Mr. Ahmet Çalık, Chairman, Çalık Holding
Born in Malatya, Turkey in 1958, Ahmet Çalık is the founder and Chairman of Çalık Holding, a Turkish conglomerate with interests in textiles, energy, construction, finance, logistics and media.
Mr. Çalık began his business career in 1981 when he established Ortadoğu Tekstil Ticaret ve Sanayi A.Ş.. Hailing from a family involved in the textile business since the 1930’s, he made his first large-scale industrial investment by establishing GAP Güneydoğu Tekstil Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. in Malatya.
Beginning in 1993, Mr. Çalık began to expand his business beyond Turkey, making his first international investments in Central Asia, where he acquired interests in telecommunications, energy, construction, and financial services. In 1997 he founded Çalık Holding to bring his varied business concerns together under the same roof.
Since, he has been awarded the Turkish Republic Distinguished Service Medal (1999), the Turkish Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs Distinguished Service Medal (2002), and the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM) Distinguished Service Prize in 2006.
