Ali Akkanat was born in Durak Village in Beyşehir-Konya in 1952. He graduated from Trabzon Boys’ Teacher Training school in 1971. He worked as a teacher in Turkey until 1975 and in Germany between 1976-1985. He left his teaching life in 1985 and started his commercial life by establishing Aytex Moden GmbH Company in Germany and Beytex in İstanbul.

Beginning from 1987, Ali Akkanat multiplied the number of his companies and started industry by establishing integrated facilities which consist of fabric, knitting, dyehouse, string plants in İstanbul and Çorlu. Ali Akkanat established his second integrated plant and the biggest integrated plant of Anatolia in Beyşehir to enable his hometown's economic, social and cultural development and to stop immigration from the area.He enabled 1600 people to be employed in Beyşehir and Seydişehir. 

He gathered his companies under the body of Akkanat Holding in 1990 and he also made investments in tourism and energy sector. In addition to textile sector, he provides people with quality service in tourism sector with Sirene Golf Hotel, Sirene Luxury Hotel, The Dome-Kempinski Hotel ( 6 stars, 520 beds, one boutique ) and Davraz-Sirene Hotel ( 280 beds,one skiing hotel ). 

Furthermore, two 2*18 hole golf courses were put into service on a 1300 decar area by him in Antalya for golf tourism. Akkanat Holding which is consist of 12 companies has made a 250 million euros-investment, provided employment for almost 4000 people so far and it enables an input of 130 million dollars from tourism and export. 

Ali Akkanat is the founder member of Europen Turkish Businessmen's Association. He is the Turkey's representative of this Association and he is the founder member of World Turkish Businessmen's Association and Turkish Foreign Trade Association. He is still carrying on trustee presidency of these two Associations.