From Shop Floor to Corner Office
Irfan Tansel’s first job was turning spanners in a small Istanbul garage at fifteen. Forty‑two years later, he signs billion‑dirham balance sheets as Chief Executive of Al Masaood Automobiles in Abu Dhabi. The journey covers three continents, countless air miles, and a cabinet heavy with trophies: four straight appearances in Forbes Middle East “Top 100 CEOs,” two nods as an “Inspiring Leader,” and the 2024 Arabian Business “Greatest CEOs” list.
Numbers That Matter
Under Tansel, Al Masaood rewrote its own record book in 2023 and 2024, posting all‑time highs for sales and after‑sales revenue. The roll‑call of awards tells the rest:
- Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award 2023 – anchored on the EFQM quality model.
- Nissan Global Dealer Awards – 2013 and 2019, plus three consecutive Global Aftersales wins from 2020 to 2022.
- INFINITI Global President Award 2021 – for “Project Falcon,” a mid‑term strategy that lifted Abu Dhabi market share.
- Renault Global Partners Award 2020 and “Best Dealer Performance” in 2024.
Disruption, But Make It Useful
Tansel’s mantra is “customer-centric or nothing.” In 2019, Al Masaood launched the Gulf’s first Nissan e-commerce site, letting buyers complete an order and book delivery from a couch. Live, interactive video tours soon followed. The omnichannel push earned two prizes at the 2024 Customer Centricity World Series: Customer-Centric Culture and Voice of the Customer. For a dealer group turning fifty, those are not cosmetic tweaks. They are survival tactics for Industry 4.0.
Leading by Listening
Walk the Abu Dhabi HQ and you will find Tansel chatting with service apprentices about torque specs. Staff turnover sits below regional averages, aided by transparent bonus plans and an internal academy that teaches EV battery safety alongside classic combustion theory. “Empower people, and the product line will look after itself,” he says. It’s a simple rule supported by climbing Net Promoter Scores.
A Media Voice With Range
From Sky News Arabia to Bloomberg, Tansel’s commentary cuts through jargon. He talks electrification without preaching, sketches autonomous futures without burying the axle in hype. Keynote stops in 2023 included London, Riyadh, and Singapore, where he spoke on “Future Dealerships After the Dashboard Goes Digital.” Audiences appreciate that he still owns a torque wrench, metaphorically speaking.
Awards Are Nice; Legacy Is Better
Tansel’s personal garage is said to feature an early Nissan Z alongside a BYD EV, evidence that tradition and progress can park side by side. His greater collection, a bench of young managers groomed to carry Al Masaood into an era where powertrains change faster than import tariffs.
What Lies Beyond the Wind Tunnel
Plans for the next lap include a regional parts‑distribution hub powered by predictive inventory software, and an EV quick‑swap pilot for last‑mile fleets. The goal is not merely to keep pace but to set it: make the Gulf a proving ground where heritage dealers and new‑age mobility blend as seamlessly as a dual‑clutch shift.
Final Word
Many executives talk about disruption. Irfan Tansel puts it on the lift, torque-checks the bolts, and sends it back out at full throttle. Awards confirm the pace, but the real proof is the way a half-century-old dealership group now behaves like a tech start-up, without losing the handshake ethic that began in a small Turkish workshop. For the Emirates, and perhaps the wider region, that balance of grit and foresight could mark the true finish line of leadership.
