He was born in Taşlıpınar Village, Beyşehir District, Konya. He attended primary school in Taşlıpınar and secondary school in Seydişehir before he boarded at Konya High School. He was accepted into the Mechanical Engineering Department at Middle East Technical University (ODTÜ). He passed a nationwide exam and was awarded a scholarship to study in Germany. He studied Metallurgical Engineering at Aachen Technical University, one of Germany’s most reputable universities. In 1982, he established a gift shop in Aachen, which he expanded over the years to form ‘Santex Moden GmbH,’ a wholesale and retail trading company, laying the foundations for Şahinler Holding. Today, he serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Şahinler Holding, which has a turnover of 1 billion dollars, employs 10,000 people, operates in 8 different sectors, and exports to 170 countries worldwide.

Awards and Honours

• 1997 – Germany ‘Businessman of the Year’ Award
• 1997 – First Turkish member accepted into the Entrepreneur of the Year Institute, known as the ‘Club of the World’s Leaders’ in America
• 1998 – ‘European Honorary Entrepreneur’ Award by the Club of Europe for his contributions to the development of democracy, the free-market economy and Turkish-German friendship
• 2000 – The ‘State Superior Service Medal’ by the 9^th President of the Republic of Turkey, Süleyman Demirel, for his outstanding achievements in promoting our country to the world and enhancing the prestige of our state.
• 2000 – The title of ‘Honorary Doctorate’ by Selçuk University in the Department of Business Administration for his exemplary achievements in the business world.
• 2010 – The ‘Master of Entrepreneurship’ Award by the Cologne and Its Surrounding Area Craftsmen’s Association.
• 2014 – The ‘First Class Order of Merit’ by the German Presidency for his contributions to Turkish-German relations.
• 2014 – The ‘Honorary Citizenship Certificate’ by the Mayor of Edirne for his investments in the textile sector in Edirne and the employment opportunities he created.
• 2023 – Selected as the ‘Representative of the World Turkish Business Council (DTİK) for Turkey-Germany,’ representing 3,5 million Turks living in Germany.

 

Associations and Foundations

• 1992 – Founder of the Turkish-German Textile Manufacturers Association (TÜDET).
• 1992 – One of the founders of the European Turkish Businessmen and Industrialists Association (ATİAD), Turkey’s largest lobby organisation abroad, and served as its president for four years. He is currently the Chairman of the Advisory Board of the association.
• 1995 – He is one of the founders of the Turkish Foreign Trade Foundation and the Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
• He is the Founding President of the Turkish-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TD-IHK), established to bring together German and Turkish businessmen under one roof and to increase economic and social cooperation between the two countries.
• 1998 – He pioneered the establishment of the TEMA Foundation in Germany and continues to support the foundation as Chairman of the Board of Trustees.
• He is one of the founders of the Turkish-German Student and Academics Association (TD-Platform), established in 2006, and supports it as Chairman of the Advisory Board.
• In 2012, he established the ‘Stiftung: Bildung! – Education! Foundation’ to support the education of young people of Turkish origin in Germany and provide career planning consultancy, and he is currently a member of the Board of Directors.

Books

His book, ‘Zirvedeki Şahin’ (The Falcon at the Summit -his surname Şahin means falcon in Turkish), which recounts his life and ideas and includes many of his experiences, was published in Turkey in March 2000, while his book ‘Gurbetteki Şahin’ (Der Falke in der Fremde – The Falcon Abroad), which sheds light on management strategies for the business world, was published in Germany in 2002. In 2025, the sequel, ‘Sıfırdan Zirveye: Radyodaki O Ses Hayatımı Değiştirdi’ (‘From Zero to the Top: That Voice on the Radio Changed My Life’) is well-received by book lovers.

