Rahmi Koç
Encyclopedia
Rahmi Mustafa Koç is a Turkish businessman
Born in Ankara
as the only son of one of Turkey's wealthiest man Vehbi Koç
, he attended high school at Robert College
in Istanbul
after his primary education in Ankara. Rahmi Koç then studied at the Johns Hopkins University
in the U.S.
and received his B.A.
in Industrial Management.
and moved to Istanbul.
Thereafter in 1970, he became chairman of the executive committee and in 1975 deputy chairman of the board of management. Rahmi Koç was appointed chairman of the Koç Holding management committee in 1980. His father Vehbi Koç transferred his chairmanship to his son on March 30, 1984. Rahmi Koç retired from this duty on April 4, 2003 transferring his chair to his eldest son Mustafa Koç. Rahmi Koç is currently Honorary Chairman of the Koç Holding.
He has three sons: Mustafa Vehbi (1960), Ömer Mehmet (1962) and Ali Yıldırım (1967) from his previous marriage to Çiğdem Simavi, who later married the former newspaper tycoon Haldun Simavi.
to make light bulbs and Ford Motor Co. to build buses and trucks, and continually expanding his activities, Koç built up an empire that, according to the Financial Times
generates nearly 5% of Turkish exports. Koç Holding Corp. has more than $12 billion in sales annually and employs 40,000 people.
(ICC) on November 7, 1994, Rahmi Koç was elected as the Chairman of the ICC for the term 1995-1996.
Rahmi Koç is a Rotarian
and a member of the Istanbul Open Sea Yacht Club and New York Yachting Club.
Visit to Henry Ford Museum in Michigan
inspired him to create the Rahmi M Koç Museum
in Istanbul, which is dedicated to the history of transport, industry and communications exhibiting trains, submarines and autos.
The company and the Koç Foundation are known for their commitment to philanthropy, especially in the area of education.
Born in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
as the only son of one of Turkey's wealthiest man Vehbi Koç
Vehbi Koç
Vehbi Koç , born in Çoraklı, Ankara, Ottoman Empire, was a Turkish entrepreneur and philanthropist. He founded the Koç Group, one of Turkey’s largest and most prestigious group of companies...
, he attended high school at Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
in Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
after his primary education in Ankara. Rahmi Koç then studied at the Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and received his B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Industrial Management.
Career
Following his military service, he started actively working for the Koç Group in 1958 joining the Otokoç Company in Ankara. In 1960, he transferred to Koç Ticaret, which represented the Koç Group in Ankara. Following the relocation of the Koç Holding headquarters from Ankara to Istanbul in 1964, which was established a year earlier, he became general coordinator of Koç Holding A.Ş.Koç Holding
Koç Holding A.Ş. is the top industrial conglomeratein Turkey. The Koç family, one of Turkey's wealthiest families, controls the company with its headquarter in Nakkaştepe, Istanbul...
and moved to Istanbul.
Thereafter in 1970, he became chairman of the executive committee and in 1975 deputy chairman of the board of management. Rahmi Koç was appointed chairman of the Koç Holding management committee in 1980. His father Vehbi Koç transferred his chairmanship to his son on March 30, 1984. Rahmi Koç retired from this duty on April 4, 2003 transferring his chair to his eldest son Mustafa Koç. Rahmi Koç is currently Honorary Chairman of the Koç Holding.
He has three sons: Mustafa Vehbi (1960), Ömer Mehmet (1962) and Ali Yıldırım (1967) from his previous marriage to Çiğdem Simavi, who later married the former newspaper tycoon Haldun Simavi.
Koç Holding
Vehbi Koç, who died in 1996 at the age of 95, created the Koç Holding Corp., Turkey's largest industrial conglomerate. By first forming joint ventures with General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
to make light bulbs and Ford Motor Co. to build buses and trucks, and continually expanding his activities, Koç built up an empire that, according to the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
generates nearly 5% of Turkish exports. Koç Holding Corp. has more than $12 billion in sales annually and employs 40,000 people.
