Born in 1944 in the Babadağ district of Denizli, Ahmet Zorlu started his career in the textile industry at an early age, following his family's profession. In the early years of his business life, Zorlu engaged in textile trade by opening a store in Trabzon. In 1970, he moved the company headquarters to Istanbul, laying the foundations of Zorlu Holding. Establishing his first production company, Korteks, in 1976, Ahmet Zorlu brought all the companies under the umbrella of Zorlu Holding in 1990.
In 1994, Ahmet Zorlu added the Vestel brand to the Zorlu Holding portfolio, paving the way for new business areas. His entrepreneurship, which began in the textile sector, continued with companies operating in various fields such as white goods, electronics, real estate, energy, metallurgy, and defense.
Ahmet Zorlu, actively involved in non-governmental organizations, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK), the Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association (TÜSİAD), the Denizli Citizens Union Education and Culture Foundation (DENSİR), the Babadağ Industrialists and Businessmen Association (BASİAD), and the Turkish Home Textile Industrialists and Businessmen Association (TETSİAD). As the founder of the Mehmet Zorlu Education, Health, Culture, and Solidarity Foundation (MZV), established in 1999, which provides scholarships to many students and builds numerous schools, Ahmet Zorlu continues his social responsibility efforts through MZV.
Ahmet Zorlu places great importance on social initiatives aiming to increase the influence of the Turkish business world abroad. In recognition of his contributions to improving and strengthening relations between Spain and Turkey, he was awarded the "Royal Civil Merit Order" by King Juan Carlos of Spain in 2007.
Ahmet Zorlu is married and the father of three children.