Rahmi Koc

Background

He was born in 1930 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.

Education

Rahmi Koç then studied at the Johns Hopkins University in the United States. and received his Bachelor of Arts 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 headquarters from Ankara to Istanbul in 1964, which was established a year earlier, he became general coordinator of A.Ş. 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 management committee in 1980. Rahmi Koç is currently Honorary Chairman of the

Vehbi Koç, who died in 1996 at the age of 95, created the Corporation, Turkey"s largest industrial conglomerate.

By first forming joint ventures with General Electric to make light bulbs and Ford Motor Company 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. Corporation has more than $12 billion in sales annually and employs 40,000 people.

During the meeting of the International Chamber of Commerce (Interstate Commerce Commission) on November 7, 1994, Rahmi Koç was elected as the Chairman of the Interstate Commerce Commission for the term 1995-1996.

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. Rahmi Koç received honorary doctorates from the following universities:

May 21, 1998 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America

September 28, 1998 Anadolu University, Eskişehir

May 14, 1999 Ege University, İzmir

June 14, 1999 Bilkent Üniversitesi, Ankara

April 23, 2001 Ovidius University, Constanţa, Romania.

Achievements

• He was awarded by various national and international institutions as listed below: Officier dans L"Ordre national de la Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur"Honneur (of France), 2015 German "Großes Verdienstkreuz" (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 Service" by President Suleyman Demirel.

Membership

Rahmi Koç is a Rotarian and a member of the Istanbul Open Sea Yacht Club and New York Yachting Club.