| Aydın Doğan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1936 (age 75–76) Kelkit, Gümüşhane Province, Turkey |
| Residence | Istanbul, Turkey |
| Alma mater | Istanbul Economy and Commerce Academy |
| Occupation | entrepreneur, businessman |
| Net worth | US$ 2 billion (2008) |
| Children | Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ Vuslat Doğan Sabancı Hanzade Doğan Boyner Begümhan Doğan Faralyalı |
| Website | |
| Aydın Doğan Foundation | |
Aydın Doğan (born 1936 in Kelkit, Gümüşhane Province) is a Turkish entrepreneur and businessman.
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Born in 1936 as a member of a well-known family in Kelkit, Aydin Dogan got his elementary and secondary school education in Kelkit and finished high-school in Erzincan. Between 1956-60, he attended Istanbul Economy and Commerce Academy (later Marmara University) where his leadership qualities were first recognized helping him to become the Student Community Leader.
In 1959, he got registered in Mecidiyekoy Tax Office and started his professional life trading construction equipment, as well as passenger and commercial vehicles.
Dogan founded his first industrial company in 1974 and joined both the Assembly and the Administrative Board of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce. In the years that followed, he served as a board member in the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey.
Dogan became a publisher with the acquisition of the daily newspaper Milliyet in 1979. With the addition of the prestigious daily newspaper Hurriyet in 1994, he intensified his presence in the media. Between 1986 and 1996, he served as the head of the Association of Turkish Newspaper Publishers. In 2004, Doğan became the first elected Turkish Deputy Chairperson of World Association of Newspapers (WAN). The Doğan Media Holding he founded incorporates the newspapers Posta, Hürriyet, Milliyet, Radikal, Fanatik, Referans, Vatan and Turkish Daily News, and 21 TV channels in Turkey and abroad.[1]
In 1999, he was awarded Turkey's Outstanding Service Medal by the Turkish Government. He received four honorary doctorates in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2005 respectively from Girne American University, Ege University, Baku State University and Marmara University.
He establlished Aydın Doğan Foundation in 1996, bringing the social, cultural, educational activities of the Doğan Holding under the same umbrella. To date, 8 schools and a large sports complex have been built and named after him and family members. While mainly focusing on education, the foundation is also involved in organizing national and international conferences, conventions and seminars on economic, social, cultural and scientific issues. As part of its social and cultural activities, the foundation also conducts national and international competitions and awards prizes, such as the Aydın Doğan Award and the Aydın Doğan International Cartoon Competition, the world's largest and most respected in this field.
Since 1977, Dogan has been the top taxpayer registered with the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce several times. Out of this company founded with three employees in 1961, he created one of Turkey's top three largest conglomerates with over 18,000 employees. Today, Doğan Holding is active in the fields of energy distribution, media, industry, trade, tourism and financial services.
In 2009, the Ministry of Finance charged a tax fine in amount of about 3.8 billion Turkish Lira (approx. 2.53 billion USD) to some companies within the Doğan Media Holding. He was not able to regulate the dispute.[1]
He retired from the top of the Doğan Holding as of January 1, 2010, handing over the post to his daughter Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ, who is the chairperson of the TV channel Kanal D and currently serving as head of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD), the top association of businesspeople in Turkey. Aydın Doğan will be the honorary president of the holding.[1]
Aydın Doğan is compared to Rupert Murdoch in Turkey. Aydın Doğan's Doğan Media Group has been compared to Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. The Doğan Media Group has excessive power over visual and print media in Turkey. Its ad revenues are also substantial.
Aydın Doğan is married and has four children.