Board of Directors

Mehmet Hüseyin Bilgin was born in the village of Atabağı in the Baykan district of Siirt. He completed his primary and secondary education in his village and his high school education in Siirt. He pursued his higher education at Istanbul University, where he graduated from the Faculty of Economics and he completed his master’s degree at the Department of Labour Economics. He earned his PhD in Economics from the Department of Economics at Abant İzzet Baysal University. Dr. Bilgin’s academic career is marked by rapid advancement and international experience. Throughout his career, he held various leadership roles, including Head of Department and Head of Division, at universities both in Türkiye and abroad. He became an assistant professor in 2000, an associate professor in macroeconomics in 2005, and a full professor in the Department of International Economic Integration in 2011. He served at the Faculty of Political Sciences at Istanbul Medeniyet University between 2011 and 2025.

As an accomplished scholar, Dr. Bilgin has an extensive publication record. He has published numerous articles in leading international journals indexed in major scientific databases, presented studies at international conferences, authored professional books, and contributed numerous national articles and conference papers. His publications have received significant citations, and he has been awarded several national prizes for his scholarly contributions. He has delivered many invited seminars and presentations at foreign universities and international conferences. He also serves on the boards of several international and national academic and professional institutions. Furthermore, he holds editorial and committee roles in several international academic journals with high impact factors indexed in SSCI. As of August 2025, he ranks 27th among all economists in Türkiye accoring to the RePEc economist rankings (7th based on works from the last 10 years).

Additionally, he served as the Academic Coordinator for major national economic events, including the “Economic Transformation and New Paradigms Summit,” organized by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance in September 2022, and of the “İzmir Economic Congress on Its 100th Anniversary,” organized by the Ministry of Treasury and Finance in April 2023 under the auspices of the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye.

Dr. Bilgin has made significant contributions to economic policy and governance at the highest levels. Between July 2023 and July 2025, he served as Chief Advisor to the Minister of Trade through a temporary assignment from his university. He also serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Istanbul Economic Research Association. He was also appointed as a Member of the Presidency’s Economic Policies Board by the presidential decree published in the official newspaper on 10 April 2025.

Beyond academia and policy, Dr. Bilgin holds key positions in the corporate and financial sectors. He served as an Independent Board Member of VakıfBank between March 2022 and August 2023. Since August 2025, he has been served as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at ERSEM and Omsan Logistics-both affiliates of the Oyak Group-and as a Board Member at Oyak Group Insurance. In addition, he also holds an SMMM license and has been a Member of the Board of Directors at Türk Ticaret Bankası since December 2023.