Social life
During the meeting of the International Chamber of CommerceInternational Chamber of Commerce
The International Chamber of Commerce is the largest, most representative business organization in the world. Its hundreds of thousands of member companies in over 130 countries have interests spanning every sector of private enterprise....
(ICC) on November 7, 1994, Rahmi Koç was elected as the Chairman of the ICC for the term 1995-1996.
Rahmi Koç is a Rotarian
Rotary International
Rotary International is an organization of service clubs known as Rotary Clubs located all over the world. The stated purpose of the organization is to bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help...
and a member of the Istanbul Open Sea Yacht Club and New York Yachting Club.
Visit to Henry Ford Museum in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
inspired him to create the Rahmi M Koç Museum
Rahmi M Koç Museum
The Rahmi M. Koç Museum is a private industrial museum in Istanbul, Turkey dedicated to history of transport, industry and communications. Rahmi M. Koç, member of the wealthiest dynasty in Turkey and retired boss of the Koç Group, founded the museum in 1991, which was opened on December 13, 1994...
in Istanbul, which is dedicated to the history of transport, industry and communications exhibiting trains, submarines and autos.
The company and the Koç Foundation are known for their commitment to philanthropy, especially in the area of education.
Honorary doctorates
Rahmi Koç received honorary doctorates from following Turkish and American universities:- May 21, 1998 Johns Hopkins UniversityJohns Hopkins UniversityThe Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
, Baltimore, Maryland, USA - September 28, 1998 Anadolu UniversityAnadolu UniversityAnadolu University is a public university in Eskişehir, Turkey and the fourth largest university in the world by enrollment.- History :...
, EskişehirEskisehirEskişehir is a city in northwestern Turkey and the capital of the Eskişehir Province. According to the 2009 census, the population of the city is 631,905. The city is located on the banks of the Porsuk River, 792 m above sea level, where it overlooks the fertile Phrygian Valley. In the nearby... - May 14, 1999 Ege UniversityEge UniversityEge University is a public university in İzmir, Turkey. It was founded in 1955 with the Faculties of Medicine and Faculty of Agriculture...
, İzmirIzmirIzmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey... - June 14, 1999 Bilkent ÜniversitesiBilkent Universityİhsan Doğramacı Bilkent University, commonly referred to as Bilkent University or Bilkent, is the first private, nonprofit university in Turkey with the fundamental aim of creating a center of excellence in higher education and research...
, Ankara - April 23, 2001 Ovidius UniversityOvidius University-Curriculum:The university offers courses in Cultural Studies, Medicine and Mathematics in English., students coming from Moldova, Albania, Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, India, Turkmenistan, South Africa are enrolled as international students....
, ConstanţaConstantaConstanța is the oldest extant city in Romania, founded around 600 BC. The city is located in the Dobruja region of Romania, on the Black Sea coast. It is the capital of Constanța County and the largest city in the region....
, RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
Awards
He was awarded by various national and international institutions as listed below:- German "Großes Verdienstkreuz"BundesverdienstkreuzThe Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the only general state decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has existed since 7 September 1951, and between 3,000 and 5,200 awards are given every year across all classes...
(Great Cross of Merit) - June 18, 2001 Italian "Ordine al Merito della Repubblica" (Order of Merit of the Republic)
- October 27, 1997 Turkish "State Medal of Distinguished ServiceState Medal of Distinguished Service (Turkey)State Medal of Distinguished Service is one of the three civil state decorations of Turkey. The medal was established on October 24, 1983 with the Law on Medals and Orders, Act No. 2933...
" by President Suleyman DemirelSüleyman DemirelSami Süleyman Gündoğdu Demirel, better known as Süleyman Demirel , is a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister seven times and was the ninth President of Turkey.-Life:Demirel was born in İslamköy, a town in Isparta Province...
.