Sabancı Holding

Sabancı Holding, formally Hacı Ömer Sabancı Holding A.Ş., is one of Turkey’s major diversified industrial and financial groups. The company is associated with the Sabancı family and coordinates a portfolio of operating businesses rather than selling a single consumer product under one unified brand. Its principal activities include banking and other financial services, electricity generation and distribution, cement and building materials, tire and reinforcement materials, machinery and commercial vehicles, retail, insurance, digital services and hospitality. The group’s origins are connected with the Sabancı family’s commercial and industrial activities in Adana. The holding structure was established in 1967, and its headquarters later moved from Adana to Istanbul in 1974. Sabancı Holding is now based in the Sabancı Group Towers in Istanbul’s Levent district. It became a publicly traded company on the Istanbul Stock Exchange, now Borsa Istanbul, in 1997, while the founding family has continued to retain a majority interest. Sabancı’s operating model has historically relied heavily on joint ventures and strategic partnerships with large international companies. These relationships have included partnerships or business associations with E.ON in energy, Bridgestone in tires, Ageas in insurance, HeidelbergCement in building materials, Carrefour in food retail, Marubeni and Komatsu in industrial and machinery-related activities, and PPF Group in commercial vehicles. The structure gives the group access to international technology, brands, capital and operating expertise while retaining a substantial Turkish industrial and financial presence. Its financial-services portfolio includes Akbank, one of Turkey’s best-known banks, together with insurance, pension, brokerage, asset-management, payment, treasury and leasing activities conducted through businesses such as Agesa and Aksigorta. In energy, Enerjisa and Enerjisa Üretim cover electricity distribution, retail and generation. The generation portfolio has included the Tufanbeyli lignite-fired power station. The energy portfolio has also attracted environmental scrutiny because Enerjisa Üretim appears on the Global Coal Exit List maintained by the NGO Urgewald; this is an external classification rather than a corporate scandal finding. Industrial and materials operations include Kordsa, Brisa, Temsa Motorlu Araçlar, Temsa Ulaşım Araçları, Çimsa and Akçansa. Retail and consumer-facing businesses include Teknosa and CarrefourSA. Sabancı also operates or supports digital and technology activities through SabancıDX, climate-technology investments through Sabancı Climate Technologies, and hotel-related businesses including Tursa and Ankara Enternasyonel Otelcilik. As described for 2024, Sabancı Group companies operated in 17 countries across five continents, served more than 40 million customers and employed over 60,000 people. The group reported combined sales of approximately TRY 1.244 trillion and combined EBITDA of approximately TRY 128.9 billion for that year; these are group-level figures and include the operating companies and segments associated with the group. In March 2025, Hayri Çulhacı became the first non-family chair and managing director of Sabancı Holding, marking a significant governance transition while the family remained an important shareholder. The group’s current positioning combines Turkish industrial scale, financial-services reach, international partnerships and portfolio diversification.

Sabancı Holding developed from the commercial and industrial activities of the Sabancı family in Adana, a major city and trading center in southern Turkey. The family’s business expansion eventually produced a broad collection of industrial, financial and commercial enterprises. In 1967, these activities were organized through Hacı Ömer Sabancı Holding A.Ş., creating a holding-company framework capable of coordinating businesses across multiple sectors. The group’s early development reflected the industrialization of the Turkish economy. Rather than concentrating on one product category, Sabancı built a portfolio that could participate in finance, manufacturing, materials, energy and consumer distribution. This diversified structure enabled the group to combine domestic relationships and capital with technology and operating capabilities obtained through international partnerships. A major organizational step occurred in 1974, when the holding relocated its headquarters from Adana to Istanbul. The move placed the group in Turkey’s principal financial and corporate center. Its headquarters became associated with the Sabancı Group Towers in Levent, a twin-tower complex that has served as a visible symbol of the group’s corporate presence. Sabancı Holding entered Turkey’s public equity market in 1997 through a listing on the Istanbul Stock Exchange, now Borsa Istanbul. The listing broadened access to capital and public investment while the Sabancı family continued to hold a majority stake. The group remained a holding company whose performance depended on the results of its portfolio companies and joint ventures rather than on a single consolidated operating brand. During its expansion, Sabancı developed or maintained partnerships with prominent international groups. E.ON became associated with the Enerjisa energy businesses; Bridgestone with Brisa; Ageas with insurance businesses including Agesa and Aksigorta; HeidelbergCement with Akçansa; Carrefour with CarrefourSA; Komatsu with Temsa Motorlu Araçlar; and PPF Group with Temsa Ulaşım Araçları. Other multinational relationships have included Marubeni and international business networks connected with retail and industrial operations. These arrangements helped the group compete in sectors requiring substantial capital, specialized technology, established brands or regulated infrastructure. The portfolio came to include Akbank in banking; Enerjisa and Enerjisa Üretim in electricity; Kordsa and Brisa in industrial materials and tires; Çimsa and Akçansa in cement and building materials; Temsa businesses in machinery and commercial vehicles; Teknosa and CarrefourSA in retail; Agesa and Aksigorta in insurance; and SabancıDX in digital services. Sabancı Climate Technologies and hospitality-related companies such as Tursa and Ankara Enternasyonel Otelcilik added further areas of activity. By 2024, the group’s companies were described as operating in 17 countries across five continents, with more than 40 million customers and over 60,000 employees. The group’s combined 2024 sales were reported at approximately TRY 1.244 trillion and combined EBITDA at approximately TRY 128.9 billion. These figures describe the wider group and its operating portfolio rather than a single product brand. Governance changed in March 2025 when Hayri Çulhacı became the first non-family chair and managing director of Sabancı Holding. The appointment represented an important shift in the group’s leadership model. The Sabancı family nevertheless continued to be identified as the majority shareholder. Sabancı Holding’s modern identity therefore combines family-associated ownership, public listing, professional management, large Turkish operating companies and international joint ventures.

