TAV CEO honored with France’s highest honor

ISTANBUL

France honored TAV Group CEO Sani Şener with “l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur” (The National Order of the Legion of Honour), which is the highest French honor, due to his contributions to bilateral relations between Turkey and France, the company said Nov. 4.

The ceremony held at the Palais de France in Istanbul was attended by participants from the business, art and academy world and TAV Group executives, according to the statement. 

Şener was presented la Légion d’Honneur by the ambassador of France to Turkey, Charles Fries, during the ceremony.

“The French Republic has bestowed the badge of l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur, the highest and oldest French order established by Napoléon Bonaparte, to Mr. Sani Şener for his exemplary professional life and his great contributions to the economic relations between the two countries,” said Fries.

Underlining the partnership between TAV and Aéroports de Paris, the ambassador said: “This partnership is a true ‘success story’ in terms of recent investments of France in Turkey, and in my opinion, it is a smart and profitable as well as exemplary strategy for our countries. I hope this partnership would inspire other economic sectors as well.” 

 “I am highly honored and glad to be bestowed this honorable badge by the French Republic,” Şener said. 

“Turkey and France have established centuries-old, deep-rooted, historical, economic and cultural bonds. In 1988, only 15 French companies were operating in Turkey, but the number of companies with French capital has increased up to 1,400 lately. The volume of trade between Turkey and France is 16 billion euros. The French company ADP invested approximately $1 billion in TAV Airports, the company in which I have been working as the president and CEO, and this has been one of the biggest foreign investments made in Turkey.

 Since then, TAV has been investing in third countries together with ADP as a Turkish-French companies’ joint venture. I have also been appointed as the chairman of Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkish-French Business Council and together with the board of this council, we support the investments of Turkish-French companies to be made in third countries. We will continue to endeavor on every platform … to contribute to the development of the relationship between the two countries,” he said. 

La Légion d’Honneur was established by Napoléon in 1802 for military and civil merits to honor the extraordinary services of people.