Turkish chemist and industrialist who is among the founders of the pharmaceutical industry in Turkey. The story of the founder of Eczacıbaşı brand, which is also known in Europe and Asia for personal care products:
Nejat Eczacıbaşı was born on January 5, 1913, as the son of Süleyman Ferit, who founded Şifa Pharmacy in Kemeraltı, İzmir. He graduated from Robert College. He completed his chemical engineering studies at Heidelberg University in Germany. He received his chemistry degree from the University of Chicago, USA. He did his doctorate at the Humboldt University of Berlin and became a doctor of chemistry. Professor at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute. He was Butenhendt's assistant. He researched hormones and vitamins.
He came to Istanbul in 1942. He started to produce vitamin and vitamin-enriched baby food in the kitchen of the house he settled in Laleli. Thus, he laid the foundation of the structure that will turn into Eczacıbaşı Holding in the future. Then he established Eczacıbaşı İlaç Factory in Levent, Istanbul. This was not limited to just one factory establishment, Dr. Eczacıbaşı directed the development of the Turkish pharmaceutical industry.
Eczacıbaşı Holding, or Eczacıbaşı Group, is an Istanbul-based holding that was established in 1973 by merging the pharmaceutical laboratory established by Nejat Eczacıbaşı in 1942 and the first pharmaceutical factory opened in 1952 under one roof in 1973. The Holding operates in the fields of medicines related to human health, veterinary medicines, cleaning papers, cologne, skincare, baby care, personal care, home care, and out-of-home cleaning products.
In the 1970s, it expanded its product range by entering areas such as ceramic ware manufacturing, cleaning papers, canned food, welding electrodes, plastic packaging materials, and health armatures.
He established a public investment trust in 1974. He was among the founders of the Turkish Education Foundation. He founded the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV). He took part in the establishment of TÜSİAD and entered its first administration under the presidency of Feyyaz Berker.
As the “founder of İKSV”, he received a medal from the Council of Europe in 1974. He was awarded the German Order of Merit in 1976. He was deemed worthy of the "Certificate of Honor" of the Turkish Chemical Society for his contributions to the Turkish chemical industry.
Dr. Nejat Eczacıbaşı collected his memories in a book titled "From Generation to Generation". He died at the age of 80 in 1993 in the USA, where he went for cataract surgery. In 1994, the book "Impressions Hopes", which he prepared before his death, was published.
Today, two sons of Nejat Eczacıbaşı, Bülent, and Faruk, manage Eczacıbaşı Holding.
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