In 2017, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp topped Fortune Türkiye Magazine's '40 Under 40' list, which ranks the 40 most influential business people under the age of 40. She was also honored as one of the Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum in 2018.
İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp is a member of the Board of Trustees and Board of Directors of the Rönesans Education Foundation, and she played a leading role in establishing the 'There is One Step Foundation' in 2020. In addition to her work with these foundations, she actively participates in various notable non-governmental organizations.
Career
After graduating from Middle East Technical University with a degree in Economics in 2000, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp worked at Ankara-based FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş. from 2002 to 2006. In 2006, she joined Rönesans Holding, where she served as a member of the Executive Committee and occupied the role of Treasury Group President until 2014. In January 2014, she was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of Rönesans Holding.Vision and Achievements
İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp's expertise in economics and finance has played a crucial role in transforming Rönesans Holding into a globally renowned construction and investment company. Since joining Rönesans Holding in 2006, she has been instrumental in establishing the Treasury Department and managing financial risk management processes for operations in various countries.İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp plays a pivotal role within Rönesans Holding, overseeing diverse areas of responsibility. She ensures efficient management as the head of financial operations for the Holding company and its subsidiaries. Additionally, she handles strategic international partnerships and financial closings, further enhancing Rönesans Holding's position in the global market. Furthermore, she leads the human resources, corporate communication, occupational health and safety, environment, and sustainability units, all of which contribute to the company's overall success.
İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp successfully managed Rönesans Holding's acquisitions of Alpine Bau GmbH based in Switzerland, Heitkamp based in Germany, and Ballast Nedam based in the Netherlands. She also facilitated the Group's partnership agreements with the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), a sovereign wealth fund based in Singapore, Meridiam, an international investment and asset management company based in France, and Sojitz from Japan. In 2016, she played a key role in the shareholding agreement signed with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a critical World Bank institution. More recently, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp led the acquisition of a majority stake in Gaziantep City Hospital, a project with an investment size of approximately EUR 800 million in 2022, and the restructuring of a EUR 480 million financing package provided by the former shareholders after the share acquisition.
Despite significant global market challenges, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp has been instrumental in enhancing Rönesans Holding's ability to secure international financing and has successfully realized important financing deals in recent years. The financial closure of the Başakşehir Çam and Sakura City Hospital carried out through the collaboration between Rönesans Sağlık Yatırım and Japanese Sojitz utilizing the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, is a significant achievement in this field; the project secured a loan agreement of JPY 163 billion, making it a notable example of successful financing. This achievement was recognized when the project received the prestigious 'PPP Deal of the Year Award' for Europe at Thomson Reuters' Project Finance International Awards (PFI) in 2017.
In December 2022, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed an agreement with Rönesans Holding, further contributing financing to the company's healthcare investments. This agreement added to the already substantial financing package, bringing the total value to approximately EUR 3 billion. As part of this package, Rönesans Sağlık Yatırım A.Ş. received a long-term financing of EUR 75 million from the EBRD.
In 2022, Rönesans Holding accomplished the EUR 818 million financial closing of the Mersin-Gaziantep High-Speed Train Project. This project, undertaken by the Group, will be realized through the EPC-F model, marking the Group’s first financing arrangement in Turkey using this approach.
Awards
40 Under 40İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp was named one of the 40 most influential Turkish business people under the age of 40 in Fortune Magazine's Turkey Edition '40 Under 40' list in 2015. She was ranked first on the list in 2017.
WEF - Young Global Leaders
In 2018, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp was invited to join the World Economic Forum's 'Young Global Leaders,' where she was the only Turkish member among 100 business and scientific leaders, artists, entrepreneurs, engineers, thinkers, and civil society leaders. The 2018 'Young Global Leaders' included notable individuals such as Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Finnish Minister of Education Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, US Representative for Massachusetts Joseph P. Kennedy, and renowned entrepreneur Miroslava Duma.
Women to Watch
In 2018, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp was selected as the ‘Social Responsibility Leader’ in MediaCat's ‘Women To Watch’ list, honoring the most successful women in the business world.
Most Influential Business Woman
In 2019, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp was listed among the ’30 Most Influential Business Women’ by Capital Magazine and ‘Türkiye's 50 Most Powerful Business Women’ by Fortune Türkiye.
