The Women and Family Application and Research Centre of Hasan Kalyoncu University (HKU) organised the “3rd Inspiring Women Meeting”, which focused on the success stories of entrepreneurial women in business life, on the occasion of 8 March International Women’s Day.
The programme at HKU began with the screening of the video “Kadın Demek” (“What It Means to Be a Woman”), prepared by the Directorate of Communications of the Presidency.
The programme was attended by HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli, Vice-Rectors Prof. Dr. Gül Rengin Küçükerdoğan and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Lütfi Yola, Director of the Women and Family Application and Research Centre Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Özgüner, academic staff and students, together with the invited speakers: OMAÇ Gaziantep Cuisine Founder Architect Esra Şerbetçi, Türkan Home Cooking Restaurant Founder Gülperi Dev, Mahra Şire Evi Founder and Corporate Media Consultant Gül Akbalaban, and Havara Restaurant Head Chef Esra Göğüş.
HKU Rector Prof. Dr. Türkay Dereli, who spoke at the opening of the programme and began his remarks by celebrating 8 March International Women’s Day for all women around the world, said: “Through the work carried out under the leadership of our Women and Family Application and Research Centre, we contribute to the empowerment of our women and to supporting the family structure. In today’s programme, organised around the theme of abundance, our women entrepreneurs who stand out in the gastronomy and culinary arts sector will share their inspiring success stories and experiences. We thank them for their participation.”
Director of the Women and Family Application and Research Centre Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Özgüner said: “Today, we have gathered for an important day on which we celebrate the strength, labour and rights of women all over the world. Women make the world a better place in business, science, art, politics and every area of society. Societies that grow with the power of women move towards a more just, more peaceful and more productive future. Today, we are together with women who have this power. Women and men must move forward together, hand in hand. The welfare of society and the empowerment of families can only be achieved in this way.”
Following the opening speeches, in the talk “Carrying the Traditional into the Future”, moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zeynep Özgüner, the speakers shared valuable information on preserving traditional culinary culture and carrying it into the future. The speakers also shared their success stories by describing the difficulties they have faced in society as women, how they overcame these obstacles, their determination, and their experiences in their career journeys.
