Early Life
Ferit Faik Şahenk was born in Ankara, Turkey, on March 18, 1964. He attended The American School in Switzerland (TASIS) and later pursued higher education at Boston College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Human Resources in 1989.
Rise to Success
After graduating, Sahenk began his career with an apprenticeship at Doğuş' Garanti Bank. In 1998, he transitioned to Doğuş Holding, acquiring two food retail chains. He also took on the operation of NTV by selling part of Garanti Bank to the public. Sahenk created a recruitment division called Humanitas, emphasizing the importance of top talent. He became the chairman of Doğuş Group after his father's death in 2001.
Key Business Strategies
Under his leadership, Doğuş Group's revenues reached $5.7 billion in 1999. Sahenk introduced centralized back-office operations for Doğuş' banks and auto dealerships, and added leasing, insurance, and cashback reward schemes to the banking business. He sold a quarter of Garanti Bank to General Electric for $1.6 billion in 2004, promoting liberalization in the Turkish banking sector. In 2017, Doğuş Group sold its remaining shares in Garanti Bank.
Philanthropy
Ferit Şahenk is involved in philanthropy, donating 3 million CHF to TASIS for the Ferit Sahenk Fine Arts Center. He also supports various social and cultural initiatives.