Nejat Eczacıbaşı

Mehmet Nejat Ferit Eczacıbaşı (; January 5, 1913 – October 6, 1993) was a Turkish chemist, industrialist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He was a second-generation member of the Turkish Eczacıbaşı family.

He was the founder of Eczacıbaşı, a Turkish industrial group with investments in pharmaceuticals, personal care products, consumer products, building products and financial services.

Early life and education He was born on January 5, 1913, in İzmir (then Smyrna), Ottoman Empire, to Süleyman Ferit Eczacıbaşı (1885–1973) and his wife Safet Hanım as their first of seven sons, Vedat (1916–1961), Sedat (1917 – ), Kemal (1918–1996), Haluk (1921–1996), Melih (1923–2004), Şerif (1929–2010). His father was the first university-educated pharmacist in the city of İzmir, who, while working at a hospital in his home town, was appointed "chief pharmacist" . The city council awarded him later in 1909 the honorific title "Eczacıbaşı" for his fruitful and successful work. Süleyman Ferit ran in later years his own pharmacy in İzmir. With the introduction of the Surname Law in 1934, Süleyman Ferit adopted his title "Eczacıbaşı" as family name.

Nejat Eczacıbaşı completed his primary and secondary education in İzmir. After finishing the high school at Robert College in Istanbul, he went on to study in chemistry at Heidelberg University. He made then his master's degree at Chicago University and his doctorate in 1937 at Berlin University. Nejat F. Eczacıbaşı conducted post-doctoral scientific works on hormones and vitamins at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Germany. These studies contributed to Eczacıbaşı's scientific, systematic and universal approach to life and business, and reinforced his belief that the right to private enterprise ought to be tempered by social responsibility. This belief was first put forward by his father, whose maxim was "give back to your country what you take from it."

Career After returning home, he settled in Istanbul, and started in 1942 with the production of vitamin drugs and baby food in a small laboratory. In 1952, he founded the country's first modern pharmaceutical plant. The couple has two sons, Bülent (1949) and Faruk (1954). His body was transferred to Istanbul, and was interred at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery.

Awards and accolades He was honored in 1974 by the Council of Europe for the Istanbul Festival, which he co-founded. He was awarded with the "Medal of Honor" by the Turkish Red Crescent in 1975, and with the Order of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1976. The Turkish Chemistry Association honored him for his contribution to the industry in 1983.