With its territory bridging Europe and Asia and longstanding economic ties to the world’s largest trading powers, Turkey is a growing economic powerhouse in its own right. The country is a member of the G20 forum and is one of the 20 largest economies in the world. Of course, such growth would be impossible without the contribution of innovative companies spanning sectors like energy, finance, transportation and aerospace. Here are a few companies in Turkey you should know.
Top Companies in Turkey to Know
- Koç Holding
- Turkish Airlines
- Sabancı Holding
- Ford Otosan
- Erdemir
Top Companies in Turkey
Established in 1959, Ford Otosan is a publicly traded company in which Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding each hold 41 percent of the shares. The company describes itself as the “largest commercial vehicle production center in Ford Europe” and exports its output to more than 90 countries across five continents. The company has more than 23,000 employees, including 2,000 working in research and development.
One of Turkey’s largest publicly traded companies, Erdemir produces millions of tons of crude steel and finished steel products for customers around the world. Founded in 1960, the company and its subsidiaries employ more than 13,000 people.
The Coca-Cola Company operates in Turkey as Coca-Cola İçecek, bottling and distributing beverages including Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sen Sun, Powerade and Cappy. The company operates 25 plants in Turkey, and in 2023 it opened a new digital service centre in Istanbul. The Coca-Cola Company employs 89,000 people worldwide.
Consumer goods company Procter & Gamble owns brands like Herbal Essences, Tide, Pantene and Pampers. In Turkey, it operates three production facilities that focus on cleaning and hygiene products. Procter & Gamble employs 700 people in Turkey and 117,000 worldwide.
Accenture is a global professional services company offering consulting, strategy, digital transformation, technology services and operations support. It serves clients in over 120 countries and employs more than 500,000 people. Accenture has a hub in Istanbul, Turkey, one of its more than 200 locations around the world.
Gusto offers a cloud-based HR platform that aims to serve the needs of startups and small businesses. The platform creates automation for tasks like managing benefits, filing payroll taxes, onboarding employees and tracking PTO requests. It enables managers to ensure that their remote staff meets state compliance requirements. The company’s platform also has a concierge plan for founders to scale without their own HR team by getting personalized support from Gusto’s team of HR consultants.
Headquartered in Istanbul and boasting more than 119,000 employees, Koç Holding has the distinction of being Turkey’s only representative on Fortune’s Global 500 list. The company operates in sectors including energy, automotive, appliances and finance, working with international brands like Avis, Ford and Grundig.
Global technology company Siemens has been in Turkey since 1847. It has manufactured high-speed rail cars for the Turkish State Railway and created a management platform for the Ankara City Hospital and its technology is used in half of the country’s automobile production factories. Siemens employs more than 3,000 people in Turkey and over 293,000 around the world.
Global pharmaceutical and biotech company Pfizer has been operating in Turkey since 1957. Known for its Covid-19 mRNA vaccine, the company also develops prescription medications for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular conditions and infections. Pfizer is headquartered in the United States and operates 35 locations across six continents.
KPMG is one of the world’s largest audit, tax and financial advisory companies. It has operated in Turkey since 1982 and maintains offices in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Bursa. KPMG provides audit and assurance services, tax and legal advisory and business support services. It has more than 265,000 employees and partners working around the world.
Medtronic develops, manufactures and distributes medical devices and therapies, including products like pacemakers and defibrillators. Its partnership with Biostar in Turkey began in 2014, when Medtronic acquired the Turkish company to act as its primary distributor in the country. Medtronic is based in the United States and operates in more than 150 countries.
E-commerce giant Amazon began operating in Turkey in 2018, and in 2022 it opened a new logistics center in Istanbul. Amazon operates an e-commerce site that allows Turkish customers to buy from small businesses as well as large multinational suppliers. The company also makes personal electronic devices, provides cloud computing services and operates an order fulfillment outsourcing service.
Software company Microsoft has been in Turkey for over 30 years, operating a technology center, a regional shared services center and a facility focused on research and development. Several key Turkish companies use Microsoft’s AI tools, including Enerjisa, AkBank and Intertech. Microsoft is based in the United States and employs more than 207,000 people worldwide.
With an office in Istanbul, Udemy offers a digital learning platform with a marketplace full of skills-based courses. Its Intelligent Skills Platform provides tools like its skills mapping program and an AI learning assistant. This helps clients know what kinds of upskilling would most help them with their personal portfolio.
Mondelēz International is a global snack food retailer that owns some of the most iconic brands, such as Clif Bar, Toblerone and Sour Patch Kids. It uses machine learning and artificial intelligence in its research, development and manufacturing processes. The company has an office in Istanbul.
Unilever is one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. Its brands include Dove, Lux, Hellmann’s, Knorr and Ben & Jerry’s. It has been in Turkey for more than 100 years and currently operates four factories in the country, including an ice cream manufacturing plant in Konya. Unilever employs more than 155,000 people around the world.
SAP’s software helps businesses streamline their resource planning, workflows, project management, human resources and supply chain management. It offers a “Turkey localization” version of its platform, designed specifically for Turkish business practices and legal requirements. SAP’s Istanbul office is one of nearly 200 across the globe.
Its history dating back to 1925, Sabancı Holding is an Istanbul-based conglomerate with more than 60,000 employees. Its operations span industries ranging from energy and financial services, to hotels, grocery stores (in partnership with Carrefour) and tire manufacturing in partnership with Bridgestone.
PepsiCo operates seven factories across Turkey, producing food and beverage products including Pepsi, Lipton Iced Tea and Doritos chips. Its products are sold in more than 200 countries and each one generates more than $1 billion in estimated annual retail sales. PepsiCo employs nearly 180,000 people.
Founded in 1933 and serving travelers on every continent, Turkish Airlines is the eighth-largest airline in the world by revenue. The company’s 440-craft fleet serves more than 320 destination cities in 128 countries and markets itself as the “airline that flies to most countries in the world.”
