FNSS appoints Selim Baybaş as CEO and board member

Selim Baybaş has been appointed as CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of FNSS Savunma Sistemleri as of 1 January 2026, the company announced a few days later.

He succeeds Kadir Nail Kurt, who stepped down on 1 January after 18 years of leadership at the company.

Baybaş brings more than 27 years of senior executive experience to leading FNSS, having held strategic roles at DaimlerChrysler, Sabancı Holding, İnci Holding, Doğan Holding and Nurol Holding (which owns FNSS). 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,” said Çarmıklı. “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.”