Berdan Doğan Takes Chair at Mersin Chamber of Shipping for 2026–2030

Berdan Doğan has taken over as chair of the Mersin Chamber of Shipping (MDTO), beginning a 2026–2030 term after Cihat Lokmanoğlu’s roughly 37 years in the role. For Mersin’s maritime businesses, the change brings a new leadership team whose stated priorities include closer communication with members and a stronger connection between maritime activity, local businesses and youth employment.

The chamber’s selection process covered 11 professional committees and its governing bodies. Committee members were determined on October 7, 2026. On October 14, newly selected council members met at the MDTO service building to choose the board chair, board members, delegates to the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB), and disciplinary board members. Doğan was selected as chair.

New board and council leadership

Serving on the board under Doğan’s presidency are Bekir Yıldız, Ertuğ Kemal Yılmaz, Göksel Hallaç, Rabia Demir, Metin Özdemir and Mehmet Özkan. The council will work alongside the board during the new term. Sabit Ahmetler was selected as council chair, with Alkaan Sevim and Ahmet Yılmaz as vice-chairs. Remzi Murat Neyiğit will serve as council secretary.

The appointments establish the leadership structure for the four-year term. Doğan said the board would coordinate with council members on the development of Mersin’s maritime sector and the city’s economy. The chamber has not set out specific projects, schedules or performance targets in the statements provided, so the priorities announced so far point to areas of focus rather than a detailed work plan.

Member concerns and industry connections

Doğan put communication with members at the center of his plans. He said businesses in different parts of the maritime sector should be able to raise their problems directly with the chamber, which would consult relevant institutions about possible solutions. That approach is intended to give the chamber a clearer view of issues affecting its varied membership and to carry those concerns into discussions beyond the organization.

He also wants Mersin’s strength in maritime trade to translate more directly into activity among local businesses and employment opportunities for young people. The sectors he identified for stronger communication include shipowners, shipping agents and ship suppliers, along with educational institutions. Better links among those groups could help the chamber communicate the needs of different businesses and connect industry priorities with training and employment. Doğan did not specify particular programs or commitments in these areas.

The incoming team also plans to continue and develop work inherited from earlier administrations in education and social responsibility. The emphasis on continuity sits alongside Doğan’s intention to make member communication more direct. For companies working across the port and maritime supply chain, the practical measure will be whether the chamber can turn member concerns into coordinated follow-up and sustained links with schools and local businesses.

Handover after a long leadership period

The transfer took place at the chamber’s service building, with board members and secretariat staff present. Doğan thanked Lokmanoğlu for his contributions to MDTO and the maritime sector. At the ceremony, he said: “We will carry our sector to brighter tomorrows in unity and solidarity with all our stakeholders.”

Lokmanoğlu thanked the board members and chamber staff who worked with him and wished the new administration success. He described Doğan as someone from within the maritime sector who understands its work closely, and expressed confidence in the incoming team’s ability to contribute to Mersin and the industry. The chamber presented Lokmanoğlu with a plaque in recognition of his service.

MDTO was established on March 13, 1989, and serves its members by addressing shared needs, supporting their professional activities and contributing to maritime sector development. Its work also includes education and social initiatives. The institution’s long history under Lokmanoğlu makes the leadership transfer a notable change in its governance, while the new board inherits existing programs as well as the task of representing a range of maritime businesses.

Education remains part of the agenda

MDTO’s education work includes the Mersin Chamber of Shipping Vocational and Technical Anatolian High School. The chamber completed the school with educational equipment and delivered it to the Ministry of National Education; it opened for the 2009–2010 academic year. Doğan’s stated interest in youth employment and stronger links between maritime companies and educational institutions builds on that existing connection.

The next indication of how the new leadership will put its priorities into practice will be the way it engages members across the sector and develops its education and social responsibility work. For Mersin’s maritime businesses, the central test is whether closer coordination can help the chamber represent their needs and strengthen the local employment links Doğan has identified.

Source: SeaNews Türkiye