• 2025

  First non-family chair and managing director

  [1]Sabancı Holdingen.wikipedia.org

  Hayri Çulhacı took the chair and managing-director role in March, becoming the first non-family leader in that position.

• 2024

  International group scale reported

  [1]Sabancı Holdingen.wikipedia.org

  The group was reported to operate in 17 countries across five continents, serving more than 40 million customers and employing over 60,000 people.

• 1997

  Public listing

  [1]Sabancı Holdingen.wikipedia.org

  Sabancı Holding was first listed on the Istanbul Stock Exchange, now Borsa Istanbul.

• 1974

  Headquarters moved to Istanbul

  [1]Sabancı Holdingen.wikipedia.org

  The holding relocated its headquarters from Adana to Istanbul, later establishing its corporate base in the Sabancı Group Towers in Levent.

• 1967

  Holding company established

  [1]Sabancı Holdingen.wikipedia.org

  Hacı Ömer Sabancı Holding A.Ş. was established to organize and coordinate the Sabancı family’s expanding business interests.

A family-associated, publicly listed Turkish conglomerate positioned around diversified industrial and financial businesses, long-term strategic partnerships and broad domestic market coverage, with operations and commercial reach extending internationally.

• Banking and financial services

  Akbank

  Akbank is Sabancı Holding’s principal banking business and provides corporate and investment banking, commercial and small-business banking, retail banking, international banking, payment systems, treasury services and related financial products. It gives the group a major presence in Turkey’s financial sector and serves individuals, companies and institutional customers.

• Energy

  Enerjisa and Enerjisa Üretim

  The Enerjisa businesses cover electricity distribution, retail and generation. Enerjisa Üretim owns and operates generation assets including the Tufanbeyli lignite-fired power station. The energy businesses are associated with Sabancı Holding’s joint-venture relationship with E.ON and represent one of the group’s largest infrastructure-oriented activities.

• Industrial materials

  Kordsa

  Kordsa is an industrial materials company focused on reinforcement technologies and related engineered materials. It serves sectors such as tires, composites and construction through specialized production and technical capabilities. Within Sabancı’s portfolio, Kordsa represents the group’s international industrial-materials platform.

• Tires

  Brisa

  Brisa is the tire business operated through a partnership with Bridgestone. Its activities cover tire products and associated mobility solutions for passenger vehicles, commercial vehicles and other applications. The partnership combines Sabancı’s Turkish industrial presence with Bridgestone’s global tire expertise and brand capabilities.

• Cement and building materials

  Çimsa

  Çimsa is a cement and building-materials company in the Sabancı portfolio. Its activities include cement and related materials used in construction and infrastructure. The business contributes to the group’s domestic and international building-materials presence and complements the portfolio’s other cement operations.

• Cement and building materials

  Akçansa

  Akçansa is a cement producer operated through a joint venture with HeidelbergCement. It supplies cement and related construction materials and is one of Turkey’s prominent building-materials businesses. Its international partnership provides access to industry knowledge and global-scale building-materials capabilities.

• Consumer electronics retail

  Teknosa

  Teknosa is Sabancı Holding’s consumer-electronics retail business. It distributes and sells electronics and technology products through retail channels and is associated with the Euronics network. The business gives the group direct consumer exposure in Turkey’s technology and electronics market.

• Food retail

  CarrefourSA

  CarrefourSA is the group’s food-retail business operated through a partnership with Carrefour. It serves consumers through grocery and supermarket retail activities in Turkey. The joint venture combines Sabancı’s local market presence with Carrefour’s international retail expertise and brand.

• Insurance and financial services

  Agesa and Aksigorta

  Agesa and Aksigorta extend Sabancı Holding’s financial-services portfolio beyond banking. Their activities include insurance and related protection products, with Agesa also associated with pension and long-term savings services. Both businesses are linked to partnerships with Ageas.

• Industrial machinery and commercial vehicles

  Temsa businesses

  Temsa Motorlu Araçlar and Temsa Ulaşım Araçları represent the group’s machinery and commercial-vehicle activities. The former is associated with Komatsu, while the latter is associated with PPF Group. Together they provide industrial equipment and transportation-related products and broaden Sabancı’s manufacturing and distribution footprint.

• Digital services

  SabancıDX

  SabancıDX is the group’s digital-services and transformation platform. It supports technology, digitalization and business-transformation activities for enterprises and group companies, reflecting Sabancı Holding’s effort to develop capabilities beyond traditional industrial and financial sectors.

• 2025

  Professionalization of top-level governanceStrategy

  Background

  The group remained associated with majority family ownership but operated a large, internationally partnered portfolio across regulated and capital-intensive sectors.

  Action taken

  In March 2025, Hayri Çulhacı became chair and managing director, the first non-family person to hold that role.

  Aftermath

  The appointment marked a significant transition toward professional leadership while preserving the Sabancı family’s continuing shareholder role.

  Source

• 1997

  Public-market listingStrategy

  Background

  Sabancı Holding had developed into a broad industrial and financial group and required a corporate structure compatible with public capital markets.

  Action taken

  The company listed on the Istanbul Stock Exchange, now Borsa Istanbul, while the founding family continued to retain a majority stake.

  Aftermath

  The listing established Sabancı Holding as a publicly traded holding company and enabled public investors to participate in the group’s diversified portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Sabancı Holdingen.wikipedia.org