Doğan Holding's Corporate Investor Relations Meeting was held with the participation of leading investment institutions of Turkey

Doğan Group CEO Çağlar Göğüş spoke at the Institutional Investor Conference:"We have invested $200 million in the businesses of the future"

Hosted by Doğan Group for Turkey's leading investors, the "Institutional Investor Conference" took place for the third time this year during World Investor Week. Speaking at the event, Doğan Group CEO Çağlar Göğüş said that they will grow rapidly by investing in the businesses of the future. He also noted that Doğan Group operates in seven different industries and has invested approximately $200 million in the last two years. Speaking about the "Doğan Impact Plan" prepared by Doğan Group in line with its sustainability vision, Göğüş stated that the Group is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 at international standards, giving back to nature 100 percent of the water used in its operations and increasing the share of female managers to at least 40 percent by 2025.

Doğan Group's Third Annual Institutional Investor Conference for 2021 was held at Hilton Istanbul Bosphorus Hotel during World Investor Week with representatives of Turkey's leading investment institutions. The conference was attended by executives and representatives of Turkey's leading brokers, portfolio management companies and pension funds and featured presentations by Doğan Group CEO Çağlar Göğüş, Doğan Group CFO Bora Yalınay, and Murat Doğu, Doğan Group’s Vice President of Capital Markets, Investor Relations and Financial Reporting, all of whom provided in-depth information. Held for the third time this year, the conference provided a platform for assessing the financial performance of the Group and its companies.

Göğüş: “We will grow rapidly by investing in the businesses of the future”

In his speech at the institutional investor conference, Doğan Group CEO Çağlar Göğüş stated that Doğan Group is a responsible investment group that adopts a value-oriented investment approach and aims to make a positive impact around the world, as they steer the Group's vision and strategies for the future in line with global, social and technological macro trends, as well as sustainability. Mentioning that Doğan Group has been effectively managing the transformation accelerated by COVID-19, Göğüş said: "We will ensure organic and inorganic growth for companies that show the potential to create value in the current portfolio, invest in the businesses of the future and grow rapidly, while strengthening our assets by acquiring or investing in defensive and value-added businesses."

Commenting on Doğan Group's financial performance indicators, Doğan Group CFO Bora Yalınay pointed out the momentum observed in profitability and other indicators within the last two years, and said:

"Looking at Doğan Group's performance within the last 12 months in the light of the implemented portfolio strategy, we are able to observe the following: Gross profit margin, which was 8.18 percent in the sixth month of 2019, increased to 12.42 percent in the sixth month of 2021, while the EBIDTA margin increased from 11.61 percent to 20.26 percent within the same period. The proportional distribution of EBITDA on a business basis has been adjusted in the last two years, minimizing the risk of concentration. While the Group had $338 million in net cash at the end of 2019, it has $359 million as of the first half of 2021. In dividends, the Group paid TRY 100 million in 2019, and TRY 180 million in 2020."

Stating that they have made rather successful acquisitions and exits in the past, Murat Doğu, Doğan Group’s Vice President of Capital Markets, Investor Relations and Financial Reporting, added: "We have extensive experience in the field, and this year we shall maintain our high level of success. The share of international investors in our stocks is at 27.23 percent, a value we plan to increase even further. Accordingly, we continuously improve our corporate governance rating, which is already currently over 95 as it is. We have been listed in the BIST sustainability index since 2016."

Electric cars

Göğüş said: "We aim to be an all-around leader for electric cars in Turkey," adding that consumer preferences are changing in line with decreasing costs, increasing urbanization and environmental awareness, as well as with the advances in electric cars, autonomous systems and online mobility technologies brought along by the emphasis placed on green technologies and clean energy due to the increasing importance of sustainability.

At the conference, Göğüş pointed out that the 65 and older population will increase by 1 billion in 2030 and constitute 12 percent of the world's population, while urban population will also increase by 1.1 billion and constitute two-thirds of the world's population. Göğüş further mentioned that they have made significant investments in clean energy, electric cars, digital supplier financing and online platforms in line with the macro trends of increased automation, digitization, robotization, datafication, Industry 4.0, big data and artificial intelligence observed across all industries, from production to finance. The Group's investments in these fields include Doğan Trend Automotive, SESA Packaging, Doğan Trend Insurance, Hepsi Emlak, Kanal D Romania, DMC, Doğan Investment Bank, the public offering of Galata Wind, which produces 100 percent clean energy, and new partnerships established with the automotive supply company DİTAŞ.

“We have invested $200 million”

In discussing how their consolidated cash flow increased by $30 million in the current year despite having invested $200 million within the last two years, Çağlar Göğüş said: "A significant portion of our total net asset value consists of cash. Our net asset value currently stands at a total of $1.9 billion, and our goal is to boost this value to $3.5 billion by 2025." Speaking about the "Doğan Impact Plan" prepared by Doğan Group in line with its sustainability vision, Göğüş stated that the Group is committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030 at international standards, giving back to nature 100 percent of the water used in its operations, and increasing the share of female managers to at least 40 percent by 2025.

Following the presentations and speeches given by members of the Group management, a Q&A session with representatives of investment institutions concluded the event.

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