Demirören group founder passes away at 80
ISTANBUL
Erdoğan Demirören, the chairman of the Demirören Group, which owns Demirören Media Group, died on June 8 at the age of 80, his doctors confirmed.
Demirören had been receiving treatment at Istanbul’s Florence Nightingale Hospital’s intense care unit since May 31.
“Businessperson Erdoğan Demirören passed away at 11:53 a.m. today. Erdoğan Demirören, who had been receiving treatment for respiratory distress for a while, went on with his life without suffering, due to the close interest and attention from his family and intense efforts of hospital staff up until today,” said the hospital’s chief medical coordinator Özgür Şamilgil on June 8.
His daughter, Meltem Demirören Oktay, who is a board member of Demirören Holding, Demirören Gazetecilik and Hürriyet, announced his death on behalf of her family.
“We are in deep grief,” she said.
His younger brother, Bilgin Demirören, said he had been with Erdoğan Demirören in his last moments.
“We lost a big man,” he added.
The funeral ceremony will take place at the Fatih Mosque in Istanbul, according to a statement by Mehmet Soysal, CEO of Demirören Media Group.
On June 6, Demirören was elected as the board chairman of Hürriyet Gazetecilik at a general assembly meeting following the takeover of Doğan Media Group by the holding company.
At the meeting, his son Yıldırım Demirören, who is also the head of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF), was appointed vice chairman.
The title of the Doğan Media Group has formally been changed to Demirören Media Group, with the company acquiring assets, including daily newspapers Hürriyet and Hürriyet Daily News, as well as private broadcasters CNN Türk and Kanal D.
Who is Erdoğan Demirören?
Erdoğan Demirören was born in 1938 in the western Bursa province. He spent his early childhood in Bursa’s İnegöl district.
He later moved to Istanbul, where he graduated from the Saint Benoit French School.
He played football professionally for the Beşiktaş Sports Club and Emniyetspor.
Demirören was 19 years old when his father passed away. Following his father’s death, Erdoğan took over the family business at a young age. His first job was at Kolaylık Oto, a firm importing automobile spare parts.
The early 1970s marked a turning point for Demirören. He bought Turkey’s first gas company. In the following years, Demirören Group invested most in the gas business.
But Demirören’s business activities were not limited to the energy sector. He invested in education, tourism, and industry and owned a number of companies in those sectors.
In 2011, he entered the media business. Demirören bought Milliyet and Vatan newspapers. His next move in the media industry would be the acquisition of Doğan Media Group seven years later.
The chairman of the Demirören Group was known for his charity works, especially for the disabled. He allocated a total of 12,000 vehicles for the disabled to use.
He received an honorary doctorate from Haliç University in Istanbul.
He was married to Tülin Demirören. He is survived by his daughter Meltem Demirören Oktay and his sons Yıldırım Demirören and Tayfun Demirören.