Koç Holding Board of Directors appoints Ömer M. Koç as Chairman and Ali Y. Koç as Vice Chairman
In a statement, Ömer M. Koç, who has served as Vice Chairman of the Board of Koç Holding and as Chairman of the Board of Turkey’s largest industrial organization Tüpraş since 2008, said, “I am proud to be a member of a Group and family that has made such a significant contribution to the economic and social development of Turkey and represents our country so successfully in the international arena. We are still suffering the untimely loss of my beloved brother and Chairman of our Board Mustafa V. Koç, may he rest in peace. I consider it my duty and responsibility to build on his legacy. I wholeheartedly believe that the Koç Group, while continuing to act as the driver of the Turkish economy, will write new success stories in the international arena for our country.” Ömer M. Koç, the newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Koç Holding, studied at Robert College High School and received an undergraduate degree in Ancient Greek from Columbia University in 1985 and an MBA in 1989 from Columbia University’s Business School. He started his professional life as a Sales Officer at Kofisa Trading Company in Switzerland in 1985. He then worked as a Sales Officer at the New York based Ramerica International Inc. in 1989. Between 1991 and 2004, he served as Manager of Gazal A.Ş., Finance Coordinator, Vice President of the Energy Group and President of the Energy Group at Koç Holding. He was appointed a member of the Board of Directors of Koç Holding in April 2004 and as Vice Chairman in May 2008. Ömer M. Koç also serves as Chairman and Member of the Board of many Koç Group companies. He became a Member of the Board of Tüpraş in 2006 and has been Chairman of the Board since 2008. Ömer M. Koç led many initiatives at the company, such as to increase production capacity, energy efficiency and R&D, to make Tüpraş the most competitive refinery company in the Mediterranean, and led the “Fuel Oil Conversion Facility” project - the largest one-time industrial investment in the history of the Turkish Republic. Ömer M. Koç, who always emphasizes that economic activities alone are not sufficient for the development of a country, has been involved in many projects that support the social development of our country because he believes that “Activities in culture, arts and education should not be peripheral but rather complementary aspects of social life.” Ömer M. Koç serves as Board Member of the Vehbi Koç Foundation and has been the President of the Board of Trustees of the Koç University since 2015. He has also been the Chairman of the Board of the Turkish Education Foundation (TEV) since 2007.