TURKEY/FRANCE. France has honoured TAV Airports Holding Executive Board Member & CEO Sani Şener with the country’s highest and oldest order.
The badge of l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur (The National Order of the Legion of Honour) has been bestowed upon Şener for his contributions to bilateral relations between Turkey and France.
The Ambassador of France to Turkey, Charles Fries, presented the badge of honour to Şener during a ceremony at the Palais de France in Istanbul. The event was attended by participants from the worlds of business and art as well as TAV Group executives.
“The French Republic has bestowed the badge of l’Ordre national de la Légion d’Honneur, the highest and oldest French order established by Napoléon Bonaparte, to Mr. Sani Şener for his exemplary professional life and his great contributions to the economic relations between the two countries and to express our gratitude,” said Fries at the ceremony.
“The partnership [between TAV and Aéroports de Paris] is a true ‘success story’ in terms of recent investments of France in Turkey and is a smart and profitable as well as exemplary strategy for our countries. I hope this partnership would inspire other economic sectors as well.”
Şener commented: “I am highly honoured and glad to be bestowed this honourable badge by the French Republic. Turkey and France have established centuries old deep-rooted, historical, economic and cultural bonds.
“In 1988, only 15 French companies were operating in Turkey; while the number of companies including French capitals has increased up to 1,400 lately. The volume of trade between Turkey and France is €16 billion. The French company Aéroports de Paris (ADP) invested approximately US$1 billion in TAV Airports, the company in which I have been working as the president and CEO, and this has been one of the biggest foreign investments made in Turkey.
“Since then, TAV has been investing in third countries together with ADP as a Turkish-French joint venture. I have also been appointed as the chairman of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkish-French Business Council and together with the Board we support the investments of Turkish-French companies to be made in third countries. We will continue to endeavour at every platform we exist to contribute to the development of the relationship between the two countries.”
La Légion d’Honneur is the highest French order established by the French Emperor Napoléon Bonaparte in 1802 for military and civil merits to honour the “extraordinary services of the people”.
Şener has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate in engineering from KTÜ Mechanical Engineering Faculty for his contributions to the development of Turkish engineering at the international level, as well as an Honorary Doctorate in business administration from the Hellenic American University for his accomplishments in project and risk management throughout his tenure at TAV.
He is also a member of the Board of Directors of Airports Council International (ACI) Europe and was elected as president of the Foreign Economic Relations Board of the Turkish-French Business Council in 2012.
