Mehmet Tenekeci
Engineering leader operating at Director scope — big tech, RegTech, and enterprise platforms.
Build · Scale · Productize
Three distinct chapters across the AI value chain — from building models to scaling infrastructure to shipping regulated products.
Build
Led teams that built novel AI models for CT-scan anomaly detection adopted by 30+ hospitals, and production quantum-computing routing for 2,200+ trucks/day — at Koç Holding, Turkey's largest conglomerate.
Scale
Invented the GPU-protection layer Gemini depends on at Google. Grew the share of internal traffic managed by the team's platform from 21% → 46% across a ~20-month tenure.
Productize
Lead the engineering organization shipping AI-powered fraud detection and name screening into regulated banking software used by 1,500+ global financial institutions at IMTF.
Three Companies. One Through-Line.
Engineering leader operating at Director scope across big tech, RegTech, and enterprise platforms. I currently lead the engineering organization behind IMTF's AML / KYC / Embargo / Detect product line — regulated software serving global financial institutions. Previously at Google, I led infrastructure work in the platform powering Google's internal traffic, including the GPU-protection layer Gemini depends on. Earlier, I built and led the Digital Transformation Office at Koç Holding — one of Turkey's largest conglomerates — driving emerging-technology programs across 40+ subsidiaries, including medical-imaging AI and production quantum-computing.
Professional Experience
Engineering Manager
- Lead the build-out of Detect — IMTF's next-generation platform replacing the incumbent Siron One (AML, KYC, Embargo Archive, ACM) across 1,500+ global financial institutions.
- Lead integration of AI-powered fraud-detection and name-screening capabilities (models built by IMTF's AI teams) into the Detect product — end-to-end productization: product integration, regulatory packaging, rollout planning.
- Doubled team agility and drove +30% delivery in the first ~11 months through team restructuring, hiring expansion, infrastructure modernization, and backlog refinement.
- Restructured the inherited engineering organization into sub-teams with Tech Leads across frontend, backend, and internal QA; continued hiring to match the expanding scope of the product line.
- Partner directly with the CTO on the platform-replacement roadmap, AI-productization strategy, and engineering-wide delivery performance.
Engineering Manager
- Grew platform adoption within Google's internal infrastructure from 21% → 46% over the ~20-month tenure — team recognized with a Google Golden Perf Award.
- Invented the GPU-protection layer, extending the platform's existing CPU and memory protection to GPU workloads. Shipped to production; Gemini has depended on it from its early phases through current operation.
- Initiated and led cross-org engineering working groups addressing multi-quarter infrastructure problems that had previously failed — reporting to SVP leadership; collaborated with L8 (Distinguished) engineers.
- Established a metrics framework for measuring supportive engineering work and cross-axis team efficiency across the division.
- Attacked cross-team collaboration as an explicit mandate in a notoriously siloed culture — led multi-team initiatives while contributing hands-on in code alongside management.
Senior Software Development Domain Leader
- Built and led the Digital Transformation Office with 21+ direct reports — the corporate coordination layer guiding digital-transformation programs across 40+ Koç Holding subsidiaries.
- Led the Azure hybrid-cloud transformation corporate-wide, end-to-end from inception to delivery.
- Drove emerging-technology initiatives from research into production: novel AI models for CT-scan anomaly detection adopted by 30+ hospitals; production quantum-computing route optimization for 2,200+ trucks/day; early-GPT PoC integrated into a shipped corporate HR platform.
- Turned around a red-zone project with a 6-month survival mandate — led strategically and contributed hands-on; restored positive trajectory by month 4.
Skills & Proficiencies
A cross-disciplinary toolkit built over 15 years across engineering, leadership, and domain expertise.
01
Leadership
People, culture & strategy
02
Engineering
Technical depth & systems
03
Domain
Industries & problem spaces
Education & Certifications
Academic Education
2012 – 2014
İstanbul Technical University
Master's Degree · Information Technologies
2010 – 2011
Southern States University
MBA · Business Administration & Management
2005 – 2010
Eastern Mediterranean University
Bachelor of Science · Computer Engineering
Certifications
EF SET English Certificate 84/100 (C2 Proficient)
EF SET
Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)
Scrum.org
Machine Learning
Coursera
Koç Dialogues Development Program
KoçSistem
Get in Touch
Open to conversations about engineering leadership, strategic opportunities, and interesting problems.
Contact Details
I generally respond within 24 hours. Whether you're recruiting, collaborating, or just curious — I'd love to hear from you.