Necati Özkan
{{Short description|Turkish political consultant}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Necati Özkan
| image = File:Necati Ozkan.jpg
| caption = Özkan in June 2024
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1960|05|20|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = Ankara, Turkey
| occupation = Strategist, advertising executive, political consultant, campaign manager, author
| years_active = 1985–present
| alma_mater = Turkish Military Academy
Ankara University (LL.B.)
| spouse = {{marriage|Pelin Özkan|1987}}
| children = 2
| website = {{URL|https://necatiozkan.com.tr/}}
}}
Necati Özkan (b. May 20, 1960, Ankara), Turkish strategist, advertising executive, political consultant, campaign manager, and author.
Strategist and political communications consultant who has won over 80 international awards,{{cite web |url=https://necatiozkan.com.tr/oduller/ |title=Ödüller |author= |access-date=2022-09-11 |quote=Son 10 yılda aldığı uluslararası ödüller |language=tr |trans-title=Awards}} Özkan served as the global president of Dialogue International, a network of independent advertisement agencies, from 2012 to 2015;{{cite news |date=2012-10-26 |title=Türkiye ve dünya reklamcılık sektöründe bir ilk |author= |trans-title=A first in the Turkish and the world advertising industry |url=https://www.cnnturk.com/2012/yasam/diger/10/26/turkiye.ve.dunya.reklamcilik.sektorunde.bir.ilk/682096.0/index.html |language=tr |work=CNN Turk |location=Istanbul |access-date=2022-09-11 }}{{cite news |date=2012-10-14 |title=Dialogue International'a yeni başkan |author= |trans-title=New president for the Dialogue International |url=https://www.marketingturkiye.com.tr/haberler/dialogue-internationala-yeni-baskan/ |language=tr |work=Marketing Türkiye |location=Istanbul |access-date=2022-09-11 }} president of the European Association of Political Consultants (EAPC) from 2014 to 2016,{{cite news |date=2014-12-09 |last=Kuru |first=Ali |title=Avrupa Siyasi Danışmanlar Derneği'ne Türk başkan |trans-title=A Turkish president for the European Association of Political Consultants |url=https://mediacat.com/avrupa-siyasi-danismanlar-dernegine-turk-baskan/ |language=tr |work=MediaCat |location=Istanbul |access-date=2022-09-11 }} and board member and vice president of the International Association of Political Consultants from 2020 to 2024.{{cite web |url=https://www.iapc.org/board#comp-kf8wjj3u |title=Board of Directors |author= |website=IAPC |publisher=IAPC |access-date=2022-09-11}} He directed campaigns for many politicians and political parties in Turkey and abroad, including those of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu and Ekrem İmamoğlu.{{cite web |url=https://necatiozkan.com.tr/biyografi/ |title=Necati Özkan Kimdir? |author= |access-date=2022-09-11 |quote=Siyasi Danışman, Öykü Dialogue International Ajans Başkanı |language=tr |trans-title=Who is Necati Ozkan?}}{{cite news |date=2019-06-25 |last=Gürses |first=Özlem |title=Necati Özkan: İmamoğlu Türkiye seçmeninin sevgilisi haline geldi |trans-title=Necati Ozkan: Imamoglu became the darling of the constituents |url=https://www.sozcu.com.tr/2019/gundem/biz-stratejimizi-sadece-gercekler-uzerine-kurduk-5196198/ |language=tr |work=Sözcü |location=Istanbul |access-date=2022-09-11 }}{{cite news |date=2019-05-13 |title=Necati Özkan: Yıldırım Kaybetmedi, İmamoğlu Kazandı! |author= |trans-title=Necati Ozkan: Yildirim did not lose, Imamoglu win! |url=http://www.sosyaldemokratdergi.org/necati-ozkan-yildirim-kaybetmedi-imamoglu-kazandi/ |language=tr |work=Sosyal Demokrat Dergi |location=Istanbul |access-date=2022-09-11 }}
Education
Özkan was born the third of six siblings on May 20, 1960. He was enrolled at Istanbul's Kuleli Military High School in 1974, then switched to Işıklar Military High School, which was opened the same year in Bursa. Özkan went on to study at the Turkish Military Academy between 1977 and 1981. He graduated from the Turkish Military Academy on August 30, 1981, and was commissioned into the Turkish Armed Forces as an artillery lieutenant. He was forced into mandatory retirement in mid-1983 with nearly 2,000 other commissioned officers in compliance with the "trilateral decree" issued by the generals who came to power following the coup d'état of September 12, 1980, based on political reasons.{{cite news |date=2020-09-11 |title=12 Eylül'ün diğer yüzü: Darbe muhalifi askerler |last=Başakçıoğlu |first=Cihan |trans-title=Other side of the 12th September: Soldiers who opposed to the coup |url=https://www.gazeteduvar.com.tr/gundem/2020/09/11/12-eylulun-diger-yuzu-darbe-muhalifi-askerler |language=tr |work=Gazete Duvar |location=Istanbul |access-date=2022-09-12}} Özkan studied at the Faculty of Law at Ankara University from 1983 to 1987, and later, at the Department of Business Administration at Middle East Technical University from 1997 to 1999.
