The American Turkish Society's annual gala dinner celebrates the successful partnerships of American and Turkish corporations and honors the extraordinary business leaders that exemplify the U.S.-Turkish friendship and cooperation. Inaugurated in 2006, this special event is an outstanding example of what has been the American Turkish Society's mission since 1949 - to promote business, economic and cultural ties between Turkey and the United States. Proceeds from the gala dinner support The American Turkish Society's educational and cultural programs and activities.

The American Turkish Society Sixth Annual Gala Dinner, October 18, 2012
Honoring Philip I. Kent, and Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ

The American Turkish Society awarded its annual Corporate Partnership Award to Philip I. Kent, Chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and Arzuhan Doğan Yalçındağ, Chairperson of Doğan TV Holding, at its 2012 Gala Dinner on October 18th at The Plaza in New York. The Gala celebrated CNN Türk as Turkey’s first television channel co-founded with a foreign media company.

Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent and Donald J. Trump, Chairman and President, The Trump Organization, supported the event as Dinner Committee Co-Chairs and presented the honorees their awards at the event. Mica Ertegün served as Honorary Chair in support of the organization where her late husband, Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegün, served as Chairman for many years.

The 2012 gala, which raised over $500,000, for the cultural and educational programs of The Society, was attended by over 400 senior executives from the American and Turkish business communities as well as dignitaries from the U.S. and Turkish public and diplomatic sectors and select guests from the media, arts, civil society, and academia.

In addition to generous support from the honoree companies Doğan TV Holding and Turner Broadcasting System, Baker & McKenzie LLP and their partner in Turkey, Esin Law Firm supported The Society at the highest level as 1949 Legacy Benefactor. Platinum Benefactors of the dinner included Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT), National Basketball Association (NBA), Sabancı Holding, Tamer and Elif Seçkin, The Coca-Cola Company, and DEİK/Turkish-American Business Council (TAİK).

For the first time in 2012, the gala dinner was followed by an after-party with over 350 attendees at The Oak Room, a famous New York City landmark.

The American Turkish Society Fifth Annual Gala Dinner, October 20, 2011
Honoring Duncan L. Niederauer and Süreyya Ciliv

The American Turkish Society awarded its annual Corporate Partnership Award to Duncan L. Niederauer, CEO of NYSE Euronext, and Süreyya Ciliv, CEO of Turkcell, at its 2011 Gala Dinner on October 20th at The Plaza in New York. The evening commemorated Turkcell’s listing on the New York Stock Exchange as the first and only Turkish company for over ten years.

Mustafa V. Koç, Chairman of Koç Holding and Joseph R. Perella, Chairman and CEO of Perella Weinberg Partners supported the event as Dinner Committee Co-chairs and presented the honorees with the Annual Corporate Partnership Award. Mica Ertegün served as Honorary Chairwoman. In addition, Hüseyin Erkan, Chairman and CEO of Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE), received an appreciation plaque from Mr. Ciliv.

The 2011 gala, which raised over $500,000 for the cultural and educational programs of The Society, was attended by over 350 senior executives from the American and Turkish business communities as well as dignitaries from the U.S. and Turkish public and diplomatic sectors and select guests from the media, arts, civil society, and academia.

In addition to NYSE Euronext and Turkcell, Platinum Benefactors of the event included The Coca-Cola Company, DEİK/Turkish-American Business Council (TAİK), J.P. Morgan, Koç Holding A.Ş., Perella Weinberg Partners, and Sabancı Holding. Gold benefactors included Bloomberg, Chartis, Mica Ertegün, ESBAŞ and Kaya and Mary Tuncer, Herrick, Feinstein LLP and Larry Kaye and Barbaros Karaahmet, Kıraça, and Tamer and Elif Seçkin.

The American Turkish Society Fourth Annual Gala Dinner, May 28, 2009
Honoring Muhtar Kent and Tuncay Özilhan

The American Turkish Society awarded its annual Corporate Partnership Award to Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, and Tuncay Özilhan, Chairman and CEO of Anadolu Group, at its 2009 Gala Dinner on May 28 at The Pierre in New York. The Gala celebrated the successful partnership of The Coca-Cola Company and Anadolu Group in Coca-Cola İçecek.

Madeleine K. Albright, Former U.S. Secretary of State and Rahmi M. Koç, Honorary Chairman of Koç Holding A.Ş. supported the event as Dinner Committee Co-chairs and presented Mr. Kent and Mr. Özilhan with their awards. Mica Ertegün served as Honorary Chairwoman.

This year's gala dinner also celebrated The American Turkish Society’s 60th anniversary as the oldest not-for-profit in the United States working on U.S.-Turkish relations. Gala proceeds of over $700,000 will benefit The American Turkish Society’s educational, cultural and philanthropic programs.

Over 400 leading executives from both the American and Turkish business communities as well as dignitaries from the U.S. and Turkish governments and select guests from media, the arts, and academia attended the event. Select diplomatic guests included Ambassador Baki İlkin, Permanent Representative of Turkey to the U.N; Ambassador James F. Jeffrey, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey; Ambassador Alejandro Wolff, Deputy Permanent Representative of U.S. to the U.N.; Turkish Consul General in New York Mehmet Samsar; and U.S. Consul General in Turkey Sharon Wiener, among others.

In addition to 60th Anniversary Benefactors The Coca-Cola Company and Anadolu Group, top supporters of the event included Doğan Group, Doğuş Group / Garanti Bank, Mrs. Ahmet Ertegün, JPMorgan Chase, Kıraça, Koç Holding, Mandarin Oriental Dellis Cay, The National Basketball Association, Sabancı Holding, and TAİK (Turkish-American Business Council) of DEİK.

