Tara was born in what is now North Macedonia but emigrated with his family to Turkey in 1942 when he was 12 due to World War II. His father Fevzija Hadžihamzić, an ethnic Bosniak muslim, was from Priboj, town in the Raška region of Serbia also known as Sandžak. Upon arrival to Turkey, his father changed their surname to Tara, in reference to river Tara which flows mainly through Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro.

Tara graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from Istanbul Technical University in 1954.

Between 1954 and 1957, Tara worked as a site manager on various construction projects. In 1957, with his brother-in-law, Sadi Gülçelik, he established ENKA contracting company.

Tara married Lale Ataman in 1956. The couple has three children, seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.

After Tara’s first participation in the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1973, he became a regular. Tara is considered a catalyst in developing Turkey’s international relations and presence in the 1970s and 80s. Tara advocated for increased dialogue and commerce between Greece and Turkey. During the World Economic Forum in Davos in 1988, Tara was instrumental in the meeting between prime ministers Turgut Özal and Andreas Papandreou, resulting in the establishment of an official bilateral dialogue between the two countries and Tara becoming the chair of the Turkish-Greek Business Council. Tara remained in this role until 2004. His role in establishing increased cooperation between the respective business communities earned him the first and only Business Statesman Award from the World Economic Forum in 2016. Tara was active in the foundation of Turkey’s Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEİK) in 1986, becoming a member of its executive board. The same year, Tara chaired the Turkish-Japanese Business Council, which was established within DEIK in the same year. He remained in this position until 2000.

In 1983, Şarık Tara established the 33,600m2 Sadi Gülçelik Sports Complex located in Istinye, Istanbul, named in honor of his deceased brother-in-law and business partner. This facility was designed to support education, the arts, and sports. To guarantee the future of this facility, Tara established the ENKA Foundation the same year.

The ENKA foundation’s sports complex trains athletes for national and international competition in the following sports: Track and Field, Tennis, Swimming, Water Polo, Volleyball, Basketball, Triathlon, Skiing. Established in 1983, the club is currently composed of 1,087 licensed athletes and 79 professional trainers. ENKA Sports Club had 22 of its athletes compete in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 17 in the 2012 London Olympics.

From 1984 onwards, Tara played a pioneering role in Turkey entering the Soviet Union. In 1988, Tara signed the contracts for ENKA’s renovation of the Petrovski Arcade and construction of the Moscow Hospital. ENKA currently owns offices, a hotel, and 11 shopping malls across Russia. Tara also paved the way for other Turkish companies to become successful in Russia.

ENKA Schools opened their doors in 1996. In 1999, Adapazarı ENKA School was established, immediately after the Adapazarı earthquake of 1999. The quick construction enabled teaching to begin in the same year. Adapazarı ENKA School provides free scholarships and housing. The Kocaeli ENKA Anatolian Technical and Vocational High School was established in 2008.