Gazi Levent Kurtoğlu
Gazi Levent Kurtoğlu is a senior public sector executive with approximately 35 years of experience in public administration, national security, strategic policy development, and international cooperation. He was seconded to Hedayah by Presidential Decree of the Republic of Türkiye.
After graduating from the Faculty of Political Sciences at Ankara University, Mr. Kurtoğlu joined the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Türkiye. He served as a District Governor (Kaymakam) in several provinces for 17 years before moving to the Ministry’s headquarters, where he held senior leadership positions for the next 18 years.
He served as Head of the Border Management Department, Head of the Security Coordination Department, and, most recently, Head of the Department of Anti-Smuggling Intelligence, Operations and Information Collection. His responsibilities included border governance, interagency coordination, combating organized crime and smuggling, and developing national security policies.
Mr. Kurtoğlu represented Türkiye in numerous bilateral and multilateral forums and worked closely with international partners, including the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). He also served as Head of the Turkish Delegation to the annual sessions of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna.
Commissioned by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, he led the preparation and interagency coordination of key national strategies and action plans on combating organized crime and countering improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and coordinated the Ministry of Interior’s contribution to the national strategy on combating drug abuse and addiction. He also served as a member of the Anti-Smuggling Intelligence Coordination Board.
As Senior Programme Officer, Mr. Kurtoğlu directed European Union-funded programmes with a combined budget of approximately €250 million. In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UNODC Regional Office for South Eastern Europe (ROSEE), and national authorities, he led projects in integrated border management, institutional reform, law enforcement capacity-building, and regional cooperation.
His professional expertise includes strategic planning, security governance, border management, intelligence coordination, counter-smuggling, combating transnational organized crime, and whole-of-government approaches to complex security challenges.
Mr. Kurtoğlu completed a four-month executive programme at the French National School of Administration (École Nationale d’Administration – ENA). He also holds Master’s degrees from the Public Administration Institute for Türkiye and the Middle East (TODAIE) and Keele University in the United Kingdom.
He served as Head of the Border Management Department, Head of the Security Coordination Department, and, most recently, Head of the Department of Anti-Smuggling Intelligence, Operations and Information Collection. His responsibilities included border governance, interagency coordination, combating organized crime and smuggling, and developing national security policies.
Mr. Kurtoğlu represented Türkiye in numerous bilateral and multilateral forums and worked closely with international partners, including the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). He also served as Head of the Turkish Delegation to the annual sessions of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) in Vienna.
Commissioned by the Presidency of the Republic of Türkiye, he led the preparation and interagency coordination of key national strategies and action plans on combating organized crime and countering improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and coordinated the Ministry of Interior’s contribution to the national strategy on combating drug abuse and addiction. He also served as a member of the Anti-Smuggling Intelligence Coordination Board.
As Senior Programme Officer, Mr. Kurtoğlu directed European Union-funded programmes with a combined budget of approximately €250 million. In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the UNODC Regional Office for South Eastern Europe (ROSEE), and national authorities, he led projects in integrated border management, institutional reform, law enforcement capacity-building, and regional cooperation.
His professional expertise includes strategic planning, security governance, border management, intelligence coordination, counter-smuggling, combating transnational organized crime, and whole-of-government approaches to complex security challenges.
Mr. Kurtoğlu completed a four-month executive programme at the French National School of Administration (École Nationale d’Administration – ENA). He also holds Master’s degrees from the Public Administration Institute for Türkiye and the Middle East (TODAIE) and Keele University in the United Kingdom.