Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar: “The creative economy is transforming into a field that not only produces, but also creates brands.”

Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar, Chair of our Board of Trustees, attended the Women Creative Forum held as part of the “OIC Cultural Festival: Baku Creative Week 2025” in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan. Leyla Aliyeva, President of the International Dialogue for Environmental Action (IDEA) Public Association, also took part in the forum.

In her speech, Bayraktar emphasized that culture, art, and design have gone beyond being merely aesthetic fields in today’s world, evolving into strategic sectors that produces added value, expands employment, and enhance countries’ competitiveness. Stating that the true power of the creative economy lies in originality and ideas, she noted that this transformation also strengthens the ties countries establish with the global community.

“Women are the essential subjects of the creative economy”

Bayraktar underlined that the real potential of creative industries emerges when women are involved at every stage of the value chain—from production to branding, from access to finance to international markets:

“Women’s labor is already a powerful vein within this field… But when this vein goes beyond visibility and meets opportunities for branding, access to finance, entry into international markets, and sustainable growth, its impact multiplies. Women are not an added later actor in the creative economy; they are the essential subjects who have shaped the language of this economy, carried its labor, and ensured its continuity for centuries.”

Sümeyye Erdoğan Bayraktar stated that traditional arts produced by women—such as Karabakh carpets, Uşak and Milas weavings, Tokat testiles, and İznik tiles—are not merely aesthetic products but represent a powerful design language that carries cultural memory.

“In Türkiye, the creative economy is becoming a brand-generating field”

Sharing examples from KADEM’s programs that support women’s potential in production, entrepreneurship, and design, Bayraktar emphasized that strong collaborations among the state, civil society, and the private sector play a critical role in increasing women’s representation:

“The potential is here. The real task is to expand it through the right partnerships. If all stakeholders join hands, we can raise women’s representation to the level it deserves.”

Following the forum, Bayraktar and Aliyeva visited an exhibition featuring works from the creative industries.