Turkish businesswoman Suna Kıraç dies at 79

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Turkish businesswoman Suna Kıraç died at the age of 79 on Sept. 15, Koç Holding has announced. Kıraç had been receiving treatment for ALS.

"We feel the sadness of losing Suna Kıraç, who assumed leading roles in our company from its early years until 2010 and who spearheaded the establishment of Koç University, Koç Schools and Educational Volunteers Foundation of Turkey," read the statement shared by the holding on Instagram.

"We'll always remember her via sticking to the values she entrusted us," it added.

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Cumhuriyetimizin değerleriyle yetişmiş, gerek iş gerekse toplumsal hayatta başardıklarıyla Ülkemizin sanayi, eğitim, kültür ve sanat alanlarında gelişmesine önemli katkılar sunan, Topluluğumuzun kuruluş yıllarından 2010’a kadar çeşitli liderlik görevleri üstlenen, Koç Üniversitesi, Koç Okulu ve Türkiye Eğitim Gönüllüleri Vakfı’nın kuruluşuna öncülük eden Sayın Suna Kıraç’ı kaybetmenin büyük üzüntüsü içindeyiz. Sayın Suna Kıraç’ı emanet ettiği değerlere bağlı kalarak, ilham veren, vizyoner ve öncü kişiliği ile her zaman hatırlayacağız ve unutmayacağız. Acımız çok derin. Başımız sağ olsun.

A post shared by Koç Holding (@kocholding) on Sep 15, 2020 at 12:00am PDT

The billionaire businesswoman was paralyzed throughout her entire body in 2000 and was able to communicate only via eye movement.

Kıraç, the daughter of Vehbi Koç, was an honorary member of London Business School due to her contributions to the business world and Turkish children's education.

She was awarded the State Medal of Distinguished Service by the Turkish government and received the award from then-President Süleyman Demirel for her contributions to education, health and social services in the country in 1997.

She also penned her autobiography, Ömrümden Uzun İdeallerim Var, in 2006.