The European Cultural Foundation (ECF) was announced the appointment of a new Chair of its Board on 23 May 2013 - Mr. Görgün Taner.
Görgün Taner (b. Turkey, 1959) is the General Director of the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV). He has been working at the Foundation since 1983 and has served as Assistant Director and Program Coordinator for Foreign Relations (1987-1994) and Director of the International Istanbul Jazz Festival (1994-2002) before being appointed as General Director in 2002. He joined the ECF Advisory Council in 2006 and became a Board Member in 2007
A graduate of Bogazici University's Department of History, Mr. Taner is currently Faculty Member of the Cultural Management Program of Istanbul Bilgi University. He is also currently a board member of the Istanbul Modern Arts Museum as well as the European Cultural Foundation. Previously, he served as the President of the European Jazz Festivals Association between 1998 and 2002, and as a member of the Advisory Board of the Istanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency. He was the commissioner of Turkey during the Cultural Season of Turkey in France, between July 2009 and March 2010. Following this task, he was awarded by the French government with the legion of honour (Chevalier dans l'ordre national de la Legion d'Honneur) in January 2011. In September 2010, he was appointed the Art Consultant of the Amsterdam Municipality. He is also a member of the international advisory committee of the Master of Management in International Arts Management in Montreal since November 2012.