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Grizzly Bulls’ Billionaires Index

⬅ # 541 Rick Caruso|# 543 Archie Aldis Emmerson ➡

# 542 Murat Ülker 

$5.51B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/2/2024
$1.9M (0.03%)

# 542 Murat Ülker 

$5.51B

Real Time Net Worth
as of 7/2/2024
$1.9M (0.03%)
OccupationChair, Ülker Group
Source of WealthFood
Age65
ResidenceIstanbul, Turkey
Marital StatusMarried
Children3
EducationBS, Bogazici University
Age-Adjusted Net Worth$3.92B
Murat Ülker
Murat Ülker
Turkey
Net worth: $5.51B

Self-Made Score 

Wealth History

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Biography

Biographical Information

Murat Ülker was born on March 21, 1959, in Istanbul, Turkey, to Sabri Ülker and Güzide İman.
He attended İstanbul Erkek Lisesi for high school and graduated with a degree in business administration from Boğaziçi University.
In 1982, he underwent training at the American Institute of Baking (AIB) and Zentralfachschule der Deutschen Süßwarenwirtschaft (ZDS) and also worked at Continental Baking Company in the United States.
Ülker joined the Ülker Group, a part of Yıldız Holding, in 1984 as a control coordinator, gradually ascending to roles like assistant general manager and general manager.
In 2000, he assumed the position of CEO of Yıldız Holding before becoming its chairman in 2008, overseeing significant expansions and acquisitions.

Career Highlights

Ülker became CEO of Yıldız Holding in 2000 and later assumed the role of chairman in 2008, leading the company through significant expansions and acquisitions.
Under his leadership, Yıldız Holding acquired GODIVA Chocolatier in 2008 and United Biscuits in 2014, among other ventures.
In 2016, Ülker spearheaded the formation of Pladis, a global company bringing together brands like GODIVA, United Biscuits, and DeMet's Candy Company.
He played a pivotal role in establishing Ülkerspor basketball club in 1993, which later evolved into Fenerbahçe Ülker, contributing significantly to Turkish sports.
Ülker has also been involved in philanthropy, notably establishing the Sabri Ulker Foundation in 2009 to address public health concerns in the food and nutrition sectors.
In 2014, the Ülker family contributed $24 million to Harvard University to establish The Sabri Ülker Center for Nutrient, Genetic, and Metabolic Research.

Business Ventures

Yıldız Holding, chaired by Ülker, is the largest food company in the CEEMEA region, owning businesses such as GODIVA Chocolatier, Pladis, and Sok.
The conglomerate operates in various sectors including food production, retail, private equity, real estate, and digital technology through Yıldız Tech.
Yıldız Holding's food production arm includes globally recognized brands like Ülker, which is part of Pladis, the second-largest biscuit company, and seventh-largest chocolate company globally.
Pladis, established in 2016, consolidates brands like GODIVA, United Biscuits, and DeMet's Candy Company under one global entity.
In retail, Yıldız Holding operates brands such as ŞOK Marketler, Bizim Toptan, Seç Marketleri, and g2mEKSPER, catering to various segments of the market.
The company also engages in private equity investments through Gözde Girişim Sermayesi Yatırım Ortaklığı, listed on the Borsa Istanbul Stock Exchange, and its subsidiary, Gözde Tech Ventures, focusing on technology start-ups.

Acquisitions and Expansions

Yıldız Holding acquired GODIVA Chocolatier in 2008 and United Biscuits in 2014, marking significant expansions in its global presence.
To establish a more global structure, Ülker merged United Biscuit, Ulker Biscuit, and DeMet's Candy under the umbrella of London-based Pladis Foods in 2016.
In 2019, parts of GODIVA's Asia-Pacific business were sold to PE firm MBK Partners, with proceeds earmarked for global expansion, aiming to increase GODIVA cafe outlets from 20 to over 2,000 by 2025.

Personal Life

Ülker is married, has three children, and resides in Istanbul, Turkey.
He is an avid art collector and has sponsored art exhibitions, notably the retrospective art exhibition 'Fifty Years of Urban Walls' at Istanbul Modern in 2012.

Philanthropic Activities

The Ülker family established the Sabri Ulker Foundation in 2009, focusing on public health issues related to food and nutrition.
In 2014, they contributed $24 million to Harvard University to establish The Sabri Ülker Center for Nutrient, Genetic, and Metabolic Research, addressing chronic diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular ailments.
Ülker has made significant contributions to sports, notably in basketball, by founding Ülkerspor, later known as Fenerbahçe Ülker, which has achieved remarkable success in Turkish basketball.

How long would it take you to become as rich as Murat Ülker?

If you started with $10,000 and invested an additional $500 each month at a 44.06% CAGR, it would take you 5 years to reach Murat Ülker's net worth of $5.51B.

Is this realistic? It depends how closely the VIX-TA-Macro Advanced model performs to its history in the future. Since Grizzly Bulls launched on January 1, 2022, it's returned 48.24% compared to 16.19% for the S&P 500 benchmark.

Enter data in all but one field below, then calculate the missing value

Murat Ülker is very wealthy, but what's stopping you from reaching that same level of success? As summarized in our five fundamental rules to wealth building, becoming wealthy in a modern capitalist economy is not complicated. There's actually only three variables:

  1. Your starting capital
  2. Your earnings after expenses
  3. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of your savings

Most people start with zero or very little, so if you weren't born into wealth, don't fret! The majority of the fortunate folks listed in our Grizzly Bulls’ Billionaires Index came from middle class or lower backgrounds. The most distinguishing characteristic of the group is their ability to consistently earn a high CAGR on their savings.

Every billionaire has a unique strategy to achieve high CAGR. For Murat Ülker, Food is the primary source. Whether you choose to invest your savings in your own businesses or the businesses of others is not as important. The salient piece of the puzzle is ensuring that your hard-earned savings are generating sufficient CAGR to reach your long term goals.

Most people simply invest their money in index funds and call it a day. There's nothing wrong with this approach, but it guarantees relative mediocrity. To achieve greatness, you need to invest your money to earn higher than average returns. In the long run, better investors will always finish ahead of better earners.

Source: Grizzly Bulls reporting

Methodology: Grizzly Bulls' Billionaires Index is a daily ranking of the world's billionaires and richest people. Grizzly Bulls strives to provide the most accurate net worth calculations available. We pull data from public equity markets, SEC filings, public real estate records, and other reputable sources.

The index is dynamic and updates daily at the close of U.S. stock market trading based on changes in the markets, economy, and updates to Grizzly Bulls' proprietary algorithm of personal wealth calculation. Stakes in public companies are tracked daily based on the relevant closing prices of the underlying securities. Additionally, stakes in private companies, cash, real estate, and other less easily valued assets are updated periodically through careful analysis of insider transactions, comparable public company sales / EBITDA multiples, etc.

Edited by: Lee Bailey