The following is an exclusive interview with Sertan Aycicek, Group President of IKAR Holdings, one of the fastest growing groups in Europe.
Mayfair, United Kingdom Jul 31, 2023 (Issuewire.com)
“Could you give us a short introduction to your group?”
IKAR Holdings, is a multi-tiered entrepreneurial group of companies, based in London, which currently operates four vertical holdings. Each of our Holdings is chaired by either a former Prime Minister or a top diplomat. We are active across multiple sectors and managed by best-in-class executives. Our aim is to set new standards in the world of entrepreneurship.
“The business world is talking extensively about IKAR these days, as far as we know it’s a relatively new group. What was the vision behind IKAR when it was founded?”
IKAR Holdings was founded with the aim of creating a modern vehicle for global entrepreneurial activities. Each of our partners brings a strong global background, reflected by more than 20 nationalities in our group. We are all upholding a strong belief that successful and open-minded entrepreneurs are the leaders of a better world. Our mission through IKAR is to accelerate wealth creation and prosperity in balance by driving sustainable economic opportunities, significant positive impact, democratized prosperity, and innovation into the future.
“What do think you think makes you different compared to other entrepreneurial groups?”
First of all, we are a distinguished ecosystem of entrepreneurs, innovators, and partners from around the world. Our mission revolves around a commitment to empowering growing businesses and emerging leaders globally. IKAR Holdings is the mother-ship structure that manages the whole IKAR group of companies and leads the coordination, development, and growth strategies of the various enterprises, investments, services, and innovations. The operational execution of the group is structured into four vertical holdings, which cover all activities from matured industries (through IKAR Industries), to impact-driven sectors (IKAR Global), to the startup world (Adelfi Ventures), and a specific focus on Saudia Arabia, through IKAR Arabia British-Saudi Investment Group. Our innovative, entrepreneur-focused structure has proven itself to be capable of maintaining exponential growth, made evident in the remarkable expansion over the course of the past two years. Whereas the biggest strength is the human capital, which we unite in our holdings—IKAR the world’s first HUMICORN™ in the business world.
“We understand that your geographical focus is international, where do you see the most attractive markets for your group?”
We are focusing our activities in matured markets like Europe, extraordinarily growing markets like the GCC region, and markets of enormous potential like the African continent as well as emerging countries like Turkey and India. This is also reflected in the carefully selected partners and executives in our group as they have a proven track and significant experiences in these markets.
“You are a Turkish executive and entrepreneur, why you have chosen to join British IKAR, as its Group President?”
First of all, I was deeply impressed by the overall vision, the business structure, and future goals of the group and its founder, German businessman, Mario Diel. I was running multiple Turkish holdings and international groups as CEO and in other executive roles, but I never came across such a unique business approach. Coming from an emerging country, with a young and extremely entrepreneurial-driven ecosystem, I felt immediately in line with the goals and impact approach of our founder.
“You are talking about impact, something which is getting more and more important in any business today. What is the main impact driver behind IKAR?”
First of all, it’s the human impact and here very much the support and involvement of the young generation. Our group’s slogan is “the power of maturity, combined with the inspiration of youth”. We are living this in our daily operations as we have already young talents in our group who are serving in important positions up to our global board. On the other hand, we are investing a lot of time, effort, and money in the education sector. Just recently we have established our own education holding. Our flagship will be our own online University, which we are intending to launch soon. We believe that there is no better impact than investing in education and sharing our knowledge and experience with the next generation of future leaders.
“What are your next goals, what do you want to achieve in the near future?”
Our group has currently a portfolio of more than 40 companies, across various sectors. We have a group valuation of a couple of hundreds of Million Euros. Our revenue projection by 2026 is in access of 1.7 Billion Euros. We have united a team of distinguished leaders representing entrepreneurs, top executives, and former government officials. We have an extraordinary pipeline in place, a network spanning across the globe. Our next goal is to grow to the next level of expansion. In order to achieve this we are looking for a strong strategic partner on the Holdings level, as well as co-investors on the sector level, who want to join us on this exciting journey!
This interview was made at a press conference in Istanbul, organized by IKAR Holdings
