Şevket Sabancı
Şevket Sabancı | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1936 Kayseri, Turkey |
| Died | Error: Need valid birth date (second date): year, month, day |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, philanthropist |
| Known for | Founder of Esas Holding, member of Sabancı family |
Şevket Sabancı (1936 – 22 July 2021) was a prominent Turkish billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist, belonging to the second generation of the Sabancı family.
Biography
Şevket was born in 1936 in Kayseri, Turkey, as the fourth son of Hacı Ömer Sabancı, a self-made affluent merchant, and his wife Sadıka. He pursued his education in textile engineering at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) in the United Kingdom. Upon his return to Turkey, he assumed leadership positions within the family's textile enterprises. Following 1980, he served as an international representative for Sabancı Holding. In 2000, he established Esas Holding, which has grown to become Turkey's leading alternative investment company with assets nearing $10 billion.
Additionally, Şevket played a key role as a founding member of the Sabancı Foundation (VakSA).
He was married to Hayırlı Zerrin and had three children: two daughters, Emine Kamışlı and Sadıka Sabancı, and a son, Ali Sabancı.
He died on 22 July 2021 at the age of 85.
Esas Holding
Founded in 2000 by Turkish billionaire Şevket Sabancı, Esas Holding operates as the family office and is currently managed by his children Emine Sabancı Kamışlı and Ali Sabancı. As of 2021, the firm oversees assets totaling around $10 billion, positioning it as Turkey’s largest single-family office and alternative investment manager.
Based in Istanbul with an additional office in London, Esas Holding specializes in direct investments and real estate development projects. Its private equity approach involves acquiring majority or minority stakes with controlling interests, generally maintaining investments over a four to six-year period. Prominent companies within its portfolio include Pegasus Airlines, Turkey’s foremost low-cost airline; Un-Ro Ro, the country’s largest Ro Ro operator; and Mars Athletic, Turkey’s largest chain of sports clubs. Important divestments include the 2016 sale of Cinemaximum—Turkey’s biggest cinema chain—to South Korea’s CGV for $800 million, as well as the disposal of snack producer Peyman to London-based Bridgepoint Capital for $100 million.
Esas Properties, the real estate division of the group, is responsible for developing and managing shopping centers throughout Turkey and holds commercial real estate assets internationally in cities such as London, New York, Frankfurt, and Aberdeen. This segment marks Esas Holding’s most extensive global presence.