Şahap Kocatopçu

He was born in Istanbul on 17 February 1916.[1][2] He was educated in Galatasaray High School until 1936.[1] He graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1954 receiving a degree in metallurgical and materials engineering.[1] He also obtained a Ph.D. in the same field.[3]

Kocatopçu started his career at Sümerbank in 1945.[1] Then he joined in the General Directorate of Cement Industry as a planning manager.[1] On 11 May 1954 he was named as the director general of the state-owned Turkey Bottle and Glass Factories and held this post until 22 September 1980.[4] Following the military coup in 1960 he was elected to the Constituent Assembly.[3] Between 1960 and 1961 he served as the minister of industry and technology in the cabinet formed by Cemal Gürsel.[3] He resigned from the post on 14 July 1961.[1]

Kocatopçu became the first chairman of the Turkish Employer Unions Confederation in 1962 of which he was one of the founders.[4][5] He held the post until 1967.[4] In 1963 he became the chair of the council at Istanbul Chamber of Industry.[1] He was appointed minister of industry in 1980 after the military coup and remained in office until 13 December 1981 when he resigned from office.[3][2] He was the chairman of the Turkish Industry and Business Association between 1985 and 1986.[1]

Kocatopçu was married and had two children.[3] He died in Istanbul on 25 April 2012 at age 96.[1][2] Kocatopçu was interred in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery in Istanbul.[6]