Selim Baybaş, who has led transformation journeys across multiple sectors including automotive, heavy industry, energy and finance, has been appointed as CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş. as of 1 January 2026, succeeding Kadir Nail Kurt.
Kadir Nail Kurt, who stepped down as of 1 January, has made significant contributions to FNSS and the Turkish defence industry through his 18 years of leadership at the company. Nail Kurt, who began his career at FNSS with the Armoured Combat Vehicles Program in early 90’s. He has achieved many “firsts” during his tenure as CEO. Under his leadership, FNSS pioneered the development and delivery of Türkiye’s first indigenous designed armoured vehicle programs and leading the development and fielding of critical platforms required by the Turkish Armed Forces as well as by friendly and allied nations. Successfully guiding FNSS through its cooperate development, and placing strong emphasis on exports and R&D, Kurt played a key role in positioning FNSS as one of the leading land systems companies in the land defence systems industry, with one of the broadest product portfolios.
Selim Baybaş brings more than 27 years of senior executive experience, having held strategic roles at DaimlerChrysler, Sabancı Holding, İnci Holding, Doğan Holding and Nurol Holding. Most recently, between 2019 and 2025, he served as CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of Nurol Teknoloji, where he led the company’s growth through new investments and strategic partnerships. Under his leadership, Nurol Teknoloji achieved a comprehensive transformation across R&D, innovation, operational efficiency, sales, sustainable profitability and exports, strengthening its position as a leading brand in its field. In 2023, the establishment of Nurol Technology USA and the acquisition of Germany-based ceramic powder manufacturer IndustrieKeramik Hochrhein (IKH) marked a key step in the company’s strategic growth and enabled its vertical integration strategy. During this period, Nurol Teknoloji contributed critical capabilities to the Turkish defence industry by advancing next-generation armour systems based on high-performance ballistic ceramics.
Commenting on the CEO transition at FNSS, Nurol Holding Vice Chairman of the Board Oğuz Çarmıklı underlined the company’s global growth and transformation-oriented management approach: “This change is an integral part of FNSS’s long-term strategy, which focuses on strengthening its global presence, accelerating digital transformation and expanding its product portfolio. Selim Baybaş, who has taken over the leadership at FNSS, has already made significant contributions to our Group’s sustainable growth goals through his strong leadership vision, global experience and transformation-driven management approach, and we believe he will take this contribution even further in his new role. We congratulate him and wish him every success. We also extend our sincere thanks to Nail Kurt, a valued member of the Nurol Holding family for 38 years and the leader of FNSS for 18 years, for his highly valuable contributions.”
Under the leadership of Selim Baybaş, FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.Ş. will continue to grow with a strong focus on advanced technologies, while further enhancing its global competitiveness and strengthening its position in international markets, in line with its deep-rooted history, strong engineering capabilities and innovative vision.
About Selim Baybaş
Born in 1974, Selim Baybaş graduated from the Department of Nuclear Energy Engineering at Hacettepe University and completed his MBA at Bilkent University in 2000. He began his career in the Treasury Department of Finansbank and joined DaimlerChrysler in 2001, where he held managerial roles in After Sales, Dealer Development and Marketing Strategy.
In 2006, he served as Operations and Supply Chain Director at Temsa Global, and in 2008 was appointed Head of International Customer Services at Temsa Europe NV and Country Manager of Temsa Austria GmbH.
Between 2010 and 2015, he served as a Member of the Executive Board at İnci Holding, alongside chairmanships and board memberships across group companies. From 2015 to 2019, he held positions including Chairman of the Board, Vice Chairman, Managing Director and CEO at publicly listed companies Çelik Halat ve Tel San. A.Ş. and Ditaş Doğan Yedek Parça İmalat ve San. A.Ş.
In October 2019, Selim Baybaş was appointed General Manager and Member of the Board of Directors of Nurol Teknoloji and Nurol Solar, and also serves as Managing Director at Germany-based IKH GmbH and US-based Nurol Technology US LLC. Throughout his career, he has pursued a “transformation-driven leadership” approach, expanding global operations and delivering strong financial growth in the organisations he has led.
During his six-year tenure, Nurol Teknoloji met the needs of Turkish security forces and allied countries with fully patented products, making a significant contribution to Türkiye’s defence industry exports. Selim Baybaş handed over his role as General Manager at Nurol Teknoloji in September 2025 and assumed the position of CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of FNSS as of 1 January 2026. He is married to academic executive Gonca Börekçi Baybaş.
