Top Five Turkish Billionaire 2022

Each year, Forbes employs a team of more than 50 reporters from a variety of

countries to track the activity of the world’s wealthiest individuals.

Preliminary surveys are sent to those who may qualify for the list. According

to Forbes, they received three types of responses – some people try to inflate their

wealth, others cooperate but leave out details, and some refuse to answer any

questions. Business deals are then scrutinized and estimates of valuable assets –

land, homes, vehicles, artwork, etc. – are made. Interviews are conducted to vet the

figures and improve the estimate of an individual’s holdings.

 

Top Five Turkish Billionaire 2022

1_ Erman Ilıcak

 born 1967 is a Turkish businessman, investor, and president of Rönesans

Holding. Erman Ilıcak founded Rönesans Holding in St. Petersburg in 1993.

 

Mr. Ilıcak still acts as the chairperson of the board of Rönesans Holding.

Headquartered in Ankara, today Rönesans Holding operates as the main contractor

and investor in construction, real estate, health, energy and petrochemical fields,

mainly in Turkey, Russia and the Netherlands, in a wide geographical area covering

Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, with more than 75 thousand

employees in 28 countries. Today, Rönesans Holding builds heavy industry facilities,

infrastructure projects, manufacturing industry facilities, chemical and

pharmaceutical production facilities, food and beverage processing facilities,

automotive and machinery plants, government buildings, health complexes and

power plants, as well as shopping malls, offices, hotels, residences and mixed

structures.

 

2_ Murat Ülker

The second Turkish Billionaire from top five turkish billionaire

2022 is Ferit Şahenk

born 1959 is a Turkish billionaire businessman, and the chairman of Yıldız Holding,

the largest food company in the CEEMEA Region (Central & Eastern Europe, Middle

East, and Africa). Yıldız owns businesses including Godiva Chocolatier, pladis, and

Sok. In 1984, Ülker joined the Ülker Group, part of Yıldız Holding, as a control

coordinator. Over the following years, he served as assistant general manager for

enterprises, and later, as general manager. In 2000, Ülker became the CEO of Yıldız

Holding, before becoming its chairman in 2008. Under his chairmanship, Yıldız

Holding expanded its business and made several acquisitions including GODIVA

Chocolatier in 2008 and United Biscuits in 2014. In 2016, Yildiz formed a new global

business, pladis, by bringing together three of its brands: Ülker, United Biscuits, and

DeMet’s Candy Company.

 

3_ Hüsnü Özyeğin

The third Turkish Billionaire from top five turkish billionaire

2022 is Ferit Şahenk

born 1944 is a Turkish billionaire. He founded Finansbank in 1987 and later sold the

Turkish division of the bank. Nowadays, his financial investments are managed

under Fiba Holding while non-financial investments are managed under Fina

Holding. Following his return home after three more years in the US, Özyeğin was

offered a post in Pamukbank, which belonged to his schoolmate, Mehmet Emin

Karamehmet. In 1977, at the age of only 32, he was appointed general manager of

this bank and he held this position until 1984. Then he transferred to Yapı ve Kredi

Bankası to become its general manager, a much larger bank in Turkey acquired that

year by the same friend. There he succeeded in leading the money-losing bank to a

profit over the next two years. Özyeğin led Yapı ve Kredi Bankası until 1987, when he

decided to establish his own bank, the Finansbank at the age of 43. He expanded it

to a bank with more than 200 branches operating in nine countries out of Turkey,

mostly in Europe. He later founded several finance companies and brought them

under the Holding Fiba, which has around 8,500 employees in 20 companies. Over

the next few years, he invested in high-demand industries such as real estate, energy

and retail, building condominiums and shopping centers across the main domestic

business districts. In 1996, he entered the retail business purchasing the

supermarket chains Gima, Endi, Spar and Greens. Furthermore, Özyeğin signed a

franchising contract with the British retail chain Marks & Spencer, and then

purchased also the Sakura Bank.

 

4_Semahat Sevim Arsel

born 1928 is a Turkish billionaire businesswoman. She is a director of Koç Holding,

the largest industrial conglomerate in Turkey, and the eldest child of its

founder, Vehbi Koç (1901–1996). She owns 6.15% of the family business. Arsel

founded the Koç University School of Nursing. As of August 2021, Forbes estimated

her net worth at US$1.9 billion. Arsel is the chairperson of the Vehbi Koç Foundation.

 

 

5_Ferit Şahenk

The fifth Turkish Billionaire from top five turkish billionaire

2022 is Ferit Şahenk

 born 1964 is the Chairman of Turkey’s Doğuş Group and one of the richest people

in Turkey. He attended the Owner/President Program at Harvard University. At the

age of 37, Şahenk took over his father’s Doğuş Holding after Ayhan Şahenk died of a

heart attack in April 2001. The net worth of the Şahenk conglomerate is around US$

2.5 billion, with a turnover for 2005 of US$6 billion, employing about 18,000 people.

He relinquished some control of the Garanti Bank, selling a quarter of the country’s

third largest bank to General Electric for $1.6 billion in 2004, which was regarded as

an important step towards greater liberalization in the Turkish banking sector, which

had been severely affected by the 2001 economic crisis. He also runs Turkish media

properties capturing more than 10 per cent of country’s advertising market. The

flattering of the government and Turkish PM with his media company has been

widely criticized and protested against by Turkish citizens. Bankrolled Gallipoli, a film

about the Turkish military battle against the Allied offensive. On 28 January 2006

Şahenk held a reception during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos,

Switzerland.