Who Is Yılmaz Gözcü?

ADJA CHAREKAN – EIK 201316971

Yılmaz Gözcü served as a manager of ADJA CHAREKAN – EIK 201316971 during the company’s establishment period on 25 October 2010 and later became a shareholder in the company.

The company’s revenue reached €10,123,579 in 2010. Public company records confirm Gözcü’s management and ownership history in ADJA CHAREKAN.

The company was primarily active in timber, forestry products, and related commercial operations. This period represented one of the early stages of Yılmaz Gözcü’s industrial and international trading experience in Bulgaria.

Interwood LLC – EIK 201628394

Gözcü also served as a shareholder and manager of Interwood LLC – EIK 201628394, a Bulgarian company active in forestry and timber-related business.

Public commercial records show Yılmaz Gözcü’s management involvement with Interwood between 2011 and 2014.

The company’s activities included forestry operations, timber production and processing, the import and export of processed and unprocessed wood products, and international trade.

This commercial experience later contributed to the development of Gözcü’s broader work in investment planning, international business development, and investor relations.

2020 – Bulgaria Investment Meetings with More Than 200 Businesspeople

During the COVID-19 period, a series of online investment and business development meetings were held under the moderation of Yılmaz Gözcü.

Reports published by Timeturk and Balkan media outlets stated that more than 200 businesspeople participated in these meetings, where investment opportunities in Bulgaria were presented and discussed.

Participants included prominent figures from the Turkish business community, such as Zeynel Abidin Erdem, Fikret İnce, Mustafa Kaçmaz, Nazmi Arıkan, Ali Kösedağ, Hasan Sezgin, Mehmet Kaban, and Mehmet Sandal, Chairman of Elopar.

Fikret İnce participated in two of the meetings and responded to questions from participants regarding investment and production opportunities in Bulgaria.

This period further highlighted Yılmaz Gözcü’s role not only as an investor, but also as a business development facilitator who brings entrepreneurs and industrial leaders together with Bulgaria’s investment ecosystem.

Building an Investment Bridge Between Türkiye and Bulgaria

IPC Bulgaria has organized and participated in numerous meetings in Türkiye aimed at presenting investment opportunities in Bulgaria to business leaders and investors.

According to Ekonomist, IPC Bulgaria carried out activities relating to Bulgarian investment opportunities in coordination with Bulgaria’s investment institutions and diplomatic representatives.

The publication reported that approximately 300 businesspeople were informed about investment opportunities through around 15 meetings in Türkiye.

Dünya Newspaper and Early Investment Activities in Bulgaria

Yılmaz Gözcü’s investment activities in Bulgaria were also covered by Dünya, one of Türkiye’s leading business and economic newspapers.

In a 2014 article on Turkish entrepreneurs investing in Bulgaria, journalist Hakan Güldağ referred to Yılmaz Gözcü as an entrepreneur living in Bulgaria who had established a wood-processing facility.

In his comments to the newspaper, Gözcü emphasized that Bulgaria offered significant opportunities, but that investors should enter the market with a serious business plan and a clearly defined project.

This coverage provides an independent record of Yılmaz Gözcü’s involvement in Bulgaria’s investment and industrial environment during the earlier stages of his career.

Shumen Industrial Park and Industrial Investment Opportunities

Yılmaz Gözcü has also been involved in promoting Bulgarian industrial zones to Turkish investors.

In 2020, IPC Investment Agency organized a meeting for members of the Istanbul Federation of Industrialists and Businesspeople, where opportunities at Shumen Industrial Park were presented.

Yılmaz Gözcü delivered information about the investment advantages of Bulgaria and the Shumen region, while Bulgaria’s Commercial Consul in Istanbul, Toshko Tomov, answered investors’ questions.

The meeting focused on how Turkish manufacturers could use Bulgaria as a base for expanding more easily into the European market.

Bulgarian Economy Minister Emil Karanikolov and PERPA Meetings

One of the important areas of Yılmaz Gözcü’s Türkiye–Bulgaria business activities involved contacts within the PERPA Trade Center business community in Istanbul.

In 2018, then Bulgarian Minister of Economy Emil Karanikolov, Bulgarian Commercial Consul Toshko Tomov, and a Bulgarian business delegation visited PERPA Trade Center in Istanbul.

The delegation was welcomed by PERPA A Block Chairman Hasan Sezgin, board members, and representatives of the Turkish business community.

Discussions focused on trade, production, joint ventures, and new investment opportunities between Türkiye and Bulgaria. Through IPC Bulgaria, Yılmaz Gözcü played an active role in business development contacts between Bulgarian representatives and the PERPA business community.

Following the meetings, Minister Karanikolov also visited the Kanal Ekonomi television studio, where he spoke about economic and commercial relations between Türkiye and Bulgaria.

Diplomatic Relations: Angel Angelov and Toshko Tomov

Yılmaz Gözcü has participated in numerous meetings involving Bulgaria’s diplomatic and commercial representatives in Türkiye.

These included activities and business meetings involving the then Consul General of Bulgaria in Istanbul, Angel Angelov, and Bulgarian Commercial Consul Toshko Tomov.