EBRD Sustainability Awards
Rönesans Holding received the bronze award in the 'Gender Equality and Economic Inclusion' category at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's (EBRD) 2022 Sustainability Awards.
Sustainability Activities
İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp, as Chair of the Board of Directors of Rönesans Holding and a member of the Board of Directors of Rönesans Education Foundation, spearheads the implementation of inclusion and diversity policies, which mainly focus on gender equality. In 2020, she played a leading role in establishing the 'There is One Step Foundation,' aiming to support the personal and professional development of young female university students.Since assuming the position of Chair in 2014, she has strongly supported Rönesans Holding's sustainability, inclusion, and diversity efforts, implementing various projects and practices in these areas.
Her substantial efforts led Rönesans Holding to become a signatory of the United Nations Global Compact in 2015 and the United Nations Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in 2016.
Design the Sustainable Future
İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp plays a crucial role in implementing various projects within the Holding company aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of young individuals in the business world and promoting their participation in decision-making processes. In 2015, she took the lead in launching the 'Design the Sustainable Future' competition, which has been instrumental in empowering young talents.This competition, open to undergraduate and graduate students from all university departments, regardless of their year or class, aims to foster a culture of sustainability among students and promote healthier and more environmentally friendly building practices for future generations.
The competition, now in its 8th year in 2022, has engaged over 100,000 students. The 2022 competition focused on projects inspired by the ‘biomimicry’ approach, which draws inspiration from solutions and cycles found in nature. Unlike previous years, the competition featured three categories: 'Product Design,' 'Building Design,' and 'Social Innovation,' with 708 students participating and 444 projects being presented in 2022.
Rönesans Excellence Awards (REXA)
Launched in 2016 under the leadership of İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp, the Rönesans Excellence Awards (REXA) aims to recognize and celebrate exceptional achievements among Rönesans Holding employees. It serves as a platform to highlight individuals, teams, construction sites, and enterprises that have made a significant impact and set an outstanding example within the organization. The awards also aim to inspire and encourage similar accomplishments.Employees from 30 countries have the opportunity to nominate themselves or their colleagues in various categories, including 'Innovation,' 'Quality,' 'Occupational Health and Safety,' 'Sustainability,' 'Best Practice,' 'Best Teamwork,' 'Social Responsibility and Volunteering,' 'Effective Leadership,' and for the 'Honor Award.’
2023 Gaziantep-Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes Aid
İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp took the lead in organizing psychological support for women and children affected by the February 6, 2023, Gaziantep-Kahramanmaraş earthquakes. When Malatya Erman Ilıcak Science High School and Malatya Darende Bekir Ilıcak Vocational High School were established as shelters for earthquake victims, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp actively participated in coordinating relief activities and played a crucial role in collaboration with the Teacher Saadet's Fight Against Child Abuse Association (UCIM) to provide support and protection to unaccompanied children. As part of these relief efforts, volunteer psychologists working in 24-hour shifts were assigned to Adana City Hospital to establish psycho-social and post-trauma support mechanisms. Furthermore, psycho-social activities for children were organized at the BİNEFES Special Education Tent, which was set up in collaboration with TODEV in the outdoor parking lot of Piazza Shopping Mall in Kahramanmaraş. In addition to baby care rooms and a children's cinema, this facility provided a safe space for children from the region.İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp was instrumental in designing the container cities built by Rönesans Holding in Malatya and Adıyaman. These cities were created as long-term living spaces for social purposes rather than just temporary shelters. Leveraging her philanthropic experience, she facilitated collaboration between Rönesans Holding, UNICEF, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to ensure these cities were designed in a manner conducive to the needs of women and children. As a result, these container cities, representing a successful partnership between the private sector and NGOs in post-earthquake relief efforts, were tailored to meet the diverse needs of women, children, and young people.
The Container City plans were enhanced by adding social reinforcement areas, reflecting the community's evolving needs. As a result, the architectural design of these projects was carefully crafted to accommodate these requirements. In addition, to promote women's participation in economic and social endeavors, designated areas were created to provide them with access to training and workshops to enhance their skills.
Since 2024, İpek Ilıcak Kayaalp has been a member of the Business Advisory Board at UNICEF Turkey due to her efforts in this process.