Career
Özkan founded Öykü Advertising Agency in 1985. He directed communication campaigns for many national and international brands, public institutions and organizations, and the Turkish Armed Forces.{{cite web |url=https://oyku.com.tr/en/islerimiz/ |title=Our Works |author= |website=Öykü Dialogue International |publisher=Öykü Dialogue International |access-date=2022-09-11}} His career took off in Ankara and continued to Istanbul, where he moved in 2000. He ran tourism-oriented promotional campaigns for Turkey in 22 countries from 2008 to 2013.{{cite news |date=2009-06-03 |title=Times Square’de 150 bin dolara 360 kez Türkiye reklamı dönecek |last=Çetinkaya |first=Hayri |trans-title=150 thousand dollars ad for Turkey will be displayed at the Time Square for 360 times |url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ekonomi/times-square-de-150-bin-dolara-360-kez-turkiye-reklami-donecek-11782405 |language=tr |work=Hürriyet |location=Istanbul |access-date=2022-09-11 }} He also led destination campaigns for EXPO 2020 Izmir, the Ankara Shopping Festival, the 2013 Mediterranean Games, and EXPO 2021 Hatay. Özkan served as the global president of Dialogue International (later renamed Comm-Unity){{cite web |url=https://community-international.com/about-us/ |title=About us |author= |website=CommUnity International - The Alliance of Independent Agencies |publisher=CommUnity International - The Alliance of Independent Agencies |access-date=2022-09-11}} from 2012 to 2015.
In addition to his career in commercial communication, he has been taking active roles in the election campaigns of political personalities, leaders, and parties in almost every election since 1983. Özkan worked in the campaigns of the Social Democracy Party of Turkey (SODEP) and the Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP) candidates in 1983, 1987, and 1991.{{cite news |date=2010-02-10 |title=‘Organize Dürüstlük’le ilham verdi, ‘Uluslararası Rüya Takımı’na girdi |last=Öz |first=Yeliz |trans-title=Inspired with ‘Organized Integrity’, got into ‘International Dream Team’ |url=https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/ekonomi/organize-durustluk-le-ilham-verdi-uluslararasi-ruya-takimi-na-girdi-13742558 |language=tr |work=Hürriyet |location=Istanbul |access-date=2022-09-11}}{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Acarlı |first=Meltem D. |date=2014 |title=Politainment (Eğlenceli Siyaset) Kavramı Bağlamında Türkiye’de Siyasal Seçim Kampanyalarının Analizi |language=tr |trans-title=Analysis of Political Election Campaigns in Turkey in correlation with the concept of Politainment |publisher=Maltepe University |format=PDF |url=https://openaccess.maltepe.edu.tr/server/api/core/bitstreams/87457817-6574-4a59-bc6b-d14b9683a189/content |access-date=2025-04-13}} He was part of the election campaigns of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in 1995. In 2009, he ran the gubernatorial campaign of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu for the mayorship of Istanbul, national campaigns for CHP Headquarters in local elections of 2014, then the election campaigns for Ekrem Imamoğlu in 2014 and 2019. Özkan acted as a political consultant and campaign director in local and national election campaigns in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, and Hungary. He organized strategy, political communication, and campaign management training programs for political parties in Kazakhstan, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan. Özkan has been a lecturer at Gazi University, the Eastern Mediterranean University, Maltepe University, Bahçeşehir University, and Işık University over the course of the last 20 years. He still teaches a strategy course in the Marketing Communication Master's Program at Istanbul Bilgi University.
