Koç, Ömer M(ehmet) (born 24 March 1962, Ankara), businessman and collector. Among other duties, Ömer M. Koç serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Koç Holding, Member of the Vehbi Koç Foundation Administrative Committee, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Koç University and the Turkish Education Foundation (TEV), Chair of the Executive Committee of the Sadberk Hanım Museum, and Chairman of the Geyre Foundation.
The middle son of Rahmi M. Koç and Çiğdem Koç (later Simavi) and the second grandson of Vehbi Koç and Sadberk Koç, Ömer M. Koç attended Robert College for his secondary education. He then went on to study at Millfield School in England for the last two years of high school. He pursued his undergraduate studies at Georgetown University in the United States, then at Columbia College (Columbia University) where he majored in ancient Greek language and culture. Graduating in 1985, Koç furthered his studies by specializing in business management and graduating in 1989 with a master’s from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
Ömer M. Koç embarked on his professional career in 1985 as a sales representative at Kofisa Trading Company in Switzerland. Between 1989 and 1990, he held the same position at Ramerica International Inc., headquartered in New York. After returning to Turkey, he served as Director of Gazal AŞ, a Koç Holding company, between 1991 and 1992. He held the position of Finance Coordinator at Koç Holding between 1992 and 1996. He served as Deputy Chairman (1996-2000) and Chairman (2000-2004) of the conglomerate’s Energy Group. In 2004, he became Member of Koç Holding’s Board of Directors. In May 2008, he was appointed Deputy Chairman of Koç Holding’s Board of Directors. That same year, he also became Chairman of the Board of Directors of TÜPRAŞ, Turkey's largest industrial company incorporating all refineries in the country. In 2016, Koç assumed the position of Chair of the Board of Directors of Koç Holding, which became vacant following the passing of his brother, Mustafa V. Koç. He currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Koç Group, holding the same positions at TÜPRAŞ and Tofaş, and acting as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors at Aygaz and Arçelik.
A passionate collector of plastic arts and antique books, Ömer M. Koç owns one of the most important private libraries in the world. His collection of travelogues, memoirs, atlases, engravings and photographs on Istanbul, the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and the Middle East is one of the most comprehensive collections in its field. Koç's library contains signed books by prominent writers of 19th and 20th century French and English literature. Ömer M. Koç also has an extensive collection of İznik tiles and an automobile collection.