There will be a flag change for the first time in 7 years at the top of the Anadolu Group senior management. Hurşit Zorlu, who has successfully led Anadolu Group operations since 2017, is retiring. As of April 1, 2024, Burak Basarir, who has been working with increasing responsibilities within the Anadolu Group for 25 years, becomes the Chief Executive Officer of the Group, which operates in 20 countries with 90 facilities and up to 100 thousand employees.
Making a statement on the subject, Anadolu Group Chairman of the Board of Directors Tuncay Özilhan said: “Hurşit Zorlu; He has demonstrated exemplary professionalism and career journey during his time working in our group. Since the day he first started working in our group, he has stood out with his performance and character, fulfilled many high-level duties with outstanding success and became a role model for his colleagues. Finally, he will retire from the Executive Chairman position, which is the highest level of professional management in our Group. In this new period, he will take part in all boards of our Group companies as a board member and will continue to contribute to our Group. I would like to sincerely thank him for his contributions to our Group in these 40 years of exemplary business life. I am sure that Burak Basarir will continue his contributions to our Group so far with success in this new position.”
HE PIONELED THE SPREADING OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY STRATEGY
Completing his 40th year in Anadolu Group, Hurşit Zorlu joined Anadolu Group in 1984 as a Marketing Specialist in Efes Beverage Group, and took on senior positions in Efes Beverage Group. In 2008, he became Anadolu Group Chief Financial Officer, in 2013. He was appointed as Anadolu Group Executive Vice President. Zorlu has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer of Anadolu Group since 2017.
Zorlu, who achieved many principles and successes at Anadolu Group, pioneered the establishment of corporate governance practices in Group companies throughout his management. Zorlu, who also played important roles in the field of Civil Society, served as a Member of the Executive Board of DEİK Foreign Investments Business Council and a Member of the High Advisory Council of the Turkish Investor Relations Association (TÜYİD). Zorlu served as the 2015th term president of the Turkish Corporate Governance Association (TKYD) between 2017 and 8.
ELECTED 'BEST CEO' BY INSTITUTIONAL INVESTOR FOR THREE YEARS IN A ROW
Burak Basarir studied International Business Administration and Computer Science at American River College and then studied Business Administration at California State University of Sacramento. Basarir, who graduated from Middle East Technical University, Department of Business Administration in 1995, joined Coca-Cola İçecek (CCI) in 1998. Basarir, who took on different roles with increasing management responsibilities, was promoted to the position of CFO in 2005. Basarir, who led CCI's public offering and CCI-Efes Invest financial merger, managed CCI's largest operation in terms of sales volume and revenue as Turkey Regional President between 2010 and 2013. Basarir, who was appointed as the CEO of Coca-Cola İçecek A.Ş. in 2014, has been serving as the Executive Vice President of Anadolu Group since 2023.
Basarir played a leadership role in helping Coca-Cola İçecek become a multinational company producing in 12 countries in a wide geography stretching from Turkey to the Chinese border. Basarir was selected as the 'Best CEO' for three consecutive years by Institutional Investor, the world's most respected institutional investor publication, during his time as the CEO of Coca-Cola İçecek. Basarir is among the members of the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD).
