Born in Kayseri in 1960, Orhan Yılmaz graduated in 1984 with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Gazi University. Holding master's and doctoral degrees from the same university, Yılmaz started his career in 1986 as an engineer at Etibank's boron and acid factories. He worked successively as chief engineer, chief engineer, and plant manager in the same company, and was appointed as deputy general manager in 2003. In 2004, he assumed the positions of General Manager and Chairman of the Board of Eti Maden, the largest mining organization in Turkey, and held these positions until 2015. Serving as an Advisor to the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources between 2015 and 2017, Yılmaz started his role as the Head of Zorlu Mining Group in January 2017.
Orhan Yılmaz is unmarried and the father of three children.