WAYPOINTS
Engineer. Executive. Founder. The waypoints in between.
A diplomat's son who grew up across the Middle East, Asia and Canada. Managing Director at 29. Flight controls leader in Japan. Collapsed business in Australia. Now building an aerospace company with wife Hazan Günay from Turkey, Germany, Japan and Canada.
Co-founder, HSB Solutions
Ready to build leverage?
#Waypoints
Inflection points and moments that set the course of my life and career. Written with lessons that I took away from each experience.
No. 1 The exam
No. 2 Kuwait, 1990. The invasion.
No. 3 Iraq, 1991. The road out, and what the taxi driver knew.
No. 4 Malaysia, 1991 to 1994. Mrs Jairam, and the reading habit that changed me.
No. 5 Japan, 1994. Closing a circle.
No. 6 Sri Lanka. Left behind.
No. 7 2001. One day that set a course.
No. 8 Winnipeg. First job, first annual review.
No. 9 Montreal. The job nobody wanted, and what I made of it.
No. 10 Montreal, 2004 to 2008. The growth years.
About Me
An engineer who learned what really drives businesses
I am an engineer, entrepreneur, and in general, a builder at heart.
Over the last two decades, I have worked across aerospace engineering and technology in Canada, Japan, Germany, and Türkiye, leading teams and delivering complex programs in highly regulated, high-stakes environments.
Early in my career, I was trusted with senior leadership responsibilities. At 29, I was appointed Managing Director of a Canadian aerospace business, where I helped scale the company to 4x revenue and 10x profit, ultimately contributing to acquisitions by top-tier industry players.
But the most important lesson did not come from titles or exits. It came from learning how businesses actually grow. How trust is built. How decisions are influenced. How value is communicated.
Together with my wife Hazan Günay, I co-founded HSB Solutions, growing it from zero to a multi-country operation.
My work sits at the intersection of engineering, entrepreneurship, and strategy. I write about the part of the industry engineers rarely get to see: how decisions are really made, how value is communicated, and where the opportunities sit.
Executive to Entrepreneur
Moved from senior leadership roles into building and owning global engineering businesses.
Proven Scale
Scaled businesses from early-stage to multi-country operations, driving revenue growth and profitability.
Global Builder
Built and led engineering teams and operations across Canada, Japan, Germany, and Türkiye.
Engineer Advocate
Helping engineers turn expertise into influence, ownership, and long-term leverage.
My Companies
Building global businesses that leverage engineering expertise
"Engineering the Future of Flight"
HSB is an aerospace engineering solutions provider delivering world-class expertise across the most complex and critical disciplines of aircraft development.
25+
Years in Aerospace
$100M+
in Sales
4
Countries
Ventures I am involved in.
Companies I have built, and founders and causes I back
"Engineering the Future of Flight"
Aerospace engineering services from Turkey, Germany, Japan and Canada. Co-founded in 2022.
"Engineering the Connected World"
Udara Kumarasena's IoT engineering company in Sri Lanka. Advisor since 2023.
L.G. Silva Foundation
Honoring my late father by giving underprivileged children better opportunities.
"Coaching the Chief Executive"
CEO coach to Thomas Gierlich, CEO of Nomad Technics in Basel. Since 2026.
Udaya Silva
Inquiries: speaking, podcasts or a conversation. udaya.silva@hsb-solutions.com
© 2026 Udaya Silva. All rights reserved.
IN PROGRESS
Engineering the Sale
by Udaya Silva, Keith Meredith
The Book
Engineering the Sale
Engineers aren’t bad at sales. They were never taught how to leverage what they already have.
I am writing this book to explore the invisible skill engineers were never encouraged to develop. Not selling as persuasion or manipulation, but selling as a natural extension of how engineers already think, solve problems, and create value.
This book is built on real experiences. From working with engineers across industries, watching brilliant ideas struggle for attention, and seeing careers stall not because of a lack of ability, but because of a lack of language, visibility, and confidence.
A reframing of sales through an engineer’s lens
Stories from real engineers
Practical frameworks to turn expertise into leverage