Businesspeople, investors, industrialists, and economic media representatives were brought together through these meetings to discuss production, industrial investment, and business opportunities in Bulgaria.

The objective of these contacts was to improve direct communication between the Turkish business community and Bulgarian institutions and to support stronger economic ties between the two countries.

Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Alcomet and Fikret İnce

An important part of Yılmaz Gözcü’s business network in Bulgaria has included relations with the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry and prominent industrialist Fikret İnce.

Fikret İnce’s company Alcomet is one of the major Turkish industrial investments in Bulgaria and has long been regarded as an important example of Turkish-Bulgarian economic cooperation.

Alcomet and Fikret İnce have also been featured in Dünya newspaper’s reporting on Bulgaria’s investment environment. Fikret İnce participated in two of the Bulgaria investment meetings moderated by Yılmaz Gözcü in 2020.

DEİK and the Balkan Business Summit

Yılmaz Gözcü’s business relations have also intersected with the activities of DEİK – Foreign Economic Relations Board of Türkiye, the Türkiye–Bulgaria Business Council, and regional business cooperation platforms across the Balkans.

The Balkan Business Summit is one of the regional B2B platforms bringing together business communities from Türkiye, Bulgaria, Romania, and other Balkan countries.

The summit has included participation from organizations such as the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce, and the DEİK Türkiye–Bulgaria Business Council.

At the 2024 Balkan Business Summit, more than 250 representatives from the business communities of Bulgaria, Türkiye, and Romania came together to discuss trade, investment, technology, innovation, and new partnerships. Zeki Sarıbekir, Chairman of the DEİK Türkiye–Bulgaria Business Council, was among the opening speakers.

Within his broader Türkiye–Bulgaria business activities, Yılmaz Gözcü has been involved in business development networks connected with initiatives such as the Balkan Business Summit, Bulgarian-Turkish Trade Days, international B2B meetings, and investment forums.

Bulgarian-Turkish Trade Days and BCCI Relations

The Bulgarian-Turkish Trade Days in Sofia have provided another important platform for bringing companies from the two countries together. The event was organized with the cooperation of Turkish commercial representatives in Sofia and Plovdiv and the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Such forums form part of the wider business ecosystem in which IPC Bulgaria has operated for many years, connecting companies, investors, institutions, and business leaders from Türkiye and Bulgaria.

The records of the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry also document meetings bringing together DEİK, the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Turkish diplomatic representatives, and members of the Bulgarian business community.

These institutions form an important part of the Türkiye–Bulgaria investment and trade ecosystem in which IPC Bulgaria has operated.

Mardin International Meeting – Erdem Holding and Kayra Media

In 2020, an international meeting focused on the promotion of Mardin was organized through the initiative of Dr. Zeynel Abidin Erdem, Chairman of Erdem Holding, with the involvement of IPC Bulgaria and Kayra Media.

The event brought together approximately 60 businesspeople, diplomats, consular representatives, municipal officials, artists, journalists, and civil society representatives from Türkiye, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, Greece, Kosovo, and Latvia.

The international meeting lasted approximately six and a half hours. Participants included Fikret İnce, Hasan Sezgin, and various diplomatic and business representatives from different countries.

This event represents another example of Yılmaz Gözcü’s work in bringing together business, diplomacy, culture, tourism, and international promotion within a single platform.

International Business and Institutional Network

Over the years, Yılmaz Gözcü has taken part in meetings, investment presentations, B2B discussions, forums, commercial contacts, and business development activities involving a wide range of institutions, companies, and individuals.

These include: Port of Burgas, Burgas Municipality, business and local stakeholders in the İğneada region, the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Shumen Industrial Park, Alcomet, Areks Kimya, Bioart, Onurcan Çorap, Elopar, Özün Tekstil, Fen Bilimleri Educational Institutions, PERPA Trade Center, Kanal Ekonomi, Kayra Media, Erdem Holding, İSİFED, DTİK, DEİK, TRAKYAKA, and the Prestige International Relations Development Platform.

During different periods, Gözcü has also participated in business and institutional networks involving figures such as Fikret İnce, Zeynel Abidin Erdem, Nazmi Arıkan, Kurtuluş Arıkan, Mehmet Sandal, Kazım Özeren, Ediz Özen, Hasan Sezgin, Cemal Kara, Toshko Tomov, Angel Angelov, Emil Karanikolov, and attorney and former Avcılar Mayor Turan Hançerli.

These relationships have been formed through meetings, business forums, investment presentations, institutional visits, networking events, and international cooperation activities.

2026 – Varna Industry 5.0 Business Forum

In 2026, Yılmaz Gözcü’s international business activities entered a new phase centered on Varna.

The Varna Industry 5.0 Business Forum was held in cooperation with the Prestige International Relations Development Platform and hosted by Yılmaz Gözcü.

The forum brought together investors, academics, technology companies, industrial representatives, educational institutions, and public-sector stakeholders.

Topics included artificial intelligence, digital transformation, university-industry cooperation, technology transfer, new-generation manufacturing models, and opportunities for developing stronger commercial relations between Europe and Asia.