Özkan was elected to serve as president of the European Association of Political Consultants (EAPC) from 2014 to 2016, and vice president of the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC) from 2020 to 2022, then again in 2022 and 2024. He published articles on election campaigns in Takvim and Milliyet newspapers and wrote a column for Radikal between 2015 and 2016. Currently, he writes a column for Cumhuriyet.{{cite web |url=https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/necati-ozkan |title=Necati Özkan Yazıları |author= |website=Cumhuriyet Gazetesi |publisher=Cumhuriyet Gazetesi |access-date=2022-09-11 |language=tr |trans-title=Columns of Necati Ozkan}} He commented on many newspaper articles and live broadcasts on many television channels about elections in Turkey and abroad.{{cite AV media |people=Necati Özkan and Ayşenur Arslan |date=2020-12-01 |title=Necati Özkan: Cumhur İttifakı'ndan kopan yüzde 7 arafta |trans-title=Necati Ozkan: 7 percent separated from the Cumhur Allience is in purgatory |type=Television production |series=Medya Mahallesi |language=tr |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL9kIooAAAA |access-date=2022-09-12 |location=Istanbul |publisher=Halk TV |via=YouTube}}{{cite AV media |people=Necati Özkan and Ayşenur Arslan |date=2020-12-01 |title=Necati Özkan: Trump pandemiyi yönetemeyince kaybetti |trans-title=Necati Ozkan: Trump lost because he could not manage the pandemic properly |type=Television production |series=Medya Mahallesi |language=tr |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfiLvbS-XK0 |access-date=2022-09-12 |location=Istanbul |publisher=Halk TV |via=YouTube}}
2025 arrest
{{See|Arrest of Ekrem İmamoğlu|2025 Turkish protests}}
After a seizure order was established on the real estate and bank account registered under his name on 7 March 2025,{{cite news |date=2025-03-10 |title=İmamoğlu’nun en uzun 'mart'ı |author=Barış Terkoğlu |trans-title=The longest 'March' of İmamoğlu |url=https://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/baris-terkoglu/imamoglunun-en-uzun-marti-2307746 |language=tr |work=Sözcü |location=Istanbul |access-date=2025-03-28 }} Özkan was one of the business figures arrested alongside Ekrem İmamoğlu on 19 March 2025 by Turkish Police on charges related to alleged corruption along with more than 100 people.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-19 |title=Police arrest Istanbul mayor, a key Erdogan rival, over alleged corruption and terror links |url=https://apnews.com/article/turkey-istanbul-mayor-police-search-ead3dd38aa547ecd13bc336e7d6c4d58 |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=BBC News Türkçe |language=tr}}{{Cite web |date=2025-03-19 |title=Police arrest Istanbul mayor, a key Erdogan rival, over alleged corruption and terror links |url=https://apnews.com/article/turkey-istanbul-mayor-police-search-ead3dd38aa547ecd13bc336e7d6c4d58?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=AP News |language=en}}{{Cite web |date=2025-03-19 |title=Turkey detains Erdogan's main rival in what opposition calls 'coup' |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkish-authorities-order-detention-istanbul-mayor-some-100-others-2025-03-19/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=Reuters}}{{Cite web |date=2025-03-19 |title=Ekrem Imamoglu: Istanbul mayor and Erdogan presidential rival arrested |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yren8mxp8o |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}
Initially, he was incarcerated in Marmara Prison.{{cite news |date=2025-03-10 |title=İBB soruşturmasında tutuklanan isimler ve sevk edildikleri cezaevleri |author= |trans-title=Names arrested in the IMM investigation and the prisons they were sent to |url=https://www.birgun.net/haber/ibb-sorusturmasinda-tutuklanan-isimler-ve-sevk-edildikleri-cezaevleri-609671 |language=tr |work=BirGün |location=Istanbul |access-date=2025-03-28 }} He was transferred to Kocaeli Prison on April 13,{{cite news |date=2025-04-13 |title=Silivri gece yarısı hareketliliği: İBB tutukluları farklı şehirlere götürülüyor |author=Burak Demirbaş |trans-title=Midnight activity at Silivri: IMM detainees are being taken to different cities |url=https://www.sozcu.com.tr/silivri-gece-yarisi-hareketliligi-ibb-tutuklulari-farkli-sehirlere-goturuluyor-p162381 |language=tr |work=Sözcü |location=Istanbul |access-date=2025-04-13 }}{{cite news |date=2025-04-13 |title=Silivri'de gece operasyonu: İBB operasyonunda tutuklananlar çevre illere naklediliyor |author= |trans-title=Night operation in Silivri: Those arrested in the IMM operation are being transferred to neighboring provinces |url=https://halktv.com.tr/gundem/son-dakika-silivride-gece-operasyonu-ibb-operasyonunda-tutuklananlar-cevre-929279h |language=tr |work=Halk TV |location=Istanbul |access-date=2025-04-13 }} where he awaits indictment.
Works
- {{cite book |last=Özkan |first=Necati |date=2014-02-03 |title=Seçim Kazandıran Kampanyalar |trans-title=Campaigns That Win Elections |language=tr |location=Istanbul |publisher=MediaCat Books |isbn=9789758378760}}
- {{cite book |last=Özkan |first=Necati |date=2009-01-19 |title=Obama'nın Liderlik Sırları |trans-title=Obama's Leadership Secrets |language=tr |location=Istanbul |publisher=MediaCat Books |isbn=9786055755072}}
- {{cite book |last=Özkan |first=Necati |date=2019-10-30 |title=Kahramanın Yolculuğu |trans-title=Journey of a Hero |language=tr |location=Istanbul |publisher=MediaCat Books |isbn=9786052314272}}
References
{{reflist}}
Category:Turkish businesspeople
Category:Businesspeople from Istanbul
Category:20th-century Turkish businesspeople
Category:21st-century Turkish businesspeople
Category:Political_consultants
Category:Kuleli Military High School alumni
Category:Ankara University alumni
Category:Prisoners and detainees of Turkey
Category:Inmates of Silivri Prison
Category:Political prisoners in Turkey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Özkan, Necati}}