Born in Ankara in 1971, Cem Erdem is originally from Çaykara, Trabzon. He completed his primary, secondary, and high school education in Ankara. In 1992, he graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Maritime Faculty, Department of Marine Engineering. Between 1992 and 1997, he served as an Ocean-Going Watchkeeping Engineer and Ocean-Going Second Engineer in public and private sector organizations operating in the field of maritime transport.
Between 1997 and 1999, he served as an Assistant Maritime Expert at the Prime Ministry Undersecretariat for Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, and between 1999 and 2003, he worked as an engineer and manager in the private sector within the energy and construction industries. He served as the Head of the Ship Inspection Department between 2005 and 2008, and as the Head of the Maritime Affairs Department between 2008 and 2012 at the Prime Ministry Undersecretariat for Maritime Affairs.
Between 2012 and 2015, he continued his duties as a Ministerial Advisor at the Ministry of Transport and Communication of the Republic of Türkiye; between 2015 and 2019, he served as the Head of the Training and Certification Department within the Directorate General for Regulation of Maritime and Inland Waters, and between 2019 and 2020, he served as the Deputy Director General for Maritime Affairs.
Cem Erdem, who served as the Head of the Maritime Operations Department at Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) between 2020 and 2022, served as the Deputy General Manager at Turkish Petroleum Offshore Technology Center A.Ş. (TP-OTC), a subsidiary of TPAO, between 2022 and 2023. Between 11.01.2024 and 31.10.2025, he served as a Member of the Board of Directors and General Manager of TP-OTC A.Ş. As of November 1, 2025, he has been serving as the acting Chairman of the Board of Directors and General Manager of TPAO. Cem Erdem is married and has two children.