Rail Europe names Ilgün Ilgün as Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Ilgün’s appointment comes at a time when Rail Europe enters a new phase of accelerated growth. Following a successful transformation between 2022 and 2025, which repositioned the company after its independence from SNCF and SBB, Rail Europe is now setting even higher ambitions, with a clear focus on technological leadership, product excellence and stronger corporate visibility across markets.

As CTO, Ilgün will drive the continued evolution of Rail Europe’s platform and digital services, building on the solid foundations established over the past three years. This new chapter strengthens the company’s ambition to be the leading gateway for cross-border and non-domestic rail travel in Europe as well as the most trusted advisor for travellers navigating unfamiliar or complex journeys across the continent. All of it powered by a future-ready tech infrastructure and a strong customer-centric approach.

With more than a decade of international experience leading distributed engineering teams, Ilgün brings strong expertise in scaling platform businesses with a SaaS mindset. At Rail Europe, he will lead the company’s global technology strategy and roadmap, driving the evolution of its API-based, customer-centric platform to support partners worldwide and enable sustained marketplace growth across global markets.

The appointment reflects Rail Europe’s broader ambition to accelerate digital transformation and strengthen its role as a global platform for European rail travel worldwide.

“This is a strategic moment for Rail Europe,” said Björn Bender, CEO of Rail Europe. “Ilgün’s appointment reflects both our long-term technology vision and our strong commitment to internal talent development. Over the past years, we have built a high-performing organization that enables people to grow into leadership roles and Ilgün’s promotion is a clear example of that. His deep knowledge of our platform and culture will be instrumental as we improve our product, architecture and customer experience for the years ahead.”

Ilgün brings a unique profile that combines technical excellence with organizational vision. He has held senior roles at companies including Magnolia and Wallife, and has led large-scale projects in AI, cloud modernization and digital experiences.

“I believe technology should always serve a purpose and that purpose is the customer,” said Ilgün Ilgün, newly appointed CTO of Rail Europe. “I’m excited to lead a tech organization that sees innovation not as an end in itself, but as a way to create value, improve the user experience and support every step of the traveller journey.”

As Rail Europe continues to strengthen its distribution capabilities for non-domestic travellers navigating Europe’s complex rail ecosystem, his work will support the evolution of intuitive booking tools for both B2B partners and consumers unfamiliar with Europe’s multi-operator rail networks.