Osman Birsen (born 1945) is a Turkish high-ranking
civil servant
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil service personnel hired rather than elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leadership. A civil service offic ...
for finance and was the
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization.
CEOs find roles in variou ...
of the
Istanbul Stock Exchange
The Borsa İstanbul (abbreviated as BIST) is the sole exchange entity of Turkey combining the former Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) (), the Istanbul Gold Exchange () and the Derivatives Exchange of Turkey () under one umbrella. It was establishe ...
between 1997 and 2007.
Birsen was born in
Ankara
Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
,
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. After finishing high school at Ankara Deneme Lisesi, he studied Economics and Finance at the
University of Ankara
Ankara University () is a public research university in Ankara, the capital of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the Turkish republic in 1923.
History
Ankara University was establish ...
and graduated in 1968.
During his education time, Birsen played basketball in the school and university teams.
After graduation, he was employed as an inspector at the Ministry of Finance, where he served as chief inspector later from 1971 to 1979. He was then sent to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
for an internship. On his return, Osman Birsen was appointed Deputy General Director of the Banking and Foreign Exchange Department at the Ministry of Finance. Birsen also served as Senior Advisor to the Minister of Finance in 1980–1981. Between 1983 and 1986, he worked as Financial Counselor to the Turkish Embassy in
Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. He returned to Turkey in 1987 and was appointed Director-General of Public Finance, where he served until 1989. During this period, he was also member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Electricity Authority (TEK). Between 1989 and 1993, he served as Deputy Permanent Representative of the Turkish Delegation to the
OECD
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...
in
Paris, France
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. In October 1993, following his return to
Turkey
Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
, he was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Prime Ministry responsible for economic coordination. In 1994, he was promoted to the Undersecretary of Treasury and Foreign Trade, where he served until the splitting of that institution. Between 1995 and 1997, he worked in the private sector as a member of the board of the now defunct Iktisat Bank.
Birsen was appointed chairman and CEO of the Istanbul Stock Exchange (ISE) on October 25, 1997, for a term of five years and was re-confirmed in 2002 in this position for another five-years term.
He was also the Chairman of the ISE Settlement and Custody Bank (Turkish: Takasbank) and President of the Federation of Euro-Asian Stock Exchanges (FEAS).
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Birsen, Osman
1945 births
People from Ankara
Ankara University alumni
Living people
Turkish civil servants