Ahmet Nazif Zorlu took his family business from Babadağ to global brands

Ahmet Nazif Zorlu, Türkiye's 35th-richest person on Forbes Türkiye's 2025 list with an estimated fortune of $950 million, transformed his family business, which began with two looms in Babadağ, into a group spanning Vestel and Zorlu Energy. Following his death, business and political figures issued condolence messages.

Ahmet Nazif Zorlu, chairman of Zorlu Holding's board of directors, who died at the age of 82 on Nov. 2, was one of the best-known figures in Turkish industry. Zorlu ranked 35th with an estimated fortune of $950 million on Forbes Türkiye's 100 Richest Turks list, published in May 2025. In 2021, he was included on Forbes' global billionaires list with an estimated fortune of $1.1 billion.

Ahmet Nazif Zorlu, chairman of Zorlu Holding's board of directors

Zorlu was born on Aug. 28, 1944, in the Babadağ district of Denizli to a family that made its living from weaving. According to the holding's corporate history, the foundations of the family business were laid in 1953 by his father, Mehmet Zorlu, with two looms in Babadağ. Ahmet Nazif Zorlu moved to Trabzon at the age of 15 and entered business by selling the family's textile products at a store he opened there with his elder brother, Zeki Zorlu.

The brothers moved the company's headquarters to Istanbul in 1970 and established their first manufacturing company, Korteks, in Bursa in 1976. The group expanded in home textiles under the TAÇ brand and brought all its companies together under Zorlu Holding in 1990. Zorlu Energy was established in 1993, followed by the acquisition of troubled Vestel in 1994. With its facilities in Manisa, Vestel rose to become one of Europe's leading electronics and home-appliance manufacturers. The group acquired DenizBank in 1997 and expanded abroad through ventures including Zorlu Linens, Zorlu USA and Vestel USA.

The Zorlu Group later expanded into real estate, metallurgy, defense and e-mobility. Istanbul's Zorlu Center and Zorlu Performing Arts Center became flagship projects for the group. Zorlu Holding was also among the founding partners of Togg, Türkiye's domestic automaker. Through the Mehmet Zorlu Foundation for Education, Health, Culture and Solidarity, established in 1999, Zorlu pursued work in education and social development. He also served in organizations including DEİK, TÜSİAD and TETSİAD.

Zorlu Performing Arts Center in Istanbul's Beşiktaş district (archive)

Following his death, numerous condolence messages came from the business and political worlds. Former Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Zorlu had "left his mark on Türkiye's development through his contributions to production, exports and employment." Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, chairman of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye, referred to Zorlu, with whom he had embarked on the Togg project, as a "babayiğit," a term meaning a brave and capable entrepreneur. TİM Chairman Mustafa Gültepe and DEVA Party Chairman Ali Babacan also offered their condolences. Trabzonspor recalled Zorlu's attachment to the city and his long-standing support for the club.

A funeral prayer will be held for Zorlu after the noon prayer on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the Barbaros Hayreddin Paşa Mosque in Levent. Zorlu will be buried in the family plot at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery. He was married and had three children.

Ahmet Nazif Zorlu took his family business from Babadağ to global brands