Mehmet Simsek
Encyclopedia
Mehmet Şimşek was born 1 January 1967, from a Turkish family of Kurdish descent in the city of Batman
, Turkey.
He is the Minister of Finance of Turkey
in the cabinet of re-elected Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
. He was elected to the Parliament
for Gaziantep
in the general election on July 22, 2007. Mehmet Şimşek was the State Minister for Economic Affairs from August 2007 to April 2009. On May 1, 2009, he was appointed Minister of Finance. He is a member of the Justice and Development Party
.
Şimşek earned his B.Sc.
in Economics from Ankara University
in 1988. After working as research assistant in the chair of international economics and economic development, he was awarded a state scholarship to the University of Exeter
in the United Kingdom, where he earned his M.Phil.
in Finance and Investments in 1993.
Şimşek previously worked as the chief economist and strategist for emerging Europe, Middle East and Africa region at Merrill Lynch
in London for 7 years. At this time he had a number of contacts with the Turkish authorities and the Central Bank and had worked with the AK Party government on economic policy. He also served as senior economist and bank analyst for Deutsche-Bender Securities from 1998 to 2000. Mr Şimşek spent about a year in New York where he worked for UBS Securities in 1997. Prior to that, he was a senior economist at the US Embassy in Ankara for almost four years.
Şimşek is married and speaks English fluently. He has both British and Turkish citizenships.
Batman Province
Batman Province is a Turkish province southeast of Anatolia. The province's population exceeded 500,000 in 2010.The province is important because of its reserves and production of oil which was started in the 1940s. There is a 494-km long oil pipeline from Batman to the Turkish port of İskenderun....
, Turkey.
He is the Minister of Finance of Turkey
Ministry of Finance (Turkey)
The Ministry of Finance is a government ministry office of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for finance and tax affairs in Turkey. The current minister is Mehmet Simsek since 2009....
in the cabinet of re-elected Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
. He was elected to the Parliament
Grand National Assembly of Turkey
The Grand National Assembly of Turkey , usually referred to simply as the Meclis , is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence...
for Gaziantep
Gaziantep
Gaziantep , Ottoman Turkish: Ayintab) previously and still informally called Antep; ʻayn tāb is a city in southeast Turkey and amongst the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. The city is located 185 kilometres northeast of Adana and 127 kilometres by road north of Aleppo, Syria...
in the general election on July 22, 2007. Mehmet Şimşek was the State Minister for Economic Affairs from August 2007 to April 2009. On May 1, 2009, he was appointed Minister of Finance. He is a member of the Justice and Development Party
Justice and Development Party (Turkey)
The Justice and Development Party , abbreviated JDP in English and AK PARTİ or AKP in Turkish, is a centre-right political party in Turkey. The party is the largest in Turkey, with 327 members of parliament...
.
Şimşek earned his B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
in Economics from Ankara University
Ankara University
Ankara University is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in the Turkish Republic....
in 1988. After working as research assistant in the chair of international economics and economic development, he was awarded a state scholarship to the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
in the United Kingdom, where he earned his M.Phil.
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate research degree.An M.Phil. is a lesser degree than a Doctor of Philosophy , but in many cases it is considered to be a more senior degree than a taught Master's degree, as it is often a thesis-only degree. In some instances, an M.Phil...
in Finance and Investments in 1993.
Şimşek previously worked as the chief economist and strategist for emerging Europe, Middle East and Africa region at Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch
Merrill Lynch is the wealth management division of Bank of America. With over 15,000 financial advisors and $2.2 trillion in client assets it is the world's largest brokerage. Formerly known as Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc., prior to 2009 the firm was publicly owned and traded on the New York...
in London for 7 years. At this time he had a number of contacts with the Turkish authorities and the Central Bank and had worked with the AK Party government on economic policy. He also served as senior economist and bank analyst for Deutsche-Bender Securities from 1998 to 2000. Mr Şimşek spent about a year in New York where he worked for UBS Securities in 1997. Prior to that, he was a senior economist at the US Embassy in Ankara for almost four years.
Şimşek is married and speaks English fluently. He has both British and Turkish citizenships.