Dr. Çiğdem Koğar received her B.A. in Economics from Middle East Technical University (METU) in 1988, her M.A. in Economics from Boston College, USA, in 1995, and her Ph.D. in Economics from METU in 2004. Her doctoral dissertation, titled “Fiscal and Current Account Sustainability, Banking Fragilities and Balance Sheet Effects: The 2000–2001 Financial Crisis in Türkiye,” focused on macro-financial vulnerabilities and crisis dynamics.

Dr. Koğar began over thirty-year central banking career at the Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye (CBRT) Research Department, between 1999 and 2001, she worked at the OECD Economics Department Türkiye and Italy Desk as a Consultant.

From 2001 to 2014, she held senior executive positions at the CBRT’s Banking and Financial Institutions Department, serving as Head of Financial Sector Assessment, Deputy Director General, and Director General. Between 2014 and 2020, she served as CBRT Representative in London and Economic Counsellor at the Turkish Embassy in London.

Between 2010 and 2021, Dr. Koğar was a Member of the Board of Directors of the Central Bank of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, contributing to financial system governance, banking regulation, supervision, and oversight of financial institutions.

From 2023 to 2026, she served as an Independent Board Member at Dubai Islamic Bank, where she chaired the Risk, Compliance and Governance Committee and served as a member of the Profit Distribution and Management Committee.

Her areas of expertise include international finance and banking, risk management, macroeconomics and monetary policy, macroprudential policies, financial stability, banking supervision and regulation, payment systems, and foreign exchange legislation and practices. Dr. Koğar has participated in the work of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision and the Financial Stability Board, and has closely collaborated with international institutions including the IMF, World Bank, and OECD. She has also played an active role in IMF–World Bank Financial Sector Assessment Programs (FSAP).

Dr. Koğar has been a speaker at United Nations Headquarters in New York at the high-level panels on “Assessment of Investment in Women and Girls in Science for Inclusive Green Growth” in 2019 and on “Sustainability in Business and Industry” in 2023 within the framework of International Day of Women and Girls in Science. 

She is the author of the chapter titled “Empowering Women in Science, Technology and Innovation in the Digital Economy Era,” published in the 2020 book Women & Girls in Science for Socio-Economic Sustainable Development by The Royal Academy of Science International Trust.

Dr. Koğar joined TEPAV as Director of International Financial Systems and Banking Policies Program in April 2026.