The move will see the new offices, originally based in Dubai, administering the firm’s branches across 30 MENA countries.
GSK emerging markets and Asia pacific president, Abbas Hussain, told Today’s Zaman that the transfer was largely due to Turkey’s growing economic strength, with particular emphasis on the rise of Turkish Airlines (THY).
He said: “Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines serve all the target destinations of the company and will make it easier for us to access our 30 target countries.”
Hussain added that the UK company – who already has a £1.2bn ($1.84bn) share of the MENA pharma market – also plans to ramp up its investments in Turkey but did not go into details.