Semih Geçer: from construction to sport, a business vision that transcends sectors

From Gallardo's real estate projects to women's basketball, the training of athletes and the development of ICL, the Turkish entrepreneur has built an ecosystem that shares the same philosophy: create solid structures, invest in people and generate lasting value.

There are business groups that grow by adding companies, and others that develop a management approach capable of being applied across different sectors. In the career of Semih Geçer, the starting point lies in real estate development, but his business activities have also expanded into basketball teams, athlete development and the professional organization of combat sports.

Semih began his career as a real estate advisor. In 2015, he participated in the creation of Forces Grup and, following a period during which approximately forty projects were completed, embarked on a new business chapter with Gallardo. The company identifies 2022 as the beginning of its independent phase and currently reports more than ten years of experience, over one hundred thousand square metres developed, and operations in Ankara and Northern Cyprus.

Building on that foundation, Gallardo has developed an ecosystem combining residential projects, sports management and new competition platforms. This conversation explores the ideas connecting these areas and examines the business philosophy underpinning their development.

A Business Culture Built on Experience

The journey leading up to Gallardo shows that the company did not emerge as an isolated venture, but rather as the result of years of experience, business decisions and completed projects. Beyond reconstructing a chronology, the focus is on identifying which lessons from that period continue to shape the group's management approach today.

IOW: Following that journey, which principles became the foundation of Gallardo's corporate culture?

S.G: Our business journey did not begin with a perfect plan designed in advance. It started with taking on responsibilities at a very early stage, working intensively and learning to find solutions in difficult circumstances. During the early years, we made mistakes, corrected decisions and tried again.

The objective was not merely to sustain ourselves, but to build a structure based on hard work and the creation of lasting value.

Over time, we understood that growth does not depend solely on speed: it requires stability, trust and the ability to make the right decisions. That idea remains at the heart of Gallardo. We take responsibility, act with discipline and prioritise sustainable value over immediate profit.

Gallardo: Building Beyond Square Metres

Today, Gallardo presents itself as a company with experience in residential and commercial projects, operations in Ankara and Northern Cyprus, and a portfolio that includes developments such as Lagom, Villa Lagom and Lagom Natur.

In a market where many developments are communicated through figures, the brand seeks to place a project's value in what remains after its completion.

IOW: What distinguishes Gallardo's real estate model, and how is its commitment to sustainability translated into concrete decisions?

S.G: Construction and real estate form the foundation of our corporate development, but we do not see this activity merely as producing square metres or generating sales.

We assess the long-term value that each project will create for its location, its users and its investors. That is why we approach design, quality of life, accessibility, sustainability and investment value together.

Our commitment to standards such as LEED reflects that same vision: sustainability should not be limited to a communication message, but expressed through verifiable criteria.

We do not aspire merely to deliver buildings, but to create reliable, lasting spaces capable of continuing to provide value years later.

From Real Estate to Sports Management

The transition from real estate development to sports could be interpreted as diversification without any apparent connection. However, Gallardo presents it as the application of the same management capabilities: building teams, coordinating complex structures, developing brands and sustaining long-term projects.

The experience also began through direct involvement in operations rather than sponsorship alone.

IOW: How did Gallardo enter the sports sector, and why did you decide to take an active role in its organization?

S.G: Our entry into sports was neither sudden nor driven solely by sponsorship objectives.

Discipline, competition, teamwork and continuous improvement have always been part of how we understand development.

By transferring our experience in management, organization and brand building to sports, we realised that we could also create professional structures focused on the long term.

In the early stages, we organised several MMA events in some of Ankara's main basketball arenas. This allowed us to gain direct experience in coordinating athletes and technical teams, production, audience experience and brand communication.

We then understood that we wanted to become directly involved in the organization, training and creation of value within sports.

Gallardo Spor Kulübü: Building a Sporting Identity

That philosophy found one of its most visible expressions in Gallardo Spor Kulübü.

For the 2026–2027 season, the women's basketball project welcomes Zafer Kalaycıoğlu, a coach with national and international experience. The appointment suggests that the club aims to build something broader than a competitive squad for a single season.

IOW: What role does Gallardo Spor Kulübü play within the group, and what culture do you aim to establish in this new phase?

S.G: Gallardo Spor Kulübü brings to the court the corporate approach we have developed in the business world.

Our investment in women's basketball is not solely about winning games or achieving immediate results. We want to build a club supported by a strong team culture, an appropriate technical structure, professional management and sustainable sporting development.

The appointment of Zafer Kalaycıoğlu forms part of that objective. His experience and achievements bring technical expertise, but also institutional knowledge and basketball culture.

