NEW HOTEL PROJECT IN CYPRUS

Arka Koltuk (Back Seat) that relates the success stories of prominent names in the business world to the silver screen hosted Leyla Alaton, Alarko’s second generation representative. Alaton told about their new investment plans, her viewpoint on women’s issues, her interest in the social media, and gave business advice to young people. She also shared some good news regarding Fethiye Hillside.

Numerous adjectives can be used to describe Leyla Alaton. Alarko’s second generation representative, entrepreneur, non-governmental organizations volunteer, women’s rightist, mother of two boys…Moreover, a business person who uses the social media effectively. Alaton, who answered the questions of Berfu Güven at the Arka Koltuk programme on NTV, started by relating what had changed at the holding company since her father passed away 4 months ago. She said, “It doesn’t feel as if he is not here. It feels as though he is on a trip…We are keeping his room as it was,” adding that nothing had changed and emphasizing that they were a holding company managed by professionals. Alaton who stated that being İshak Alaton’s daughter was a great chance but also very challenging, said, “He had very high standards. He was a perfectionist and expected me to be like him. He wanted me not to repeat my mistakes but to learn from them.”

Alaton who is usually more interested in the public relations and the promotion of Alarko is spending most of her time at Alvimedica nowadays. “A medical device manufacturing company established by my father when he was 80. It shows how active his entrepreneur spirit was even at the age of 80. He established this company thinking that high technology could also be exported from Turkey. We are manufacturing stents, catheters, balloons whose technology we got from Italy. There is a special stent particularly for diabetes patients. We have also included its manufacturing company to our body. I am now working establish its technology to our factory in the Çatalca free trade zone.”

WE ARE LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS

Alarko with a 60-year long history is now active in 5 sectors, with 24 concerns and 7 thousand employees. One of these sectors is tourism. Leyla Alaton has good news regarding Fethiye Hillside that keeps rising its quality standards. “We have a hotel project in Cyprus. It was time for Hillside to go beyond the boundaries of Fethiye. We are about to lay the foundations.”

Relating that she earned her first money at the age of 13-14 making sales at a stand at a fair she had gone with her father, Alaton advised young people to do a month long internship during their summer holiday as of their high school years and to begin to learn about business life. “They should start to work as soon as their education is over. In my time knowing one or two languages made you stand out, but the world has changed. They must have an area in which they are different. For example, knowing Chinese, Japanese, Russian makes a serious difference in Turkey today.”

She summarized her active interest in the social media saying, “I am a person living on 8th gear. Only the social media can catch up with me. Moreover, one must know what the young ones are following in order to understand this age. I like to get a laugh, to amuse.”