About
Building from Zero. Again and Again.
I have spent over twenty years building engineering teams, technologies, and entire business units from scratch in environments where speed, precision, and trust are non-negotiable.
My last race as Head of Powertrain at Jaguar Formula E Racing Team, New York, 2018
The Journey So Far
It started with a conviction that electrification would reshape transport long before the industry consensus caught up. My career has been the result of the intersection between my passion for motorsport and a commitment to technical progression.
After completing my BSc in Electrical Engineering at Istanbul Technical University in 2001, I spent my early career at TÜBİTAK while completing my MSc part-time. We developed TÜrkiye's first electric vehicle using a serial hybrid powertrain architecture. I personally wired the lead-acid battery packs for that vehicle, a story I detailed in the inaugural edition of my LinkedIn newsletter, From Track to Trench.
I closely monitored Formula 1 regulations during the discussions surrounding the introduction of “push-to-pass” technology. Following this ambition, I joined AVL Powertrain UK to develop hybrid vehicle architectures for Jaguar Land Rover. At the time, electrification was so nascent that I had to build new teams from the ground up at every stage of the process.
In 2008, I received a call from an agency that felt like the definitive moment for any engineer: an invitation to work in Formula 1. I joined Mercedes-Benz High Performance Powertrains a few months later, where I contributed to the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS). In 2009, the McLaren Mercedes driven by Sir Lewis Hamilton became the first-ever hybrid F1 car to win a Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. This work was later recognised with the prestigious Dewar Trophy from the Royal Automobile Club.
Following a further tenure at Jaguar Land Rover, I moved to Williams Advanced Engineering. This is where the pace truly accelerated. I led the battery development and integration for the Jaguar C-X75 hybrid supercar, the vehicle featured in the James Bond film Spectre, which earned a Jaguar Land Rover Technology Award.
Then came a project that defined a new category of motorsport: the FIA Formula E Gen 1 battery. When Williams executives asked if we could deliver the project, I spent two days personally building the foundations and architecture to maintain strict confidentiality, as a competitor had already been nominated. We won the tender, then designed and delivered the battery that powered the entire grid for the first four seasons. This achievement was honoured with the Simms Medal and the Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation.
I subsequently built the Jaguar Racing Formula E powertrain programme from a blank sheet of paper. This involved assembling the team, establishing the architecture, and delivering a competitive system for Jaguar's return to international racing. Despite starting with zero data while competitors were two years ahead, Jaguar FE became the first team to race a fully in-house powertrain competitively by the third season.
In 2018, I pivoted to a large-scale corporate environment. I established the electrified powertrain engineering group for CNH Industrial across Switzerland, Italy, and the UK, managing the acquisition of a strategic business. Later, as Vice President of Advanced Technologies and Innovations, I led a global organisation of hundreds of engineers across Belgium, Italy, the US, Brazil, and India. Directing major R&D investments was a masterclass in operating at scale: building consensus, aligning stakeholders, and delivering against public capital-market commitments.
In July 2024, I joined Williams Grand Prix Technologies as Technical Director and was promoted to Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer within months. WGPT is a greenfield, F1-derived engineering solutions business. Building this organisation from the ground up is the exact kind of challenge I have pursued throughout my career. We are now applying the speed and precision of Formula 1 to solve the most complex engineering problems of the future.
Returning back to Williams Technology Campus, 2025
Current Role
Williams Grand Prix Technologies
Williams Grand Prix Technologies (WGPT) translates the extreme engineering capabilities of Formula 1 into transformational solutions for global industries. We operate where the need for speed, precision, and performance is mission-critical.
A primary pillar of our work is the development of advanced battery technology. We design and deliver high-performance energy storage systems tailored for extreme environments, bridging the gap between innovative research and industrial deployment. This expertise in electrification is integrated with our broader toolkit: physics-informed machine learning, digital twins, predictive analytics, and lightweight composite design.
We serve clients across the defence, aerospace, energy, and advanced mobility sectors. In these fields, we apply the same technical rigour and decision-making pace that defines life on a Formula 1 pit wall. My mandate as Managing Director and Chief Technology Officer is to build this organisation from the ground up: establishing our technology platform, refining our processes, and assembling the talent required to solve our clients’ most complex challenges.
How I Lead
Principles forged in motorsport, tested at corporate scale, and refined every day.
Builder Mentality
I have repeatedly built teams, departments, and entire business units from zero. When electrification was nascent, I created teams everywhere I went. When WGPT was a blank canvas, I stepped in to paint it. Building is what I do.
