Selahattin Beyazıt (1931–2022) was a Turkish businessman from Turkey. He is known for his role as president of the Turkish football club

Galatasaray Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Galatasaray and familiarly as Cimbom, is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul including basketball, wheelchair ...

which he held two terms from 1969 to 1973 and from 1975 to 1979.

Early life and education

He was born in

Doğubayazıt Doğubayazıt (; or , ) is a town of Ağrı Province of Turkey, near the Iran–Turkey border, border with Iran. Its elevation is 1625 m. It is the seat of Doğubayazıt District. History For most of the periods described here, Doğubay ...

Ağrı Ağrı (; ) is a city in eastern Turkey, near the border with Iran. It is the seat of Ağrı Province and Ağrı District.

, on 5 July 1931. His grandfather, Ibrahim Ağa, was the chief of a Kurd tribe who participated in the Kurdish rebellion in Ağrı in 1926. Ibrahim Ağa was forced to exile due to this incident. Beyazıt's father, Mehmet, settled in Istanbul where he had business activities. Beyazıt graduated from

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...

in 1950. He had a degree from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. During his studies at Cambridge, he became a member of a Mason Lodge and the

Bilderberg Group The Bilderberg Meeting (also known as the "Bilderberg Group", "Bilderberg Conference" or "Bilderberg Club") is an annual off-the-record forum established in 1954 to foster dialogue between Europe and North America. The group's agenda, originally ...

through his close relationship with Lord Brabazon of Tara.

Career and activities

During the Democrat Party government in the 1950s, Beyazıt briefly served as the private secretary of

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Adnan Menderes Ali Adnan Ertekin Menderes (; 1899 – 17 September 1961) was a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister of Turkey between 1950 and 1960. He was one of the founders of the Democrat Party (DP) in 1946, the fourth legal opposition party of ...

. Beyazıt was the representative of the British companies,

Leyland Trucks Leyland Trucks is a medium- and heavy-duty truck manufacturer based in Leyland, Lancashire, United Kingdom. It can trace its origins back to the original Leyland Motors, which was founded in 1896, and subsequently evolved into British Leyland ...

and

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

. He later established his own company. He was the third highest tax payer in Turkey in 1976. He was appointed chairman of Türk Pirelli Company in 2004 succeeding Bülent Eczacıbaşı in the post. Beyazıt became a regular member of the Bilderberg Meetings from 1971 to 1997. He was the representative of Turkey to the Bilderberg Group between 1972 and 1992. He was the organizer of the Group's meeting in

Çeşme Çeşme, officially the Çeşme Municipality, is a municipality and Districts of Turkey, district of İzmir Province, Turkey. Its area is 285 km2, and its population is 48,924 (2022). It sits at Turkey's westernmost end, on a promontory on t ...

in 1975. He was succeeded by

Suna Kıraç Suna Koç Kıraç (born Suna Koç; June 3, 1941 – September 15, 2020) was a Turkish businesswoman and a billionaire. Early years Suna Koç was born to Vehbi Koç (1901–1996), the wealthiest businessman of Turkey, and his wife Sadberk (1908 ...

in the post.

Galatasaray presidency

Beyazıt was elected as the president of

in 1969 and held the post until 1973. He was again elected to the post in 1975, and his term ended in 1979. During his presidency Galatasaray won three league cups with the British manager Brian Birch.

Personal life and death

Beyazıt was married and had a son. He died in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

on 21 January 2022.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beyazıt, Selahattin 20th-century Turkish businesspeople 21st-century Turkish businesspeople 1931 births 2022 deaths Alumni of the University of Cambridge Galatasaray High School alumni Galatasaray S.K. presidents Turkish people of Kurdish descent People from Doğubayazıt Turkish Freemasons