Speakers

Tarık Sönmez, born in 1965, is the Director General in International Services Trade at the Turkish Ministry of Trade. He holds degrees in Economics from Gazi University, Hacettepe University, and in Public Administration and International Affairs from University of Pittsburgh.

He has held various senior positions in the public sector, including Commercial Counsellor in Melbourne and Deputy Undersecretary at the Ministry of Economy. He has also coordinated major EU-funded projects and represented Türkiye as Türkiye’s Commissioner at international expos in Italy, Kazakhstan, China.

From 2019 to 2023, he served as Türkiye’s Chief Commercial Counsellor in London.

Mr. Sönmez is fluent in English, and is married with two children.