Hakan Bulgurlu
CEO of Beko,
Pacific U.S.
Hakan Bulgurlu is a business leader, environmentalist and author. He is the CEO of Beko, a global manufacturer of home appliances. The company has expanded through partnerships and acquisitions – with Hitachi in Asia and Whirlpool in Europe – combining Beko and Whirlpool’s European businesses to become the second-largest home appliance company globally.
Today the company reaches millions of consumers with its brands Beko, Hitachi, Hotpoint, Whirlpool and Indesit. Beko employs more than 50,000 people and operates 45 manufacturing facilities around the world, generating over 12 billion euros in sales.
Hakan is a member of the World Economic Forum’s CEO Climate Leaders Alliance, a coalition of CEOs advancing the net-zero economy. He is also president of APPLiA, the association representing Europe’s home appliance manufacturers, where he champions energy efficiency and the green energy transition.
To raise awareness for climate action and support Beko’s sustainability goals, Hakan climbed Everest in 2019 during one of the mountain’s most challenging seasons. He wrote about the experience in his book “A Mountain to Climb,” which connects personal challenge with the climate crisis and its solutions. In 2023, he climbed Mt. Vinson, the highest peak in Antarctica, and skied to the South Pole to highlight the role of melting ice sheets in shaping the planet. His new book focuses on sea level rise and is due for release in early 2026.
After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in economics and mechanical engineering, he earned his MBA from the joint program of Northwestern University and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Hakan is currently starting a Ph.D. program in underwater archeology, another one of his passions. The association he chairs, the Mediterranean Archaeological Association, has built and operates the world’s largest dedicated archaeological exploration vessel and is currently excavating the world’s oldest wreck off the Turkish coast in the Eastern Mediterranean.