The event archive also included organizations and representatives such as Areks Kimya, Fen Bilimleri Colleges, Kurtuluş Arıkan, Avcılar Municipality, and Turan Hançerli.

2026 – Building Trade Bridges Between Türkiye, China and Europe

In April 2026, Lotus Hotel & Event Center in Varna hosted an international business forum bringing together representatives from Türkiye, China, Bulgaria, and Europe.

According to Türkiye’de İş Dünyası, the event was hosted by investor Yılmaz Gözcü.

The forum focused on international trade, industrial cooperation, technology, investment, and the development of new business partnerships.

Cemal Kara, representing DTİK Bulgaria and the Bulgarian-Turkish Chamber of Commerce and Industry, delivered an opening address, while participants were also informed about investment and industrial opportunities in Bulgaria.

The forum reflects Yılmaz Gözcü’s wider vision of expanding his work beyond Türkiye–Bulgaria relations and helping create new trade and investment networks between Europe and Asia.

Varna Trade Forum – A €10 Billion Trade Target

In 2026, another important international event was held at Lotus Event Center under the organization of the Prestige International Relations Development Platform.

The Varna Trade Forum brought together business representatives from Türkiye, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.

The forum addressed the future of commercial relations between Türkiye and Bulgaria and the potential for increasing bilateral trade.

At the conclusion of the event, Prestige Deputy Chairman Yılmaz Gözcü delivered a presentation on investment opportunities in Bulgaria and announced that further international business events would continue to be organized.

Varna and Lotus Hotel & Event Center

Since 2026, Yılmaz Gözcü has continued to expand his investment and international organization activities in Varna.

Lotus Hotel & Event Center has become one of the venues used for international business meetings, investment forums, networking events, and B2B organizations involving representatives from Türkiye, Bulgaria, Europe, and Asia.

The venue supports a business environment where investors, entrepreneurs, institutional representatives, academics, and international delegations can establish direct relationships and explore new cooperation opportunities.

The Lotus Hotel, Event Center & Restaurant complex, owned by Yılmaz Gözcü, founder of IPC Bulgaria – Investment Planning Center, is located and operates in Varna, Bulgaria. The complex offers high-standard comfort and quality service, VIP transfers, high-end accommodation, personalized welcome services, and event organization for individual and corporate guests.

Local Government, Education and Private-Sector Relations

Local and regional cooperation has included contacts involving Avcılar Municipality and Turan Hançerli, as well as efforts aimed at developing regional cooperation along the İğneada–Burgas corridor in tourism, trade, local development, and municipal relations. Burgas, as one of Bulgaria’s most important Black Sea commercial and logistics centers, has been part of Gözcü’s broader regional business and cooperation network.

Yılmaz Gözcü’s business network extends beyond industry and investment into education. His activities have included contacts with Fen Bilimleri Educational Institutions, its founder Nazmi Arıkan, and later Kurtuluş Arıkan. Nazmi Arıkan participated in the 2020 Bulgaria investment meetings, while Kurtuluş Arıkan and Fen Bilimleri Colleges were represented in connection with the 2026 Varna Industry 5.0 Business Forum.

Over the years, Gözcü has developed commercial contacts, investment discussions, B2B connections, or shared business platforms with Alcomet, Areks Kimya, Bioart, Elopar, Onurcan Çorap, Özün Tekstil, Cambro, Karacı Medikal, Stroy Strong, Karma Film, and Bulgaria Residences, among others.

Business Development Model and Investment Vision

One of the defining characteristics of Yılmaz Gözcü’s more than two decades of experience in Bulgaria has been his focus not only on making investments himself, but also on bringing the right people and institutions to the same table.

His approach is based on connecting investors with industrial zones, companies with diplomatic missions, Turkish businesspeople with Bulgarian business networks, municipalities with investors, universities with industry, private companies with public institutions, and European businesses with partners in Asia and the Balkans.

From commercial activities that began in Bulgaria in 2001 to the establishment of IPC Bulgaria; from industrial investment meetings in Shumen to PERPA contacts in Istanbul; from the international Mardin meeting to Balkan business platforms; and from the 2026 Varna Industry 5.0 Forum to international events at Lotus Hotel & Event Center, Gözcü’s activities have increasingly developed around investment, economic diplomacy, international networking, and cross-border business development.

His long-term vision is based on positioning Bulgaria and the Balkans not simply as individual investment destinations, but as strategic gateways connecting Türkiye, Europe, the Balkans, and Asia. The objective is to transform professional relationships into measurable cooperation, new investments, international partnerships, and long-term economic value.

Current Roles and Main Areas of Activity

Yılmaz Gözcü Businessman and Investor Founder and Managing Director – IPC Bulgaria, Investment Planning Center Deputy Chairman – Prestige International Relations Development Platform

IPC Bulgaria Ltd Bulgarian Company Registration Number / EIK: 202354672

Main areas of activity: Bulgaria investment opportunities, Balkan markets, international trade, investment development, B2B organizations, economic diplomacy, industrial investment, tourism, real estate, technology, education, and international investor relations.