Turkey's top business group elects new chairman

By Tuba Sahin

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey’s largest business association -- the Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) -- on Thursday elected a new chairman.

Erol Bilecik, 53, is the CEO of the Index Group of information technology companies. He will now head an association whose members account for 85 percent of Turkey’s foreign trade, excluding energy, and provide around half of the country’s private sector jobs.

The father-of-three, who founded informatics firm Index in 1989, received 144 of 146 votes at the TUSIAD general assembly.

Tuncay Ozilhan, the billionaire chairman of the Anadolu Group, was re-elected chairman of the association’s advisory council.

Founded in 1971, TUSIAD is an independent, non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting public welfare through private enterprise.