Who is Tufan Erginbilgic, who took the helm of Rolls Royce?

British engineering giant Rolls-Royce announced that Tufan Erginbilgic has been appointed as the CEO of Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc.

Tufan Erginbilgic graduated from Istanbul Technical University, Department of Management Engineering in 1982, one of the best engineering universities in Turkey. He then completed his MBA program at Boğaziçi University in 1986 and his master's degree in Economics at Ohio State University in 1989, respectively.

After serving as BP Europe Head of Retail Operations, he served as the World Head of Lubricants Division at BP. During this tenure, he quadrupled BP's profits and became the industry leader. Erginbilgiç has managerial duties in different business lines of BP. Appointed as Executive Vice President of Global Operations in 2009, Erginbilgic served as the General Manager (CEO) of the BP Downstream business, which includes the global fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals areas between 2014 and 2020.

He served as a member of the Board of Directors of GKN plc as a non-executive member between 2011-2018. Tufan Erginbilgic, who joined Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) in 2020 as a partner, continues his work focused on the energy sector and global operations based in London.

Tufan Erginbilgiç is a member of the Board of Directors of DCC plc, a member of the FTSE 100, and CNH Industrial, listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Tufan Erginbilgic has been on the University of Surrey Strategic Advisory Board since May 2017. Tufan Erginbilgiç has been serving as an Independent Member of the Board of Directors of Tüpraş since 31 March 2021.

Tufan Erginbilgic comes from a family from Kilis, which is one of Turkey's 81 provinces and is located close to the Syrian border. The famous journalist in Turkey, Hıncal Uluç, is the son of Erginbilgiç's uncle.

BECOME THE CEO OF ROLLS-ROYCE

Tufan Erginbilgic will be the CEO of Rolls Royce as a Turkish executive. In the statement made by the company, it was stated that Tufan Erginbilgic will start his new duty as of January 1, 2023.

Erginbilgic will take up his new position on January 1, 2023, replacing Warren East, who announced on February 24, 2022 that he will resign at the end of this year.

Although Rolls Royce was first heard as a luxury car manufacturer, it is one of the leading engineering companies in the production of aircraft engines since the 1st World War and jet engine since the Cold War.

Rolls Royce, which has its signature on the engines of Eurofigter Typhoon and F-35 warplanes, will be a partner in developing the jet engine of Turkey's national 5th generation warplane project, the National Combat Aircraft (MMU).