Reha Denemeç
Reha Denemeç (born in 1961, Turkey) is a Co-founder and Board Member of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) in Turkey. He is the Chairman of the Turkish Delegation and Vice President in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg. He became a Member of Parliament representing Ankara at the 2002, 2007 and 2011 general elections.
He was an Advisor to the Chairman of AK Party (Recep Tayyip Erdoğan) during the foundation period until the first general election of AK Party. He served for 10 years as the Vice-Chairman in charge of Research and Development in the Party. He was also a member of Democracy Committee in Turkish Grand National Assembly and member of the International Board of the Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), a non-profit, non-partisan international network of elected legislators.
He assumed a higher managerial position of energy company in 2001, which is member of a holding company that makes investments in many different fields in Turkey and Central Asia.
While working for State Planning Organization (now Ministry of Development) Directorate of Economic Models and Strategic Research as an Expert, he was appointed as Deputy and Acting Secretary General of the State Planning Organization in 1997. He was on the Technical Board of Turkish Standards Institution and Board of Basak Insurance Company. He became the Chairman of Atakoy Otelcilik A.S., an owner of Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza in Istanbul.
In 1993 he became the Advisor to the Chairman of New Party, founded by Yusuf Ozal to reestablish his deceased brother, former President Turgut Ozal’s “second transformation program for Turkey”.
During Turgut Ozal era, he worked as the Executive Assistant to the Undersecretary of the State Planning Organization. He was appointed as an Advisor and the Executive Assistant to the Minister of State in charge of treasury, foreign trade, planning, privatization and public banks in 1987.
He completed his military service as commando second lieutenant.
In 1984, he graduated from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, with a B.S. in economics. In 1991, he received an M.A. in economics from University of Delaware. He completed the programs "Managing and Shaping Change in the Information Age" and "Innovation for Economic Development" at Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Reha Denemec is married with 2 children.