Lütfi Elvan was born to A. Nuri Elvan and his wife Samiye at Ermenek town in Karaman Province on 12 March 1962.[2][3]
He studied mining engineering at Istanbul Technical University graduating in 1983. Elvan received a scholarship from the state-owned mining company Etibank for further study abroad. He continued his education earning a master's degree in the fields of mining engineering and operations research with a thesis on "Determination of Optimal Production Systems in short-term Mining Production Planning" at University of Leeds, England in 1986. In 1995, he received a further master's degree in economics at University of Delaware, US.[2][3][4]
Professional career
Elvan began his professional career in 1987 as an engineer working in the operations research department at Etibank. There, he was instrumental in implementing computer-aided mining applications.[4]
In 1989, he moved to State Planning Organization (DPT), and worked until 1996 as specialist. Appointed Head of Department for Regions with Development Priorities in 1996, he served at this post until 2002. He was promoted to Deputy Undersecretary of DPT in November 2002.[2][3] In July 2007, he resigned from his post to enter politics.[4]
Elvan was re-elected into the parliament in the 2011 general election. He served as the chairman of the parliamentary Budget and Planning Commission.[3]
He assumed as Minister of Finance and Treasury in November 2020 as the successor of Erdogans son in-law Berat Albayrak.[9] His tenure was marked with the fall of the Turkish lira and an ailing Turkish economy which he wanted to defend with a stable currency exchange rate and a low inflation.[9] He didn't applaud Erdogans financial policy of low interest rates,[9] resigned from his post on the 2 December 2021 and was succeeded by Nureddin Nebati.[10]