Mehmet Simsek is a Turkish politician and economist of Kurdish origin who currently serves as the Minister of Treasury and Finance of Turkiye since June 2023. He previously served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkiye from 2015 to 2018 and the Minister of Finance from 2009 to 2015, serving in the cabinets of Prime Ministers of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ahmet Davutoğlu. As a member of the Justice and Development Party, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Gaziantep in the 2007 general election and for Batman in the 2011 general election. In Prime Minister Erdoğan's second cabinet (2007-2011), Simsek became a Minister of State responsible for the economy upon his election as an MP. In 2009, he became the Minister of Finance. He retained his position in Erdoğan's third cabinet and the first cabinet of Ahmet Davutoğlu, who took over as Prime Minister in 2014. As Finance Minister, Simsek formulated fiscal policy which has helped Turkey recover strongly from the global financial crisis of 2008. He also undertook far reaching reforms founding the Tax Audit Board, simplifying tax regulations, enhancing taxpayers’ rights, and reducing the shadow economy.