Reha Denemeç (born 1961 in Türkiye)
Former deputy minister of the Ministry of National Education and senior advisor to the President of the Republic of Türkiye. Co-founder and permanent congress delegate of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party). An honorary associate of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, co-chair of Turkish-British Tatlıdil Forum. Chairman of the Türkiye-Vietnam Business Council, vice chairman of the board of Defence Technologies Engineering and Trade Inc. (STM AŞ) and board member of IC Holding.
Political Career
In the formative period of Justice and Development Party, leading up to its first national election land slide victory in 2002, Denemeç was co-founder of the party and advisor to the Party Chairman, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who would later become the President of the Republic of Türkiye. He served on the Party's Decision Making and Executive Board from 2001-2015, and as its vice chairman in charge of research and development for ten years. He was elected from Ankara as a member of the parliament for three consecutive terms, from 2002-2015, and was a member of Democracy Committee in the Turkish Parliament. He was also a member of the International Board of Parliamentarians for Global Action, a non-profit, non-partisan international network of elected legislators. In 1993, he began advising the founder and chairman of Yeni Parti (New Party). The party was established to carry out the "second transformation program" of former President Turgut Özal, who had aimed to establish an executive presidency with constitutional powers.
Council of Europe
From 2013 to 2015, Denemeç was the Chairman of the Turkish Delegation and vice president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg. He is an honorary associate of PACE. He was also awarded the "pro-merito" medal in appreciation of his services for PACE.
Public Sector
Denemeç began his career in the public sector in the late 1980s as the executive assistant to the Undersecretary of State Planning Organization (now Presidency of the Strategy and Budget). He was later appointed as the executive assistant and advisor to the Minister of State, in charge of the Central Bank, Treasury, Foreign Trade, Planning, Privatization, Statistics and all public banks in 1987. After receiving his graduate degree, he returned to State Planning Organization and worked as an expert at the Directorate of Economic Models and Strategic Research. In 1997, he was appointed deputy secretary-general of the State Planning Organization. Thereafter, he became the acting secretary-general of the organization. He served on the Technical Board of Turkish Standards Institution.
Private Sector
Denemeç served on the Board of Başak Insurance, and was the Chairman of the Board of Ataköy Otelcilik, the entity that owns the Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza hotels in İstanbul. He also worked as a senior executive of an energy group of Çalık Holding with wide ranging sectors throughout Central Asia.
Education and Military Service
Denemeç graduated from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara with a B.S. in economics. Later, he received his graduate degree in economics from the University of Delaware. He also completed programs titled "Managing and Shaping Change in the Information Age" and "Innovation for Economic Development" at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
He served as a commando second lieutenant in the Turkish Armed Forces.
Family
Denemeç is married with two children.