The American Turkish Society Third Annual Gala Dinner, April 16, 2008
Honoring Jeffrey R. Immelt and Ferit F. Sahenk

The American Turkish Society awarded its Annual Corporate Partnership Award to Jeffrey R. Immelt, Chairman and CEO of GE, and Ferit F. Şahenk, Chairman of Doğuş Group, at its 2008 Gala Dinner on April 16 at The Waldorf-Astoria in New York. The Gala celebrated the successful partnerships of GE and Doğuş Group in financial services and real estate, and their cooperation in media, in Turkey.

The 2008 Gala was attended by nearly 400 leading executives from both the American and Turkish business communities, as well as dignitaries from the U.S. and Turkish governments and select guests from the media, the arts, and academia. The event raised over $700,000 to benefit The American Turkish Society’s educational, cultural and philanthropic programs. Charles O. Holliday, Jr., Chairman and CEO of DuPont, and David J. Stern, Commissioner of The National Basketball Association, served as Dinner Committee Co-Chairmen, along with Mrs. Ahmet Ertegün as Honorary Chairwoman. Distinguished guests included Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Vecdi Gönül, Defense Minister of Turkey, Ross Wilson, Ambassador of U.S. to Turkey, Baki Ilkin, Ambassador of Turkey to the U.N., Rahmi M. Koç, Honorary Chairman of Koç Holding, Jeff Zucker, President and CEO, NBC Universal, and Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Doğuş Group and GE began working together in 2000, when the Doğuş Media Group established CNBC-e, a localized version of the world’s number one business news channel, CNBC, providing unique television coverage of Turkey’s economy and its blossoming business environment. In 2005, Doğuş and GE extended their strategic alliance to financial services through Garanti Bank, a Doğuş Group company that has grown into the second largest privately owned bank in Turkey, and a year later created Doğuş-GE REIT, focusing on real estate development in the region.

Platinum Benefactors of the gala, who contributed $25,000 or more, included, in addition to GE and Doğuş Group, American International Group (AIG), DuPont, Mrs. Ahmet Ertegün, JPMorgan Chase, Mr. and Mrs. Murat Köprülü, The National Basketball Association, NBC Universal, THL Partners, and the Turkish-U.S. Business Council (TAIK) of DEIK.

The American Turkish Society Second Annual Gala Dinner, May 7, 2007
Honoring Chuck Prince and Guler Sabanci

The American Turkish Society hosted its second annual gala dinner to celebrate the recent partnership of Citi and Sabanci Holding in Akbank, the most profitable banking institution in Turkey, at The Waldorf=Astoria in New York on May 7. The gala honored Charles Prince, Chairman and CEO of Citi, and Guler Sabanci, Chairperson and Managing Director of Sabanci Holding.

The gala was attended by leading executives from the American and Turkish business communities, as well as political and diplomatic dignitaries and select guests from academia and the arts. Prominent guests included former Senator Phil Gramm, Vice Chairman of UBS Investment Bank and Dinner Committee Chairman; Akbank board member Suzan Sabanci Dincer; Akbank General Manager Zafer Kurtul; Turkey's Permanent Representative to the U.N. H.E. Ambassador Baki Ilkin; Turkish Consul General in New York The Honorable Mehmet Samsar; and former World Bank president James Wolfensohn, among others.

The evening also included a memorial tribute to the late Ahmet Ertegun (1923-2006), founding chairman of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Society. A brief film honoring Mr. Ertegun was presented by Lawrence Kaye, The Society's Events Commitee Chairman, and Lyor Cohen, CEO of Warner Music Group's US Recorded Music. Mrs. Mica Ertegun, Honorary Chairwoman of the gala, was also present.

The American Turkish Society's annual gala dinners celebrate successful U.S. – Turkish corporate partnerships and the proceeds benefit the Society's programs and activities that aim to foster greater political, economic, and cultural ties between the two countries.

This year's gala raised over $500,000, thanks to the generous support of Citi, Sabanci and Akbank and other Platinum Benefactors UBS, Altria, American International Group (AIG), The Coca-Cola Company, Delta, International Paper, and Mrs. Mica Ertegun. Other companies and individuals who bought tables at the event included The Fairchild Corporation, Herrick, Feinstein LLP, Mr. and Mrs. Murat Koprulu, News Corporation, Archery Capital LLC, Baker & McKenzie LLP, DuPont, Joukowsky Family Foundation/Multilateral Funding International, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Kaye, Kiraca, Mr. Metin Negrin/Lexin Capital LLC, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Paramount Bio Capital, Inc., and Dr. and Mrs. Tamer Seckin.

The American Turkish Society Gala Dinner, March 29, 2006
Honoring William Clay Ford Jr. and Mustafa V. Koc

In 2006, the Society had its inaugural gala honoring one of the longest-standing and most successful Turkish-American partnerships – Ford Motor Company and Koc Holding and their 50-year-old joint venture, Ford Otosan in Turkey.

The event was attended by over 250 people. Distinguished guests included Honorees Bill Clay Ford and Mustafa V. Koc, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Ambassadors Nabi Sensoy and Ross Wilson, and gala Co-Chair Alfred Taubman.

The event raised over $400,000 with vital contributions from the honorees, members of our Board of Directors, corporate and individual members, and other friends of the Society. The proceeds will benefit the Society’s philanthropic programs and significantly expand educational and cultural initiatives.

Press coverage included New York Times, CNN Turk, and leading Turkish newspapers.