Speed of Execution
In F1, the race engineer decides when to pit — not the board. I apply the same principle: empower the people closest to the problem, give them clear accountability, and move fast. Plan, then execute. Do not wait for permission to act.
Trust & Transparency
High-performing organisations need clearly delegated roles, radical accountability, and rapid decision-making. Trust is not a platitude — it is an operating system. I build it deliberately and protect it fiercely.
Engineer-to-Executive Journey
I am transparent about not having it all figured out. The transition from deep technical leadership to C-suite is an ongoing journey, and that candour is a strength. I reject corporate-speak and generic platitudes.
Resilience
I speak openly about setbacks and failures because they are an inseparable part of the journey. Every career chapter has included moments where things did not go to plan — the response is what defines you.
Human-in-the-Loop AI
I am a strong advocate for AI and Scientific Machine Learning — physics-based models augmented by neural networks. I use AI tools daily and integrate them into enterprise toolchains. But the human always stays in the loop.
At a Glance
Two and a half decades of building at the intersection of deep engineering and executive leadership.
Years in Engineering
From hybrid F1 powertrains to Fortune 500 R&D leadership
400+ Engineers Managed
Global teams across 3 continents, multiple countries - UK, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium, US, Brasil, India
Mid-High 8-Figure R&D Budgets
Directing large-scale technology investments supporting business strategy
Cambridge
Judge Business School - Chief Technology Officer Programme, Business Analytics, Digital Transformation
Formula E - Battery Pioneer, Race Team Builder
Designed the battery that powered every car on the grid for the first 4 championship seasons. Built a race engineering team from zero, achieved the grid's first fully in-house developed powertrain.
Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation
Recognised for world-leading battery innovation with commercial application
WGPT - Built from Zero
Creating Williams Grand Prix Technologies, F1 derived technology transfer to industry
Awards & Recognition
External validation from the institutions that matter in engineering and innovation.
The Queen's Award for Enterprise in Innovation
For powering Formula E with innovative, world-leading batteries and their commercial application to road vehicles.
The Simms Medal
Awarded for the design and production of the FIA Formula E Gen 1 battery system.
Jaguar Land Rover Technology Award
For the C-X75 supercar battery development — the car later featured in James Bond's Spectre.
The Dewar Trophy
For contributions to the Mercedes-Benz F1 Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) programme.
Education & Executive Development
Deliberate preparation for technology leadership at the highest level.
Cambridge Judge Business School
2024 – 2025
- CTO Senior Executive Programme — Strategic innovation, technology leadership, corporate strategy
- Business Analytics: Decision-Making Using Data — Predictive & prescriptive analytics, behavioural economics, ML
- Digital Transformation: From Strategy to Execution
Istanbul Technical University
1997 – 2003
- MSc Electrical Engineering — Hybrid Electric Vehicle Power Systems (2003)
- BSc Electrical Engineering — Electric Machines & Power Electronics (2001)
Technical Expertise
Differentiated capabilities at the intersection of deep engineering and emerging technology.
Beyond the Day Job
Breadth of engagement across investment, policy, and the broader technology ecosystem.
Angel Investor & Board Advisor
Member of Angel Academe and Oxford Innovation Finance. Active technology and startup investor across deep-tech verticals.
European Commission Independent Expert
Proposal evaluator for the European Commission over more than a decade — assessing research and innovation programmes at EU level.
Aria Peri Capital Ltd.
Managing Director of a family investment office (2024 - present), overseeing a diversified portfolio.
Public Speaker
Industry conferences, capital markets days, King's College Cambridge Entrepreneurship Lab, and specialist technology podcasts.
Languages
Beyond the Office
The human behind the executive title. Focus, resilience, continuous learning and a good time.
The Aegean
Grew up by the Aegean Sea. Cesme, Turkey is the ideal summer escape. Family, beach and sun, where Turkish roots meet the open water.
Verbier
The aspirational home base. I am anybody and nobody, there.
On the Water
Windsurfing is where focus and freedom collide. There is something about harnessing natural forces that feels very familiar to an engineer.
On the Mountain
One of my greatest passions. The mountains provide focus, perspective, and a hard reset. The noise of life falls away.
Home Recording Studio
A home studio for guitar, recording and unwinding, maintained for 30 years now. Music is the counterbalance to an engineering career. Creative expression on a different frequency.
Music & Motorsport Collide
Lifelong guitar player and heavy metal fan. Here with Nicko McBrain of Iron Maiden discussing my racing car's steering wheel. A perfect collision of two worlds.
Let's Connect
Whether you are exploring F1-derived engineering solutions, looking for a keynote speaker, or interested in technology leadership, I would like to hear from you.