CELALETTİN KESİKBAŞ
Chairman of the Board

Celalettin Kesikbaş, whose great-grandfathers originally migrated from Thessaloniki in 1911, was born in Eskişehir in 1968. He completed his primary education at Eskişehir Hürriyet Primary School, middle school at Tunalı Secondary School, and high school at Eskişehir Bahçelievler High School. In 1990, he graduated from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Middle East Technical University (METU).

During his university years, he worked part-time, and after graduation he continued his career as an Electrical and Electronics Engineer in various companies. In 1997, he became a 50% partner in ESTAP. In 1998, he transformed ESTAP into a 2,000 m² workshop, and in 2001 into a 5,000 m² factory. During these years, the company made its first exports.

In 2006, he decided to move his investments to his hometown, Eskişehir, and opened a 20,000 m² facility in the Eskişehir Organized Industrial Zone (OSB). By 2007, the company had entered Turkey’s Top 1,000 Exporters list. Attracting the attention of foreign investors and becoming indispensable to end users with its products, the company was sold to foreign investors in 2008. With the income obtained from this sale, he returned in 2010 to the family profession of casting and founded what is now the globally renowned LAVA brand.

Today, LAVA is a brand that has found its place in kitchens in more than 100 countries around the world. Subsequently, in 2012, LANDE Industrial Products Inc. was established, producing server cabinets and telecommunications products, and exporting to more than 70 countries. In the same year, ALFAFONET Inc. was founded, manufacturing fiber optic infrastructure materials and exporting to 20 countries worldwide.

These three companies are currently leaders in their respective sectors in Türkiye and rank among the top 10 brands globally. Celalettin Kesikbaş has a good command of English, is married, and is the father of one daughter.