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Türkiye’s billionaire class spans continents, industries, and generations, from a shepherd’s son who built America’s most popular yogurt brand to a defense engineer married into the country’s most powerful political family.
According to Forbes’ World Billionaires List, at least 10 Turkish citizens have a net worth of $2.7 billion or more, and their combined wealth spans from Istanbul’s waterfront to boardrooms in London, New York and beyond.
Hamdi Ulukaya, founder and CEO of Chobani, holds the highest Forbes ranking of any Turkish citizen, No. 206 on the global list, with a net worth of $13.9 billion.
Ulukaya grew up in a dairy-farming family in eastern Türkiye, eventually immigrating to the United States in 1994.
In 2005, he purchased a shuttered yogurt plant in upstate New York with a Small Business Administration loan and built it into America’s most consumed Greek yogurt brand.
Murat Ulker, ranked No. 800 on the Forbes list with a net worth of $5.3 billion, controls 63% of Yildiz Holding—one of Türkiye’s most expansive food conglomerates.
Ulker has extended his family’s confectionery legacy far beyond Türkiye’s borders, acquiring Belgian chocolatier Godiva in 2007 for $850 million and British snack giant United Biscuits in 2014 for $3.2 billion.
Saban Cemil Kazanci, ranked No. 813 with a net worth of $5.2 billion, is the largest shareholder of Kazanci Holding, one of Türkiye’s leading energy conglomerates.
The company, founded in 1968 by his father, Ali Metin Kazanci, as Watt Electric Motor Factory, now generates $3.6 billion in annual revenue across electricity generation, natural gas distribution, and generator production.
Kazanci Holding has also expanded into tourism, currently operating four hotels in Bodrum, including the five-star Mirada Exclusive Hotel, which opened in 2022.
Erman Ilicak, ranked No. 1128 with a net worth of $3.8 billion, founded Ronesans Holding in 1993 after working as an engineer in St. Petersburg, Russia.
The Ankara-based firm now operates as a construction contractor and real estate developer across 28 countries.
Ferit Faik Sahenk, ranked No. 1370 with a net worth of $3.1 billion, serves as CEO of Dogus Holding, a diversified conglomerate active in tourism, real estate, media, financial services, construction, and automotive sectors.
Sahenk’s family built much of its fortune through Garanti Bank, selling the final 10% stake to Spain’s BBVA in 2017 for $900 million.
Semahat Sevim Arsel, ranked No. 1412 with a net worth of $3 billion, is the eldest member of the Koc family and the largest individual shareholder in Koc Holding, one of Türkiye’s most powerful conglomerates.
At 97, she serves on the holding’s board and chairs its tourism subsidiary, Setur.
She is the founder of Koc University’s School of Nursing, an institution inspired in part by a prolonged illness she suffered as a child.
Filiz Sahenk, ranked No. 1470 with a net worth of $2.9 billion, oversees fashion and tourism operations at Dogus Holding.
Under her stewardship, Dogus represents luxury brands including Gucci, Emporio Armani, Loro Piana, and Tod’s in Türkiye.
Filiz Sahenk chairs the foundation named after her late father, Ayhan Sahenk, who founded Dogus and died in 2001.
Feridun Gecgel, ranked No. 1476 with a net worth of $2.8 billion, chairs Astor Enerji, Türkiye’s largest manufacturer of transformers and switching equipment.
Gecgel, born in Sanliurfa in 1970, launched his first business in furniture production before pivoting to the transformer industry in 2005, purchasing Astor for $3 million.
Ipek Kirac, ranked No. 1540 with a net worth of $2.7 billion, is the adopted daughter of Inan and Suna Kirac and an heir to Koc Holding, the same conglomerate that placed Semahat Sevim Arsel earlier on this list.
At 41, she is Türkiye’s youngest billionaire.
Kirac joined Koc Holding’s board of directors in 2016 and has served since 2012 as chairwoman and CEO of Sirena Marine Maritime Industry and Trade, a subsidiary of Kiraca Holding.
Selcuk Bayraktar, ranked No. 1548 with a net worth of $2.7 billion, co-owns Baykar, Türkiye’s premier unmanned military drone manufacturer, holding a 52.5% stake alongside his brother Haluk.
The company was founded by their father, Ozdemir, in 1984. Baykar recorded $1.9 billion in sales in 2023 and $1.8 billion in exports in 2024, supplying militaries across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
Its flagship product, the Bayraktar drone, gained international attention after Ukrainian forces deployed it extensively in combat operations.
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