As we build a competitive team, we attach equal importance to the development of young female players, a fighting spirit and daily discipline.

Results matter, but lasting success comes from planning, stability and the quality of work repeated every day.

Women's Sports as a Commitment to the Future

The commitment to women's basketball also has a social dimension. The visibility of female athletes, the creation of role models and opportunities for future generations depend as much on performance on the court as on the continuity of the structures supporting them.

IOW: What impact does Gallardo hope to achieve through its investment in women's sports?

S.G: We believe that supporting women's sports creates a powerful social impact.

Increasing the visibility of female athletes, creating strong role models for young people and helping women's basketball reach wider audiences matter to us just as much as sporting objectives.

We want Gallardo Spor Kulübü to become a lasting sports brand: a club that competes, continuously improves and builds trust through the values it represents. —Semih Geçer

Kimura: Discipline and Athlete Development

Within this sporting structure, Kimura Jiu-Jitsu Academy fulfils a different role from that of an event or competition.

Its work takes place in the gym every day, bringing together Brazilian jiu-jitsu, MMA, kickboxing and wrestling under a shared training culture.

IOW: What role does Kimura play within Gallardo Spor Kulübü, and what kind of development does it offer athletes?

S.G: Kimura is not a separate structure, but rather the framework we have created for combat sports within Gallardo Spor Kulübü.

It brings together different disciplines within a shared training culture, placing technical development, discipline and the athlete's continuity at its centre.

We apply the same long-term perspective to combat sports that we use when building basketball teams.

Kimura reflects our commitment to being a club that trains athletes every day, rather than an organisation that appears only during competitions.

We want athletes of different levels to find a safe, systematic and high-quality environment in which to develop.

SEMIH GEÇER- ICL

ICL: A New Chapter in Combat Sports

Kimura's daily training activities and the organisation of professional competitions address different needs.

ICL was created to take on the latter role and transform the experience accumulated through events in Ankara into an independent, recognisable and scalable structure.

IOW: What model does ICL aim to build, and how will it relate to Kimura without confusing their respective roles?

S.G: ICL was created with the aim of transferring our previous experience in organising MMA events into a more institutional, independent and scalable company.

ICL is not conceived simply as a brand that organises fights, but as a platform capable of offering professional standards to athletes, technical teams, spectators, media, sponsors and commercial partners.

Kimura and ICL will have different but complementary functions: Kimura focuses on the daily training and development of athletes within Gallardo Spor Kulübü, while ICL will take responsibility for professional event organisation.

We want to build a lasting and reliable organisation through strong operations, appropriate matchups, high-quality production, safe events and sustainable brand partnerships.

A Shared Vision Across Different Projects

Real estate, women's basketball, Kimura and ICL belong to different worlds, but Gallardo presents them as expressions of the same system.

The challenge is not to list companies, but to make the logic connecting them understandable, along with the standards by which the group wishes to be recognised.

IOW: What principles unite Gallardo's different activities, and what ambition connects its future projects?

S.G: In the next phase, we do not want Gallardo to grow solely in numerical terms.

Our real estate projects, women's basketball, Kimura and ICL may appear to belong to separate areas, but they all converge around the same values: building the right structures, investing in people, maintaining professional standards and creating lasting value.

We want to raise the quality of our projects, strengthen the solidity of our institutions and expand the impact of our brands.

We do not simply build buildings, teams or events; we seek to create reliable, sustainable structures capable of enduring.

That is the vision we want to convey to our partners and to those interested in our activities.

A Business Structure, Different Areas of Activity

Gallardo's evolution reflects a diversification strategy that has transferred the experience gained in the real estate sector into new areas of activity, particularly sports and the organisation of competitions.

Real estate development remains the group's business foundation, while Gallardo Spor Kulübü represents its commitment to sports management and women's basketball. Kimura focuses on the training and development of athletes across different combat disciplines, and ICL is a project aimed at organising professional competitions.

Although each initiative serves different objectives and audiences, they all share the principles that Semih Geçer identifies as fundamental to Gallardo's management: planning, professionalisation, investment in people and long-term value creation.

The development of ICL opens a new chapter in this diversification, building on the group's previous experience in organising MMA events in Ankara. Its evolution will provide an opportunity to observe how Gallardo applies its management model to an activity with its own operational, sporting and commercial requirements.

For now, the objective expressed by the group is not merely to increase the number of its projects, but to strengthen the quality, solidity and continuity of the structures it is already developing.

A strategy that places business consolidation, professionalisation and the sustainability of each activity at the centre of its next phase.

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