Born in Istanbul in 1961, M. Özalp Birol graduated from Bogazici University, Department of Management (Sales and Marketing) in 1983.
Between 1985-1994, he worked in various positions ranging from brand management to sales and marketing management at Unilever and Nestle Group of Companies and Turcas Petroleum, Inc. (Türkpetrol Holding).
Joining Yapi Kredi in 1994, Mr. Birol held the positions of "Vice President of Advertising, Public Relations, Culture and Art Department at Yapı Kredi Bank, Inc.”, “General Manager and Board Member of Yapı Kredi Culture, Art and Publishing, Inc.” and “Director of Corporate Communications at Yapı Kredi Bank, Inc.” until his departure in 2001.
Between 2001 – 2004, M. Özalp Birol took on the positions of “General Manager and Board Member of Koç Culture, Art and Communication Services, Inc.” and “Corporate Communications Director of Koç Financial Services, Inc.”, at the Koç Group.
Since 2004, Mr. Birol has held the position of “General Manager of Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Culture and Arts Enterprises”, working at Pera Museum and Istanbul Research Institute, overseeing the Foundation’s works in the field of culture and art.
He is also a Member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
M. Özalp Birol, who was awarded the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland in 2014 for his contributions to the cultural cooperation between Türkiye and Poland, served as a member of the Advisory Board for the Pavilion of Türkiye at the International Art Exhibitions of the Venice Biennale in 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024.
