Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Ridvan Ayyildiz is a businessman and the Vice president of Alpago Group. He holds a master’s degree in International Trade and Logistics from the University of Wollongong, Dubai. He started his career in gold and jewellery through his family’s business, Milad Gold. The company then expanded to London and other parts of Europe as time went on and established a strong position in the sector in terms of both production and design. 

As Milad Gold became a household name, they started venturing into other industries, such as real estate. They began building properties in Turkey, London and Dubai, which steered them into establishing Alpago Group, which is a Dubai-based conglomerate specialising in the ultra-high-end segment in the Middle East and Europe. Its subsidiaries Alpago Properties, Alpago Contracting and Alpago Homes operate within the high-end real estate industry. At the same time, F1rst Motors is a luxury cars showroom, and Milad operates within the Jewellery industry. The group maintains the trust of multinational investors across the world – from London to Turkey and all the way to Dubai through its alliances with leading global brands within the industries it operates.

As far as the vision of the group is concerned, it is to create new global benchmarks within the luxury industry by creating a new ultra-high-end segment. They believe living life is an art, and they aim to redefine luxury living, highlighting the slogan of Alpago Group – ‘The art of living.’  

With the success of the group, Ridvan Ayyildiz wanted to explore new horizons; hence he thought of transitioning into the automotive industry due to his passion for cars. This led him to establish his top luxury car showroom – F1rst Motors. Located in the heart of Dubai in the centre of Sheikh Zayed Road, F1rst Motors are well placed to meet the demands of both business and residential users – be it tourists looking for something different or locals searching for excitement. F1rst Motors showroom displays a collection of the most sophisticated and exclusive cars in the world. From unique car models to customised cars and restored cars, F1rst Motors proposes a wide range of specked cars available in the market at competitive prices.

Talking about the showroom, Ridvan Ayyildiz shares, “We have some limited cars edition like the fastest supercar in the world. There are some cars that you can find only in our showroom in the Middle East and among only a few showrooms in the world.”

Dubai is the centre of innovation and competition, and being the biggest and best in all aspects was why F1rst Motors first opened its doors there. What started as a passion then arose to meet the growing demand of the automobile industry in the region.

The idea was to establish itself as a global reference among luxury car showrooms while standing out from the competition in the Middle East region. And this is what sets F1rst Motors apart as they provide a wide range of cars (luxury, super and hyper cars) and a more sophisticated collection of cars (new/pre-owned, unique models and restored cars) at competitive prices with an emphasis on outstanding customer service.

Ridvan’s mantra for success is simple: always remember why you started and work hard to know what you don’t know. “Every time you acknowledge what you want or believe, you are the first to hear it. You need to believe in order to achieve. The biggest challenges that I had to get through along my journey was to overcome the pessimism that I sometimes faced. But the idea is to rise through the pessimism and embrace optimism as the key to succeed,” he says.  

F1rst Motors has some of the most exotic cars available around the world today. From Lamborghini Aventador to Enzo Ferrari and Mercedes Benz C63 S AMG E Performance, they have a wide range of vehicles for every car enthusiast in the world. 

Ridvan Ayyildiz understands the nitty-gritty of the business industry and how it works. He has been associated with it since a very young age and has made a name for himself in different sectors before stepping into the business of his passion – cars. He knew it would not be an easy task, but with hard work, determination and the demand for luxury cars in a region like the Middle East, he knew the sky would be the limit. 

He believes in trying new things, believing in himself, keeping the learning process alive and never stopping dreaming. It’s only through these motivational factors and constant urge to grow that he has been able to succeed as an entrepreneur and encourages others to do the same. 

“The only way to avoid making mistakes is not trying to do anything at all. And that will be the ultimate mistake of all,” concludes Ridvan Ayyildiz.