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(1923-2004)
Praying industrialist of Aegean District,
teh unforgettable name of Turkish Sports, the benevolent, honest, fair,
hard working, model human being, precious Mazhar Zorlu deceased on 14
May 2004.
Mazhar Zorlu was born in Izmir on
23 June 1923. He completed his high school education in Istanbul and enrolled at Law
School in 1943. His university education in Istanbul was interrupted due to the severe
economical restraints brought on by World War II. The situation forced him to leave
Istanbul and return to Izmir whereby he found a job and was able to take care of his
family. |
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His first job was with a construction company. In 1948 he established his own construction
company which, until 1958, undertook and successfully completed many projects including
highways, stadiums, public buildings and mass housing estates.
In 1958 he made a debut in the field of industry and got involved with the plastics
sector. Through the several companies he established in Turkey and abroad (Germany,
Cyprus, Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Romania), he introduced many new items to various
markets in the field of plastics, with particular emphasis on pipes, profiles and
fittings.
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The eighties were years of rapid growth for the Group under Mr.Zorlu’s management when
the activity fields diversified to sectors such as textiles, cultured marble, tourism,
trading, insurance and various services. In 1997, all of the 21 subsidiary companies and
24 participations were gathered under Mazhar Zorlu Holding. The Holding provides
employment for 5000 people and the shares of the following operations are traded publicly;
Mazhar Zorlu Holding, Ege Plast, Ege Profil. The Holding has participations in EGS and
Gucbirligi Holdings and KIPA A.S.
Mazhar Zorlu received several awards throughout his business life for his success in
entrepreneurial skills, achieving large volumes of exports and paying high levels of tax.
Mr. Zorlu is a keen sports enthusiast. He played football in his younger days in prominent
clubs. As the years went by, his association with football continued and at one stage he
became the Chairman of Turkish Football Federation.
Mazhar Zorlu, a Rotarian, is involved with several charity organizations and sponsors the
national education system by way of management and financial support. He contributed to
the construction of Avni Akyol High School. The last example of this kind of activity is
the Vocational High School (Anatolian Technical and Plastics Industry Vocational High
School) which he founded (1998) . The school focuses specifically on plastics industry and
is the first of its kind in Turkey and second in Europe.
Mr. Zorlu has been married to Ayhan Zorlu for 50 years, has two sons, Kemal and Nafiz, and
four grandchildren. |
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