Mehmet Kalyoncu’s ION Story: From Riva to London
Ekonomim columnist Vahap Munyar writes about how Mehmet Kalyoncu left the family company to found ION, the ION Riva project and the first hotel planned to open in London in 2027.
In his column for Ekonomim, Vahap Munyar traces Mehmet Kalyoncu’s journey from his roles in the family company to his own venture, ION. The piece covers how ION was founded, its first major project in Riva, hotel plans starting in London, and Kalyoncu’s urban planning work in the earthquake zone.
From the Family Company to His Own Venture
In March 2024, Mehmet Kalyoncu handed over the chairmanship of Kalyon İnşaat to his brother Murathan Kalyoncu and became Chairman of the Kalyon Foundation, while remaining a board member of İGA and Kalyon Holding. After stepping back from his executive roles, he began a master’s degree in urbanism at the London School of Economics and shared his decision to found his own company with his father, Cemal Kalyoncu.
According to the column, Kalyoncu had already delivered the Nevbahar Üsküdar and Nevbahar Kemer Evleri projects through Kalyon Kentsel Proje Yatırımları, which he founded with his brother in 2015. Before establishing ION, he transferred his stake in Florentia Village to his brother and sold his shares in TUM, the food and beverage operator at Istanbul Airport, to Element Portföy. The name “Kalion” was considered first; “ION” was then chosen, inspired by a quote from Kandinsky.
ION Riva: A Project Bringing Different Groups Together in One Neighborhood
ION’s first major project is ION Riva, which will comprise around 1,000 homes in Riva. The project is designed as a self-sufficient, sustainable living environment that connects with nature, culture and people. Kalyoncu’s goal is to create a genuine neighborhood culture by bringing luxury homes and more affordable homes together in the same settlement.
The First Hotel Opens in London in 2027
Curated by Mehmet Kalyoncu, ION develops projects across a wide range of fields, from neighborhoods and hotels to health centers, cafés and children’s books. The company plans to launch two hotel brands in 2027 and to open its first hotel in London in the second half of that year. Following London, hotel projects in Istanbul and Norway are also expected to gather pace.
Atalay Gümrah, who previously served as CEO of the Eczacıbaşı Group and CEO of İGA Istanbul Airport, has been appointed Chairman of ION. The sixth edition of “ION Conversations”, the gatherings the company holds every two months with its design and engineering partners, took place in Copenhagen. BIG, Snøhetta, MVRDV, Arup, Pentagram, Transsolar, DB Architects and KEYM are among the names in this collaboration network.
A Responsibility Taken On for Hatay
The column also recalls that, after the February 6 earthquakes, Kalyoncu visited the region with a team of experts as Chairman of GYODER, then stepped down early from GYODER to focus on the Hatay work of the Türkiye Design Foundation, of which he is a co-founder. Around 1,000 urban planners, architects and engineers and 53 architecture and planning offices came together under the Foundation’s umbrella, and the design and planning process for Hatay’s city center was completed in April 2024.
You can read Vahap Munyar’s full column (in Turkish) on Ekonomim. For more coverage of Mehmet Kalyoncu, visit our Press page.