"Turkcell's Karamehmet Frets as $10 Billion Becomes $500 Million
June 21 (Bloomberg) -- The high point for Mehmet Emin Karamehmet came on July 11, 2000, when the majority owner of Istanbul-based Turkcell Iletisim Hizmetleri AS, Turkey's largest mobile-telephone operator, stood on the podium of the New York Stock Exchange as his company became the first in Turkey to be listed on the exchange.
Sharing the moment with Karamehmet, then worth about $10 billion, were the company mascot, a large, yellow rabbit-snail hybrid; NYSE Chairman Richard Grasso; and other exchange officials. After the opening bell, the mascot led Karamehmet, Grasso and the others, all of whom wore black baseball caps with protruding yellow antennae, into the street for a round of Turkish folk dancing."
More:Bloomberg.com: Turkcell's Karamehmet Frets as $10 Billion Becomes $500 Million