Ali Koç: Entrepreneur’s Fortune & Fenerbahçe Boss

How rich is Ali Koc?

Ali Koç belongs to Turkey’s richest entrepreneurial family and is no stranger to politics either. The Istanbul native studied at Harvard, worked for large American corporations and joined the family holding company early on. On a political level, Ali Koç, like the rest of his family , is rather critical of Turkish President Erdoğan . This made his clear victory in the power struggle for the presidency of Turkish football club Fenerbahçe Istanbul a great surprise. Ali Koç ‘s estimated net worth is €820 million .

International professional experiences

Ali Koç was born in Istanbul in 1976. He came from a very good family. As the son of a billionaire family he finally had the best prerequisites to start a promising career. After finishing school in London, the native Turk first studied in Texas. Then he did his Master of Arts in business administration at Harvard University. In the USA, he initially worked for the two major banks Morgan Stanley and American Express. At the age of 30, Ali Koç was then actively called to the family-owned company, Koç-Holding, where he held various positions. His activities focused primarily on the Turkish banking industry. Koç quickly realized himself in the family business and at the same time promoted the growth of the holding. Of course, as a participant in the holding company, this also allows his own assets to continue to increase.

The fortune of the Koç family

The Koç family is considered to be one of the richest families in Turkey with private assets of over 6.6 billion euros . The family wealth can be traced back to the company Koç Holding. The company generates a large part of its sales in the energy sector, while also exerting considerable influence on Turkey’s banking sector. The family also has good contacts in the American business world. This is particularly evident in the filling of the supervisory board positions of the group’s own companies. Ali Koç has held numerous positions at the holding company since 1997. As Deputy Chairman of the Management Board, he is responsible for the modern and sustainable orientation of the company.

Koç Holding

The Turkish group of companies Koç Holding A.Ş. is listed on the stock exchange and employs more than 85,000 people worldwide. It was founded in 1926 by Vehbi Koç, at that time still a trading company for light bulbs, automobiles and building materials. The business areas have expanded significantly since then. In addition to automobile factories and construction, the group of companies operates in the following sectors: financial services, energy, consumer electronics, household appliances, food, information technology and tourism. In 2018, it had total sales of $29.8 billion . Koç Holding is responsible for around 8% of Turkey’s economic output and 9% of Turkey’s nationwide exports. The listed company is majority owned by the founding family Koç.

Power struggle for a football club

The contest vote for the presidency of Fenerbahçe Istanbul was also followed closely at the political level. Finally, there was a duel between two very different political camps. Aziz Yildirim, Ali Koç’s predecessor, is considered a friend of Erdoğan and an open supporter of the AKP. After the manipulation of several football games, Yildirim had to go to prison for a year, among other things, and survived numerous attempts to replace him during his 20-year tenure. Erdoğan also stood by his friend during the election campaign. Ultimately, however, even presidential support could not avert defeat. Ali Koç then won the presidential vote with an overwhelming majority of almost 80 percent. Fenerbahçe Istanbul is considered one of the most important football clubs in Turkey.

Ali Koç as President of Fenerbahçe Istanbul

The power struggle won in the summer of 2018 was often described as the dawn of a new political era. However, Yildirim left his successor with a real mammoth task: the club Fenerbahçe Istanbul with more than 600 million euros in liabilities. The gifted entrepreneur Ali Koç was given the task of living up to his name as a businessman and rebuilding the club as president of Fenerbahçe Istanbul .