Born in 1961, he graduated from the Istanbul University Faculty of Economics. He worked as a Fiscal Inspector in the Ministry of Finance, Finance Inspection Board for 5.5 years. He performed consultancy services to local and foreign companies as a tax department manager in an international audit firm for 7 years. Since 1995, he has been rendering tax consultancy services as the founding partner of Sigma Yeminli Mali Müşavirlik A.Ş. He is an expert in the taxation of Financial Institutions and Securities Income. He holds the title of Certified Public Accountant.

Born in 1985, he graduated from California University with a BSc degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering (2008). He started his career at Adessa, a subsidiary of Şahinler Holding, and served as General Manager at Vestino, another subsidiary of Şahinler Holding. He currently holds a role as a Member of the Board of Directors at Şahinler Holding, responsible for finance, overseas companies and catering. Additionally, Akın Şahin is a licensed football player and a member of Germany’s most prominent youth organisation, TD – Plattform. He is fluent in German and English.

Born in 1988, he graduated from Manchester University’s Faculty of Business Administration with a degree in Accounting and Finance (2009). He then completed a master’s degree in international finance at Maastricht University (2012). Started his professional career at the Internal Audit Department of Şahinler Holding between studying his undergraduate and master’s degrees, he subsequently served as Deputy General Manager and General Manager at Megasaray Club Belek, a subsidiary of the Holding. He currently holds his role as a Member of the Board of Directors of Şahinler Holding and as an Executive Committee Member responsible for tourism. He is also a Member of the Congress of Fenerbahçe Sports Club. He is fluent in English and German.

Born in 1976, Erhan Aydın completed his master’s (MBA) in Marmara University Accounting-Finance after graduating from Istanbul Technical University, Department of Management Engineering. He started his professional career as an Inspector at T. Garanti Bankası A.Ş. After being promoted, he worked as a finance manager at Garanti Portföy Yönetimi A.Ş. Since then, he moved to the real sector and worked as Treasury and Financial Affairs Manager at companies operating in the construction and logistics sectors. He joined the Sahinler Group at the end of 2018 and has been currently working as the Finance Director and Executive Board Member. He has Capital Market Advanced Level and Derivative Instruments Licenses. He has the title of Certified Public Accountant.

Turgut Bakır was born in 1961 in Zonguldak, Turkey. After graduating from Ankara Kurtuluş High School, he went to Germany in 1979 for higher education. Subsequently his foreign language education, internship and university preparation period, he graduated from the textile engineering department in Mönchengladbach, Germany. After his Managements Training education and internship at Türk Henkel Chemicals Industry, he returned to Turkey in 1986. In 1989, he participated in the establishment of the jacket production department of Sanko Santral Konfeksiyon Company. In the same period, he received industrial suit production training at Saarlaendische Bekleidungswerke in Germany. In 1993, he started to work at Şahinler Holding in Modavizyon Tekstil Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. company to establish the Edirne factory. During this period, he worked as a manager in the establishment of Edirne Modavizyon, European Free Zone and Jordan garment factories affiliated to Şahinler Holding. He is also the Vice President of Edirne Industrialists and Businessmen Association. Turgut Bakır fluently speaks English and German.

She is a graduate of Istanbul University Faculty of Economics, Department of Economics. Afterward, she completed her Master’s Degree in Economics at the same faculty. She received an education in the German language at Goethe Institut in Germany. Afterward, she started her professional life in Şahinler Holding, Financial Affairs Department in 1998, and then worked as Audit Manager for 12 years. She is currently working as a Member of the Executive Committee in Şahinler Holding, responsible for Financial Affairs and Accounting. Şefika Özcan Tokdemir, who is an SMMM (independent accountant and financial advisor), speaks English and German.

Born in 1975, he graduated from Atatürk University, Department of Economics. He started his career in the Accounting Department of Şahinler Holding Modavizyon Edirne Company in 1997, and after working at various levels, he was appointed as Financial Affairs Manager at European Free Zone Founder and Operator Inc. in 2004. He served as Deputy General Manager between 2014 and 2019, and has been serving as General Manager since 2019 and as a member of the Executive Board of Şahinler Holding as of 2024.