Kemal Şahin
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Kemal Şahin (1955) is a Turkish entrepreneur and a textile tycoon. He is also an environmental activist against erosion.
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[edit] Early life
He was born to a poor family in the village Taşlıpınar of Beyşehir district in Konya Province, Turkey. In the past, it was usual in remote small villages in Turkey to register newborns years later. So, his birthday is not known exactly but registered as of April 11, 1955.
After finishing the primary school in his village, the secondary school in Beyşehir and the high school in Konya, the clever and diligent boy went in 1973 to Germany on scholarship to study metallurgical engineering for Etibank, a large state owned company for mining. Following a German language course, he attended Technical University of Aachen (RWTH) and graduated in 1982 with a BS degree.
[edit] Entrepreneur
During his student time, Kemal was interested in trade. So, he started textile trade in 1980 with a starting capital of DEM 5,000. After finishing the university, he established his own company Santex Moden, since he failed to get a work permit in Germany, and imported textiles from Turkey into the German market. Within three or four years, he became a German Mark millionaire already before his thirty years of age.
Today, he owns 27 production and trading companies, modern integrated facilities from cotton to cloth, 18 of which are united under the roof of Şahinler Holding in Turkey. Further to the group belong an own steam and electric power station, a catering company, a building contractor and a first class holiday resort in Antalya Province. The worldwide Şahinler corporation with a turnover of one billion Euros consists of two companies in Germany, one in the Netherlands, Austria, France, Switzerland, Spain, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, United Kingdom and in the USA, as well in Turkey. The group of companies provides job opportunities for more than 10,000 people. Santex Moden ranks 25th in Germany, and is within the 100 biggest companies of Europe. His holding company is one of the biggest exporters of Turkey.
[edit] Awards
- 1997 "Manager of the Year" by the Schitag Ernst & Young management consulting and by the "Manager" magazine for his important entrepreneurial achievement.
- 1998 "Honorary Investor of Europe" by the Club of Europe.
- 2000 Order of Merit of Turkey for his extraordinary activities by President Süleyman Demirel.
- 2000 Honorary doctorate by the Selçuk University of Konya for his great actions and achievements in educational sphere.
[edit] Social life
- President of Sahinler Foundation (to serve in fields of education, health and welfare in Turkey, providing scholarship to 450 successful students in secondary and high schools who are orphans or in a financially bad condition).
- President of TEMA-Foundation in Aachen, Germany
(International foundation for the fight against erosion, for restocking and nature conservancy).
- Former chairman of ATIAD (Association of Turkish Businesspeople in Europe).
- Founder and chairman of TÜDET (Turkish-German Association of Textile and Clothing).
- Chairman of the German-Turkish Chamber of Commerce.
- Honorary member of Euro-Türk (Liberal European-Turkey friendly alliance),
[edit] Books
- Zirvedeki Şahin: Hayatım ve Fikirlerim (The Falcon at the Summit: My Life and My Thoughts) 2000, 280 pp., Autobiography in Turkish, ISBN 975-8243-90-x
- Der Falke in der Fremde (The Falcon Abroad) 2002, 240 pp., Autobiography in German, ISBN 3430178878
Şahin means literally falcon in Turkish language.
