'Ramadan email' cost him his job! Zorlu Holding's new CEO has been announced

The name replacing Cem Köksal, who left his position as CEO at Zorlu Holding following the recent 'Ramadan greeting' crisis, has been announced.

In a statement released by the company, it was announced that Ömer Yüngül has been appointed to the CEO seat of the holding.

The statement from Zorlu Holding included the following: "At the Holding Board of Directors meeting, it was decided to appoint Mr. Ömer Yüngül to replace Mr. Cem Köksal, who has left his position as Zorlu Holding CEO. We would like to inform the public that all activities and programs of the Zorlu Group will continue with determination as planned."

WHO IS ÖMER YÜNGÜL?

Ömer Yüngül was born in İzmir in 1955. He graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Boğaziçi University in 1978. Starting his career at Tekfen Construction, Ömer Yüngül held management positions at Metaş, Faz Elektrik, and Merloni Elettrodomestici companies.

Joining Zorlu Holding in 1997 as General Manager of Vestel White Goods, Yüngül became the CEO of Vestel in 2000. He then became the CEO of Zorlu Holding in 2013. Yüngül had retired at his own request in June 2024. Ömer Yüngül is married and a father of one.

WHAT HAPPENED?

A congratulatory message sent to employees by Ergün Güler, CEO of Vestel, which operates under Zorlu Holding, for the month of Ramadan had caused a crisis within the company. Zorlu Holding CEO Cem Köksal reacted to Güler's message, stating that the company maintains a neutral stance regarding religious days. In his reply to Güler, which was visible to all employees, Köksal stated, "The month of Ramadan is not on our list of days to be celebrated corporately. Only the Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha holidays are included. As a company, we have a stance independent of religion." Köksal noted that he had previously warned Güler on this matter and emphasized that a similar situation should not happen again.

After this situation was reflected on social media, the Istanbul Chief Public Prosecutor's Office launched an ex officio investigation into Cem Köksal, and Köksal was detained. Released after giving his statement, Köksal resigned from his position as CEO.