Arif İrfan Eker was born in 1989, Kahramanmaraş. He graduated from Fırat University, Veterinary Faculty in 1989. He began serving in various technical and administrative positions at the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality-Health Services, starting from 1995. While he was working as Deputy Administrator responsible for annual audit at the Directorate of Veterinary Affairs, he was assigned to be the administrator at the same department. Eker is married with two children, and speaks English.