CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles
Family Business & Autonomous Vehicle Expert

With over 40 years of experience spanning across three continents, Irfan Tansel is recognized as one of the ‘Top 100 CEOs in the Middle East’ by Forbes (in 3 consecutive years), ‘100 inspiring leaders in the Middle East’ by Arabian Business magazine, Visionary of the Year by Entrepreneur Middle East magazine, and ‘CEO of the Year’ by CEO Magazine, and he is driven to disrupt the automotive industry and to create a legacy.

In his role as CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles (AMA), Irfan has steered the company to numerous milestones and accolades. Under his leadership, the company not only clinched the esteemed Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award 2023 - which is based on the internationally recognized European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) framework, but also continued its tradition of excellence with multiple editions of the coveted Nissan Global Dealer Award in 2013 and 2019, the Global Nissan Aftersales Award in three consecutive years - 2020, 2021, and 2022.

INFINITI presented Al Masaood Automobiles with the ‘Outstanding Performance Award’ in 2020 for strengthening the market share in Abu Dhabi, and later in 2021 awarded the company with the ‘INFINITI Global President Award’ for exemplary execution of Project Falcon - Al Masaood Automobiles’ first mid-term strategy. In 2023, the company was crowned with the inaugural ‘INFINITI Global Award’, for its contribution to the success and growth of the auto brand in Abu Dhabi. Al Masaood Automobiles outperformed other dealers within its segment, becoming the first dealership in the GCC region to be awarded this accolade.

Renault as well awarded Al Masaood Automobiles with the prestigious ‘Global Partners Award (P.A.R.I.S. Challenge)’ in 2020, being the highest accolade for car dealerships granted for exceptional performance in customer satisfaction, Sales and Aftersales.

2023 marked a significant triumph in Irfan's tenure, as it became a record-breaking year for Al Masaood Automobiles across multiple facets, including unprecedented achievements in sales and aftersales.

Al Masaood Automobiles gained global recognition for re-strategizing; creating an omnichannel experience to prepare for Industry 4.0 in 2019 and 2020. Under his guidance, Al Masaood Automobiles made history in 2019 by launching the region’s first Nissan e-commerce car-buying website, along with a virtual, live, and interactive sales platform, one of many firsts launched. In 2023, the company achieved record-breaking sales figures, surpassing all previous records.

Irfan's vision for Al Masaood Automobiles is grounded in forward-thinking, innovation-driven, and customer-centric principles, which he uses to craft tailored strategies designed to keep the company at the forefront of a competitive market, prepared for any challenges that may arise. His leadership style is deeply rooted in a belief in the power of effective, inclusive management with transparency and trust leading to empowerment, recognizing that the true driving force behind AMA’s success is its dedicated team.

As a revered voice in the automotive world, his insights on business disruption, leadership, and the future of the automotive industry are frequently featured in notable publications like Forbes ME, Bloomberg, CNBC, CEO ME, The National, Economy ME, and many others. He also shares his expertise internationally, delivering motivational keynotes on topics ranging from preparing businesses for disruption to leadership, autonomous vehicles, the future of mobility, electrification, and future dealerships.

This year, 2024, marks his 42nd year in the automotive industry. Irfan’s passion for automobiles began at the age of 15 when he apprenticed as an auto mechanic in a car workshop, igniting his passion for the business, product, and people. Now an entrepreneurial and visionary leader, Irfan is committed to mentoring and developing his leadership team, nurturing them to become the next superstars in the industry.

Irfan continues to be credited for his unique approach to innovation, employee engagement, and more recently, succeeding in a challenging market.

FORBES: ‘TOP 100 CEO in the Middle east’

Irfan Tansel was named one of the ‘Top 100 CEOs in the Middle East’ by Forbes Middle East. Irfan has over 40 years of experience spanning three continents. Al Masaood Automobiles is the main distributor for Nissan, Infiniti and Renault in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and the Western Region. In 2020 it achieved growth in total units sold of 18% in a market that is dropping at a rate of 20%. In 2019 under Tansel’s leadership, Al Masaood won the Best Global Dealer by Nissan. In December 2010, the group established the Al Masaood Automobiles Nissan Service Centre, which is one of Nissan’s largest service centers in the world. Al Masaood Automobiles is the first Nissan Dealership in the region to launch an e-commerce car-buying website with Nissan.

CEO Middle East: ‘Automotive CEO of the Year’

Over the past 12 months, Al Masaood Automobiles has won numerous accolades from global car brands for its stellar performance, which have included recognition from Renault as the 'best sales performance' and from Nissan for its exemplary customer service and customer experience, both signs of the company's consistency in exceeding customer expectations and focus on delivering quality services. Our AUTOMOTIVE CEO OF THE YEAR is a very worthy Irfan Tansel.