Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Taqeef has announced Tuna Gülenc as its new Group Chief Executive Officer in the first change of leadership for the cooling solutions powerhouse in over three decades.  Industry veteran Gülenc succeeds Tariq Al Ghussein who has led the family business since 1994 and successfully transformed it from a single brand distributer to the largest independently owned HVAC Group in the Middle East.  

Announcing the appointment, Ghussein, who will now transition to the role of Chairman, said “Tuna’s rare combination of strategic vision, global leadership, and business transformation execution will shape Taqeef’s future success.  We have ambitious plans for expansion and scale - and his understanding of the competitive, economic and geopolitical landscape is invaluable, giving us insight and exposure into the areas where there is rich territory for future expansion.  He is uniquely equipped to lead us into our next era.” 

Tuna Gülenc comes with over 20 years of experience at Daikin where he held various senior positions, building and scaling major operations in Turkey, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. His visionary leadership and strategic execution can be seen across these global markets where he has led exemplary business transformations and acquisitions, delivering significant growth and value creation.  With an unwavering people focus, his track record in building high performance, multicultural teams is an industry benchmark for excellence, underpinned by the academic rigour of an Executive MBA from INSEAD. 

Tuna Gülenc, Chief Executive Officer of Taqeef, said: “The Taqeef business has been built on a relentless commitment to innovation and excellence, and few companies in the region have a legacy as influential as Taqeef’s.  The opportunity ahead is extraordinary, and I’m energised by the potential to drive growth in this region and beyond.  I’m also privileged to be to be partnering with our chairman, and the talented Taqeef team, to accelerate growth and shape a future that expands our footprint of innovation and service excellence.”

Tariq Al Ghussein, Chairman of Taqeef, stated: “We’re proud to have charted the course of cooling in the Middle East and to have built a legacy that is rooted in the power of transformative technology and innovation.  Passing the leadership to the next generation of executives has been a long-term vision of mine, finally made possible by the extraordinary expertise that Tuna brings with him as Taqeef’s new CEO.  He is one of our industry’s sharpest minds, with the strategic insight and operational excellence to scale our business to new heights.  We’re thrilled to have him on board.” 

About Taqeef

Since 1972, Taqeef has been innovating to create new possibilities in the most challenging climates by pioneering game-changing HVAC solutions in the region. Partnering with the world’s leading HVAC technologists - Fujitsu General and Midea - Taqeef delivers the most advanced and sustainable AC technology and services for residential and commercial cooling. 

From their origin story as a single source AC supplier formed in Abu Dhabi, Taqeef has evolved into a thought leader in the cooling space, redefining comfort in homes, businesses and communities in UAE, Iraq, Sudan and Morocco. Headquartered in the UAE the company operates across the Middle East with a network of offices, showrooms, warehousing and stockholding facilities, powered by 765 talented team members.

Sustainability sits at the heart of all Taqeef HVAC solutions, and ‘Conscious Cooling’ is the theme that sits behind Taqeef's corporate promise.