Ipek Kirac

Early Life

Ipek Kirac was born in Istanbul, Turkey on November 29, 1984. She is the adopted daughter of prominent industrialists Suna Kıraç and İnan Kıraç. Her mother's battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) inspired her to study biology at Brown University.

Rise to Success

Kirac graduated from Koç School in 2002 and earned a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Brown University in 2007 and a Master of Public Health from Brown University in 2011. She started her professional career in 2012, becoming CEO of Sirena Marine Denizcilik ve Ticaret A.Ş., a yacht manufacturing subsidiary of Kıraça Holding. Under her leadership, Sirena Marine entered the list of Turkey's 500 largest exporting companies. She transformed the company into a luxury boat manufacturer. She is also a member of the board of directors of Koç Holding since 2016.

Key Business Strategies

As CEO of Sirena Marine, Kirac focused on expanding production and developing its own luxury brand. This strategy led to a five-fold increase in turnover and a twenty-fold increase in profitability in less than a decade. She also served as chairwoman of the board of directors.

Philanthropy

Kirac is actively involved in philanthropy, launching the Suna'nin Kizlari (Suna's Daughters) initiative to provide educational resources to disadvantaged girls, and the SemtPati Foundation for stray animal welfare.