Vehbi Koç
Ahmet Vehbi Koç (* 1901 in Ankara ; † February 25, 1996 in Antalya ) was a Turkish businessman, philanthropist and founder of the Koç Holding Durable Consumer Goods Group , which, in addition to companies such as Beko and Arçelik, comprises over 100 companies with almost 56,000 employees.
Life
Vehbi Koç was born in Ankara in 1901, and according to his own statements, he started his first company at the age of 16. However, the takeover of his father's company " Koçzade Ahmet Vehbi " in 1927 is guaranteed .
Entrepreneurship
Vehbi Koç benefited from the genocide of the Armenians and the expulsion of the Greeks , as a result of which many of the previously economically dominant non-Muslim Armenians and Greeks were killed or fled. The minority companies were expropriated by the new Turkish government . This appropriation of confiscated non-Muslim owners laid the foundation for a whole new generation of Turks, including Vehbi Koç, to build a company.
In 1938 he wrote the Koç Ticaret A.Ş. entered the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
In 1942 Vehbi Koç took advantage of the opportunities offered by the introduction of the property tax , which was aimed at reducing the influence of the non-Turkish and Jewish population, and took over numerous expropriated or collapsed companies.
Together with General Electric , he set up a production facility for incandescent lamps in Turkey in 1952. The success of this venture justified his plans to produce previously imported goods in Turkey. The Arçelik company was founded in 1955, followed by the steel producer Türk Demir Döküm a year earlier . 1959 Otosan , the first Turkish automobile manufacturer. Aygaz followed in 1962 , today's market leader on the Turkish gas market.
These companies were merged in 1963 to form Koç Holding Durable Consumer Goods Group . The holding company produced the first Turkish automobile, Anadolu , from 1966 . Founded in 1967, the TAT canning factory initially limited itself to tomato paste, today it is one of the largest canned food producers in the Middle East. In 1968, together with Fiat, the Tofaş company was founded, which began production of the Murat model in 1971 .
In 1984 Koç withdrew from business life and devoted himself increasingly to charity. In 1987 he was named Businessman of the Year by the International Chamber of Commerce and was presented by Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi during the celebrations in New Delhi .
On June 14, 1994, the Turkish Family Health and Planning Foundation founded by Koç received the World Population Planning Award from the then UN Secretary General Boutros-Ghali . Koç died on February 25, 1996 in Antalya.
His work
Vehbi Koç was already involved in many social areas in the early years. In 1946 he founded the Vehbi Koç student residence and helped financially to set up the Ankara Medical Faculty (1963) and the Cardiological Institute of Istanbul University (1964). In 1967 he supported the establishment of the Turkish Education Foundation. The Ataturk Library in Istanbul was donated by Koç in 1976.
He published several books including:
- 1973 Hayat Hikayem (my life story)
- 1987 Hatıralarım, Görüşlerim, Öğütlerim (my memories, views, advice)
philosophy
After his retirement from business life , the company's founder left the document Hedefler ve İlkeler ("Goals and Principles"), an excerpt from it says (freely translated):
- “My legacy is: I exist as long as my state and my homeland exist. We can only live in a democracy. Therefore, we must direct all of our efforts towards strengthening our nation's economy. Because with our economy our democracy will also be able to develop. "
Individual evidence
- ↑ Vehbi Koç Kimdir? Eğitim, İş ve Aile Hayatı | Paratic . In: Paratic.com . ( paratic.com [accessed March 29, 2017]).
- ^ Geoffrey Jones: Entrepreneurship and Multinationals: Global Business and the Making of the Modern World. Edward Elgar Pub, 2013. p. 35
- ↑ EP Nowill: Constantinople and Istanbul: 72 Years of Life in Turkey. Troubador Publishing, 2011. p. 77
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Koç, Vehbi |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Turkish entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1901 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ankara |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 25, 1996 |
| Place of death | Antalya |