work with full dedication for the advancement of Ankara’s industry and the national economy, representing more than 10,000 members across 40 professional groups.