Mert Turkben has been working as the Assistant to Onur Eryuce, the Counsellor to the Mayor of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality, and the Secretary-General of the Social Democratic Municipalities Association, Turkey (SODEM). In this position, Mert works extensively on international relations of the city of Izmir. He has been involved in a wide range of initiatives of the city which contributed to connecting Izmir to the global value chain through more engagements with the international organizations, the institutions from the EU and the UN system, the global city networks, and the international financial institutions. Mert holds a master’s degree in Global Business & Society from Yale School of Management. Previously, he studied at Koc University and received a master’s degree in International Management, a bachelor’s degree in Sociology, and a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. At Koc University, he co-founded the French Club which became successful thanks to establishing strong collaborations with many departments of the university and with the French Cultural Institute in Istanbul.