Murat Kurum (born 7 May 1976, Ankara) is a civil engineer, bureaucrat, and politician. He has held key positions in urban transformation, urban planning, and environmental policy. On 2 July 2024, he was appointed for the second time to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of the Republic of Türkiye.

Education

Murat Kurum was born on 7 May 1976 in the Çankaya district of Ankara. His mother, Satı Kurum, was a homemaker from Kızılcahamam; his father, Mehmet Kurum, was a civil servant and civil engineer from Konya. He grew up with two sisters. He began his primary education at Gazi Primary School in Konya, and completed the second and third grades at Atatürk Primary School in Mardin after his father was transferred there due to his position at the Ministry of Public Works and Housing. After returning to Ankara, he completed the fourth and fifth grades at Seyranbağları Primary School, and received his secondary and high school education at Mimar Kemal Middle School and High School.

He began his university education in the Department of Food Engineering at Selçuk University in Konya, but after one year, he retook the university entrance exam and transferred to the Department of Civil Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of the same university, in line with his career goal. He graduated as a civil engineer in 1999 and earned a master’s degree in urban transformation in 2017.

Professional Career

Private Sector (1999–2005)

After graduating in 1999, he began working in the private sector, gaining experience as a civil engineer on construction sites across various regions of Türkiye.

Public Sector and TOKİ (2005–2018)

In 2005, he began his career at the General Directorate of Mass Housing Administration (TOKİ) as an expert in the Ankara Implementation Directorate. Between 2006 and 2009, he served as the Head of the European Side Implementation Unit at the TOKİ Istanbul Implementation Directorate. In 2009, he was appointed General Manager and Member of the Board of Directors of Emlak Konut GYO A.Ş., a subsidiary of TOKİ, a position he held until 2018. During this period, he contributed significantly to the growth of Emlak Konut, leading the two largest public offerings in the history of the Republic, and spearheading the development of safe and modern residential areas in Istanbul.

Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change (2018–2023)

In 2018, he was appointed Minister of Environment and Urbanization in the first cabinet under the Presidential System of Government. The ministry’s scope was later expanded to include climate change. Throughout his tenure, he developed policies aimed at urban development, enhancing resilience to disasters, and environmental protection. Through TOKİ, he implemented social housing projects targeting low-income citizens and accelerated urban transformation efforts in Istanbul.

During his time as minister, Murat Kurum played an active role in disaster response and reconstruction efforts following various natural disasters. He coordinated relief and reconstruction activities after forest fires in Manavgat and Marmaris, floods in Kastamonu, Sinop, and Giresun, and earthquakes in Elazığ, Malatya, and İzmir, overseeing the construction of permanent housing and social infrastructure in affected areas. Following the 2023 earthquakes, he visited the disaster zones and contributed to initiating the housing reconstruction process. Under environmental initiatives, he developed projects to increase green spaces nationwide and implemented numerous National Gardens projects. He also led efforts to expand the Zero Waste project across the country.

Political Career (2023–Present)

In 2023, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Istanbul in the 28th Term of the Justice and Development Party and assumed the chairmanship of the Environment Committee of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye. On 2 July 2024, he was reappointed to the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change and continues to serve in this role.

Personal Life

Murat Kurum is married to Şengül Kurum and is the father of three children. He speaks English.