The Centre for Turkey Studies (CEFTUS) is pleased to invite you to a public forum with Dr Can Paker, Chairman of the Board at Inovent, a Board Member at Akbank, and a founding member and Chairman of PODEM (Center for Public Policy and Democracy Studies) on 30th March 2017.
This event is kindly hosted by Virenda Sharma MP for Ealing, Southall.
Please see speaker biography below.
The event will take place between 7-9PM on Wednesday, 30 March 2017 in Committee Room 9, House of Commons.
Please note that security checks are required to enter House of Commons, we kindly ask you to arrive at 6.30PM, allowing the event to start and end promptly on time.
Can Paker, former chairman of TESEV and founding member and Chairman of PODEM, influential Turkish think tanks, will talk on the upcoming referendum on the proposed changes to Turkey’s constitution. The changes proposed would significantly alter the structure of Turkey’s government and so the vote has big implications for Turkey’s future. Paker will be presenting his perspectives on this and a number of other issues at our public forum in the Houses of Parliament. He will present a historical overview of politics and sociological developments in Turkey, and how these have led to the referendum.
We look forward to welcoming you to this event.
Speaker Biography
Can Paker was born in İstanbul in 1942. He received his master’s degree from Berlin Technical University and his PhD from Yildiz Technical University in mechanical engineering. He went to receive an MBA from Columbia University in 1973. Starting his professional career at Turk Henkel in 1971, he held various senior positions in the company, and served as the general manager from 1984 and president of the Board of Directors until 2004. He still serves as an executive at B.O.Y. Consulting which he founded in 2004.
Paker held positions on the boards of several private companies and civil society organizations such as the Sabanci Holding, Sabanci University, Dedeman Holding, Goldern Horn Ventures, Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TÜSİAD), İstanbul Culture and Arts Foundation (İKSV), The Open Society Foundation in Turkey and Robert College. He served as the Chairman of TESEV (Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation) between 1997 and 2015.
Currently he is the Chairman of the Board at Inovent A.Ş., a Board Member at Akbank, and a founding member and Chairman of PODEM (Center for Public Policy and Democracy Studies), an İstanbul based think tank established in 2015.
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