My family and I decided to establish Esas in 2000. Our goal was to form an investment platform that would create value in Turkey and internationally. We set out on this journey with a small team. Today, Esas in as internationally known firm with offices in Istanbul and London and investments spanning six continents. We have investment expertise in private equity, real estate, venture and public markets and are proud to be known as one of the leading Turkish family investment holding companies.
In my 60 years of work experience, I enjoyed many successes. However, I have also faced many challenges. My motivation in overcoming these challenges has always been my belief- in myself, my family, my colleagues and of ultimately, my country.
When I was a young boy of 13, I told my late father Hacı Ömer Sabancı that I wished to work over the summer. I took it upon myself to make a list of expenses incurred, one by one. When I presented this to him, he said: “Dear Son, whatever you spent, it was your own money”. He threw away the list. It was my father’s unconditional trust in me that allowed me to put trust at the core of everything throughout my career. I fully trusted the team that helped to build Esas; and because of their efforts, Esas came to be where it is today.
We are a family. We walk together toward the same goals. We share our gains. We are committed to Esas’s core values. We always advocate for what is right, act according to ethical principles, and keep our promises. We assume responsibility for social development and environmental sustainability, both today and for the future. And in doing so, my father’s core principle of ‘giving back to this land what we gained from this land’ is always our guiding light.
Philanthropy is a family tradition for us. We created Esas Sosyal as the social investment arm of Esas in 2015 with this guiding principle in our hearts and minds. We decided that our first social investment would in the future of this country, yet also one of its greatest present challenges; youth and employment. Our First Chance Program gives youth hope and creates equal opportunity in access to employment.
This Program, which is of utmost importance to me, offers new university graduates their first employment experiences and additional training at Turkey’s leading NGOs, fully subsidized by Esas and our partners. My family honored me by deciding that the First Chance Program should carry my name, as they believed it reflected my core values and life vision.
Whether it be for financial or social impact , at Esas, we support initiatives which are creative, innovative and unique. We are good stewards; vigilant and thorough in all we do. Yet, we are also agile and act at the right time. We respect and value the ideas of our employees and partners, and seek to make decisions together.
In order to continue creating value for our companies, employees, partners, ecosystem and ultimately our country, the Esas family will continue to work with these core values and utmost dedication and conviction.
I am sincerely grateful to those who believed in the Esas vision, contributed to our journey and brought Esas to where it is today.
Şevket Sabancı
01.01.2020