Ömer Bolat

Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat was born on August 30, 1963, in Istanbul. He graduated from the Department of International Economic Relations in the Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences at Marmara University in 1984. He completed his master's degree in European Integration at the European Institute of the University of Amsterdam. He graduated from the World Economy Institute at Kiel University in Germany with a master's degree in International Economics and Business. He completed his Ph.D. at the European Community Institute of Marmara University. Mr. Bolat received the titles of Associate Professor in 2014 and Professor in 2019. Between September 2015 and September 2020, he taught post-graduate courses in International Economy, Administration, Business Administration, and Entrepreneurship at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University. As of October 1, 2020, he started working as a Faculty Member in the Department of Business at Istanbul Ticaret University, where he taught courses on "Entrepreneurship and New Business Models" and "Leadership Theories." He has published 4 books, nearly 30 reports, and over 300 articles. Prof. Dr. Ömer Bolat had worked as an Expert Researcher at the Economic Development Foundation (IKV) between 1982 and 1993. In 1993, Mr. Bolat became the Secretary General of the Independent Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD). During his 15-year term of service on the MUSIAD Board of Directors, he served as the Secretary General for 7 years, the Deputy President for 4 years, and the President for 4 years between April 2004 and 2008. He has been a member of the MUSIAD High Advisory Board since 2008. Between 2006 and 2008, he served as a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Board of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey and the Foreign Economic Relations Board (TOBB-DEİK) for 3 years. Mr. Bolat worked for 23 years as the General Coordinator (CEO) of Albayrak Group, from May 2000 to June 2, 2023. He has been a senior executive and columnist at the economics magazine called “Derin Ekonomi”, published by Albayrak Media Group since June 2015, and a senior executive and columnist at the economics magazine “Z-Raporu” since June 2019. Mr. Bolat won the “Türkiye’s Most Successful CEOs-Golden Leader Award” two years in a row at the Golden Leader Awards Competition organized by the KREA-MICE Organization in 2021 and 2022. Mr. Bolat served as a member of the Central Decision and Executive Board (MKYK) of the AK Party for 3 years (September 2012-September 2015) and as Deputy Chairman of Economic Affairs. He also worked as a principal member of the AK Party Political Virtue and Ethics Committee between 2015 and 2016. Prof. Dr. Bolat served as an academic member in the Faculty of Business Administration at Istanbul Ticaret University; a member of the Board of Trustees at Istanbul 29 Mayıs University; a member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI); the Chair of the Turkish side within the TOBB Türkiye-Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry; a member of the Board of Directors of the TOBB-TİM; a member of the High Advisory Board of the “İktisadi Girişim ve İş Ahlakı Derneği (IGIAD)”; a member of the Advisory Board of Konya Sanayici ve İşadamları Derneği”; a member of the High Advisory Board of “ArapTürk İşadamları Derneği”; a member of the Board of Directors of the Istanbul branch of the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation; a member of the High Advisory Board of the “İlim Yayma Cemiyeti”; a member of the Founders Council of “Istanbul Daru’l Fünun İlahiyat Vakfı” and “Uluslararası Teknolojik Ekonomik ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Vakfı (UTESAV)”a member of the High Advisory Board of the “Türkiye Gönüllü Teşekküller Vakfı”; a member of the Advisory Board of Sabahattin Zaim Research Center; a member of the Advisory Board of the “İktisatçılar Derneği”; a member of the Advisory Board of “Dostlar Divanı”; a member of the Wise People Committee of “7 Hilal Gençlik Derneği”; a member of the Advisory Board of Marmara University Alumni and Members Association, a member of the “Karadeniz Vakfı”; a member of the High Advisory Board of the “Mimar ve Mühendisler Grubu Derneği”; a member of the High Advisory Board of the “Istanbul Aile Vakfı”. Additionally, between September 2015 and September 2020, he served as a Faculty Member in the Department of Economics at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (IZU) and held the position of President of the IZU Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership Research and Application from 2015 to 2020. He was a member of the Economic Consultation Board of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce from 2014 to 2019, a trustee board member of the Yunus Emre Foundation from 2014 to 2018, and a trustee board member of “KISVA-Kıbrıs İlim Ahlak ve Sosyal Yardımlaşma Vakfı” from 2013 to 2017. Mr. Bolat was appointed as the Minister of Trade by Presidential Decree numbered 2023/284, dated June 4, 2023. He is married with two children. He is advanced in English and has an upper level of German