İpek Kıraç

İpek Kıraç (born November 29, 1984) is a Turkish heiress and business woman. She is the adopted daughter of  [tr] and Suna Kıraç and the heiress to Koç Holding, the largest conglomerate in Turkey.^[1][2] Between 2012 and 2021, she served as chairwoman and CEO of Sirena Marine Maritime Industry and Trade; she remains chairwoman of the company.^[3] As of January 2022, Kıraç's net worth according to Forbes is $1.3 bilion, making her one of the richest people in Turkey and the nation's youngest billionaire.^[4][5]

İpek Kıraç was born on November 29, 1984, in Istanbul, Turkey. İnan and Suna Kıraç adopted her at four months of age after struggling to conceive a child.^[6] When İpek was a teenager, her mother, Suna, became ill. In 1996, Suna suffered aphonia; she was eventually diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a specific disease that causes the death of neurons which control voluntary muscles.^[6]

Motivated to understand her mother's condition, İpek studied biology. After graduating from Koç School, she enrolled at Brown University. She graduated in 2007 with an undergraduate degree in biology and completed a Master of Public health degree from the Brown University School of Public Health in 2011.^[7]

In 2012, Kıraç became CEO of Sirena Marine Maritime Industry and Trade, a subsidiary of Kıraça Holding.^[4] She stepped down from the position in 2021 though remained chairwoman of the company.

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