SUCCESS COMES THROUGH INVESTMENT
“Success comes through investment...” These words belong to Zaynel Abidin Erdem, the President of the Executive Board of Erdem Holding Company, born on February 15, 1944. Erdem graduated from Yıldız University, the Faculty of Chemistry and served as an assistant at the Board of Industrial Inorganic Chemistry between 1973-76, meanwhile attended the doctorate programme at Istanbul University, the Faculty of Business Administration, as well as taking his first steps in business though still a student. Companies under the auspices of Erdem Holding which is celebrating its 32nd anniversary this year, mainly operate in the fields of telecommunications, automotive supplies, tourism, aviation, customs and transportation, and construction and other services.
Erdem Holding Company, which was constructed upon the commercial foundations laid in 1965, is today, with an enlarged commercial capacity and an ever-broadening field of activity, a community of success eager to fulfil new accomplishments. The group, which is dedicated to enhancing total quality and rendering services to the community in a way to meet the requirements of their responsibilities, has 500 employees and a broadening manufacturing portfolio, and acts as the representative of a number of national and international companies. The companies affiliated to Erdem Holding Company are; Gen-Pa A.S., Ertel A. S., Nezih Ticaret A. S., Ermeks-Er A. S., Tanıtım A. S., Kurulus A. S., Trans-Inter A. S., Mobicom A.S., Marbas Ltd. Sti., and Serinal A. S. Dr Zeynel Abidin, the President of the Executive Board of Erdem Holding Compay, is a 3rd generation member of the family known as Hacibeyogullari.
THE RESPECTED FAMILY BEING FORCED TO IMMIGRATE
Hacibeyogullari family was twice forced by the governments of those times to immigrate from where they had settled to other regions in Anatolia, first in 1925 and secondly in 1960. The first mandatory immigration was due to the fear stemming from the Sheikh Sait rebellion in 1925. This immigration moved the members of the Hacıbeyoğulları family to Antalya, Balikesir, Burdur, Manisa, and Mugla. Later, Ataturk discovered that the family had not deserved the unjust decisions taken by certain executives to force them to leave where they lived in, that the family, during the Independence War, had in many cases jeopardised their lives for the sake of Turkey’s independence, and allowed the family to return to their lands in 1927. Hacibeyogullari were not allowed to take the surname “Hacibeyoglu” on the grounds that the family was known as a big and wealthy one with its roots coming from Ottomans. The members of the family were given the surnames; Erdem, Aras, Atalay, Fidan, Altındag, Öztürk and Özbek. The family was forced again to immigrate in 1960. Until 1962, they lived in banishment and under surveillance in İzmir-Dikili, Sivas, Mersin, and Istanbul, and then joined the Party of Justice and gor actively involved in politics.
Dr Zeynel Abidin Erdem is from Mardin, and is a member of a family that is believed to come from the Prophet’s family. The name given to members of such families is “seyyid”, and seyyids are believed to have superhuman powers. Erdem is very happy for being a Seyyid. While meeting the requirements of his religious beliefs, he, at the same time holds dear all the beauties of modern life.
Zeynel Abidin Erdem, who once said; “Attaining success is only possible through long term, accurate, and consistent policy implementation. Wars of economy are like marathons. Success is reached through setting and effectively implementing long term economic and political strategies”, briefs as follows what steps were taken by the holing company which he named his surname:
“ Gen-Pa which was constructed upon the commercial foundations laid in 1965 is today acting as the distributor of Ericsson and Sony in Turkey. Moreover, we have two new telecommunications projects about to be put into practice. The first one is establishing and operating in Turkey the wireless communications network known as Mobitex, which is based on Ericsson technology. To this end, we have started to make the relevant investments. The second project is called Volback, which is a system that allows stolen belongings to be found through the use of electronic labels and chips and when required report the devices that use these instruments, and this system has been implemented in France for three years and will be implemented in other European countries as of next year.
Doctor Erdem who believes that today, as the new global trends are discussed we, as a nation, must be a pioneer in technology not a pursuer, and therefore we must be familiar with the leading and innovative approaches brought by an era of communications, and proceeds with his business principles:
“I attach utmost importance to working only with those institutions that are among the leading ones in their fields of activity around the world. I believe that, through this, I may help introduce to our country the latest technologies. The basic principle adopted by the companies under Erdem Holding Company is to act in accordance with a specific product and service approach compliant to international standards, and enhancing total quality and accountability to consumers in production and service rendering. Our growing strategy is based on the fact that success comes through investment. “
Dr Zeynel Abidin Erdem, believing that the major sector in the 21st year is the telecommunications sector, says that they place significant portions of their investments into this sector. Another project that Erdem plans to realize and believes will be of significant contributions to Turkish economy involves the establishment of Europe’s most comprehensive health complex in Istanbul. To this end, Erdem Holding Company has been making efforts to realize the project. The goals relating to the health complex to be established in Istanbul are; equipping the facility with the latest technologies of the world, employing there the most famous Turkish and foreign doctors of medicine, and thus inverting the flow of brain drain while initiating health tourism in Turkey.
SUCCESFUL BUSINESSMAN, GIFTED SPORTSMAN, AND A PERFECT FATHER
Dr Zeynel Abidin Erdem a businessman since 1965, successfully managed his education and occupation together. Although he always has an intensive business programme, Dr Erdem is able to spend time on his hobbies and especially sports, and maintains the balances in his life. Erdem, who was interested in basketball, boxing, and karate throughout his education, now goes into regular basketball, tennis, gym, swimming and golf training. Moreover, Zeynel Abidin Erdem has collections of stamps, cameras and guns, and likes taking photographs when he has time to.
Zeynel Abidin Edem’s wife, Emine Erdem, who, after graduating from the Istanbul University Faculty of Law, attended the master’s degree programme at the business administration department of the same university, has been working as a consultant lawyer at the law department of Turkish Airlines for seven years.
The first child of the couple was born in 1984. Mehmet is a 6th grade student at the Yüzyıl Işıl High School and his greatest aim is to become a good businessman and sportsman like his father. Mehmet Rıza Erdem is attached to computers and basketball, and is a promising, gifted player of Efes Pilsen. The youngest member of the family is Zeynep Berrin Erdem who was born in 1985. Like her brother, she attends Yüzyıl Işıl High School and is currently at the preparatory grade. She has been trained in ballet for five years and has been awarded the Royal Academy of Dance certificate. She, too, like the other members of the family, is very interested in sports. At the weekends she plays volleyball in Eczacıbaşı, takes piano classes and goes horse riding.