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, ‘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.
Under Irfan’s leadership, Al Masaood Automobiles has been awarded numerous accolades. In 2023, the company received the prestigious ‘Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award’ (SKEA), which is based on the internationally recognized European Foundation of Quality Management (EFQM) framework. Prior to that, in 2013 and 2019, Al Masaood Automobiles won the coveted ‘Nissan Global Dealer Award’ for their outstanding performance and contribution to Nissan’s business. Al Masaood Automobiles was also crowned with the ‘Global Nissan Aftersales Award’ for 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. 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, and 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. Al Masaood Automobiles launched the region’s first e-commerce car-buying website with Nissan, and a virtual, live & interactive sales platform. 2019 was a record-breaking year with Al Masaood Automobiles selling more cars than ever before.
Driven to build a legacy, Irfan has a competitive nature. As an award-winning CEO who is featured across publications including CEO Middle East, Al Bawaba, The National, Gulf News, and Entrepreneur, Irfan speaks internationally and delivers motivational keynotes on preparing businesses for disruption, leadership, autonomous vehicles, transportation of the future, and the green economy.
This year, 2023, marks his 41st 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 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.
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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.
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Agile & Prepared: Irfan Tansel
CEO Irfan Tansel does not let a crisis go to waste. The COVID-19 pandemic hit the UAE right as Al Masaood Automobiles (AMA) was racing to the finishing line of its best sales year to date, selling more cars in 2019 than ever before.
The company, which serves as the sole distributor for Nissan, Infiniti and Renault in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the UAE’s Western region, even won major international awards for its performance that year: the Renault Global Partners Award – P.A.R.I.S. Challenge and the Nissan Global Dealer Award.
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“Technology that’s driving cars and the road ahead for the automobile industry.”
Buying a new car? Ten years ago you would have gone to a showroom and perhaps been sold to by a stereotypical salesman or women, and potentially left feeling like you had been “sold to”.
Buyers are now empowered with the internet, and because of this, the car buying transaction doesn’t just occur in the showroom anymore. But if you think car dealership are dead, think again.
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Latest Press
In my recent article on Forbes Middle East, I highlight various aspects in the future of the automotive industry.
I also shed light on Al Masaood Automobiles' preparations for another year of success and impact shaped by a robust strategy with customer centricity, sustainability, and innovation at its core.
Earlier this year, Al Masaood Automobiles was named a winner of the prestigious Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award SKEA, the highest accolade in the country for companies following the global coveted EFQM model.
A company can have a well-rounded strategy, but what is harder than setting strategy is the fortitude to execute it with excellence.
I was honoured to share my insights for business success with Arabian Business. Throughout my experience in the automotive industry, I have witnessed the power of effective leadership, operational excellence, and a customer-centric approach. I truly believe that there are six key principles that drive business growth and position brands as leaders within their own sectors.
The future of fleet management will be driven by the industry’s efforts today. From electrified mobility, and autonomous vehicles to computerized drive assistance systems, it is imperative that we are flexible to transform now in order to help companies navigate the shifting landscapes of safety, efficiency, and opportunity tomorrow.
Last-mile delivery-the last leg of a shipment's journey to its final destination has become an increasingly important part of business operations across many industries, globally and in the UAE. In this digital era. delivery solutions form a crucial part of everyday life, with significant e-commerce players now heavily relying on these solutions for growth.
A true automotive aficionado with more than 40 years of experience across three continents, Irfan Tansel, CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles, is the recipient of some of the highest regional and international accolades for his inspirational leadership as CEO and visionary.
Irfan Tansel, CEO of Al Masaood Automobiles, discusses the tech trends driving the automotive industry and explains how his company is staying ahead, with a strategy that places customer experience front and center.
The region’s top 100 CEOs represent 26 nationalities. Emiratis dominate with 19 entries, followed by Egyptians with 16, and Saudis with 15. Combined they managed revenues of over $1 trillion in 2021. Their companies are currently collectively worth more than $5 trillion.
– أعلنت شركة المسعود للسيارات، الموزع الحصري لسيارات “نيسان” في أبوظبي والعين والمنطقة الغربية، عن الافتتاح الرسمي لمركز خدمة وصيانة نيسان في مدينة العين، والذي أعيد تجديده حديثاً بالكامل.
وافتتح مركز الخدمة والصيانة الجديد بحضور خليفة عبدالله المسعود، عضو مجلس إدارة “مجموعة المسعود” وعرفان تانسل، الرئيس التنفيذي لشركة “المسعود للسيارات”، وتييري صباغ رئيس “نيسان العربية السعودية” والمدير التنفيذي في “نيسان الشرق الأوسط”، وعدد من المدراء التنفيذيين من “نيسان الشرق الأوسط” و”المسعود للسيارات”
EXPO 2020 Dubai has proven to be a platform for unique minds from all over the world to come together and engage in pro-active discussions on how to re-imagine the world. Since October 2021, Nissan, through its ‘Let’s Move’ campaign, has demonstrated the fast strides it is taking in the direction of a net-zero future and green mobility.