Studio

Ben Willshire is the founder and Managing Director of Driven International.

With 18 years of international design experience on major sports construction projects, Ben’s core strengths lie in client liaison, business modelling and setting initial design concepts for the Driven team to implement from concept to operation.

Over his professional career, he has held roles as designer, manager, consultant and company director at privately owned companies and public sector research establishments, exposing him to a variety of projects internationally and working in over 50 countries. Ben’s focus at Driven is setting and implementing the strategic direction of the company and aiming to ensure our clients continue to receive a personable service with unique design ideas.

He graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a BSc (Hons) Motorsport Technology and Management degree, and has since gone on to build his career in the niche industry of developing motorsport venues around the globe, eventually leading to founding Driven International in 2015 and since growing to become an award-winning, innovative and experienced team.

Ben has lead various international motorsport and leisure development projects over his career with one of his proudest achievements being leading the redesign of Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi which has been used for Formula 1 since 2021. Alongside this, he also lists the design of Mandalika International Street Circuit in Indonesia and the re-engineering of Buddh International Circuit as key moments, both going onto host successful MotoGP events, the former hosting the inaugural Indian Grand Prix.

Other smaller projects that sit pride of place in his career include local sports planning, redevelopments and sustainability projects around the United Kingdom.

Away from his desk, Ben is a keen racing driver and sports enthusiast. He won 4 national super kart titles from 2011-2012, and today continues to enjoy racing in the BMW 116 Trophy with DTO Motorsport. When not working or racing, he will be spending time with his family or finding new places to travel to and experience.

Alan brings over 30 years of international business experience to the Driven team​.

After building and operating successful IT and property businesses across his career, Alan advises the Driven team on the strategic growth of the business, implementing sound commercial structures and providing access to new markets through his extensive business contacts.

Scot Elkins brings a wide range of expertise to Driven, with over 25 years of experience in the motorsport and automotive industries.

​He is currently the Race Director of the FIA Formula E Championship and Extreme E Championship, and has previously served as the Deputy Race Director of the FIA Formula 1, 2 and 3 Championships, and as Race Director for the DTM Championship. Scot is also an FIA Platinum Grade Circuit Inspector.

Scot provides operational, engineering, safety and logistical support with a wealth of experience from across his career, and as Driven’s USA Representative he plays a key role in helping us expand our reach across North America. He graduated from Indiana State University with a degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology and now lives in Los Angeles.

Previously, Scot was Vice President of Competition for IMSA, where he directed and managed the competitive and technical facets of the merger between Grand-Am Road Racing and American Le Mans Series. Before his career at IMSA, he was Technical Director for the Champ Car World Series, where he oversaw the introduction and design of the Panoz DP-01, the new chassis for the 2007 season. He has also worked as a race engineer in NASCAR, IndyCar, the Atlantic Championship Series, SCCA, the Skip Barber Race Series, and with UK-based Cosworth Electronics.

Previously, Scot served as IMSA Vice President of Competition, Champ Car Technical Director, and worked as a race engineer in NASCAR, IndyCar, ASC, SCCA, and the Skip Barber Race Series. He is also the COO of the Motorsport Safety Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving safety standards in motorsport.

With over 25 years experience in events management, brand marketing and public relations, Baba-Jallah Epega brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to Driven, serving as our Africa Representative.

Baba attended the Queen Mary University in London, studying Economics (Mathematics and Statistics) and Spanish, and went onto work as a mathematician and banker at Bloomberg TV and Barclays Capital.

Drawing on the skills he acquired during his time there, Baba founded EMC3 in 2000, providing expertise in areas including client entertainment concierge packages, the booking and co-ordination of corporate functions, brand marketing, events and experiences. Their London head office is supported by partner offices in Africa, the Middle East, mainland Europe and the United States.

Baba’s experience, expertise and creativity brings a unique perspective to Driven’s process, using a detailed approach to realise bespoke answers that cater to the particular needs of each project.

With his wide-ranging experience in motorsport, Karun Chandhok is integral to the design of our new projects, serving as our Race Driver Consultant.

​He has driven an array of cars on nearly 100 of the world’s most famous race tracks, and with that he provides a unique perspective on the creation of new race tracks, upgrades to existing tracks, as well as automotive driving centres.

His experience of working as an advisor to the Buddh International Circuit on the operations of the F1 Indian Grand Prix, working at the Silverstone Race School and being an advisor to the Madras Motor Race Track is particularly useful when looking at the masterplan layout and operational models for new circuits.

Karun is part of an exclusive club of only two Indian Formula 1 drivers, having raced for Hispania and Lotus in 2010 and 2011 respectively. He has been a member of the FIA Drivers’ Commission since 2013, sitting alongside racing legends including Nigel Mansell, Emerson Fittipaldi and Tom Kristensen, representing the views and rights of drivers around the world.

During his time racing in the FIA Formula E Championship, he was also elected by the other drivers as the Driver Representative to work with the Formula E and FIA authorities on a wide variety of subjects including safety, promotional activities, sporting regulations and its future structure.

Karun is a familiar face to motorsport fans, working as a Formula 1 expert analyst and commentator for Sky Sports, and previously for the BBC and Channel 4. He has also appeared on an array of other motoring programs and continues to indulge in his passion for historic machinery by serving as Williams’ Heritage Driver and participating in events such as Goodwood Revival and Festival of Speed.

He also conducts an annual charity event, ‘Karun’s Karting Carnival’ in the UK to raise funds for the education of underprivileged children in India through his family run Vishnu Devananda Charitable Trust.

Gary brings a range of expertise to his role as Commercial Manager, from 40+ years working in the motorsport and automotive industries.

He has worked at a number of race tracks across his career, including Silverstone Circuit in the United Kingdom as Track Operations Manager, and Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi as Circuit Manager during its initial opening. More recently, Gary has worked in Saudi Arabia as Senior Manager of Automotive and Motorsports Safety and Risk, developing circuit operations and safety plans for an upcoming FIA Grade 1 circuit to be used for Formula 1.

Gary has a proven track record of managing, motivating, and supporting staff to build and maintain successful teams, with a talent for strategic planning, managing budgets and making decisions based on careful analysis. He is experienced in improving procedures to enhance operational efficiency and company best practices to ensure continued excellence.

With excellent communication skills, Gary builds and maintains good working relationships with stakeholders, partners, customers, and colleagues across all levels of personnel within a project, listening to their needs and advising them on matters raised in a professional manner, contributing ideas and suggesting ways of improving the smooth running of operations.

Gary is skilled in the pricing and delivery of bespoke products, being able to meet targets by setting and prioritizing tasks and objectives, with a keen eye for forecasting and controlling P&L accounts while identifying areas of new growth. Overall, he is a dedicated, determined and committed to delivering excellence in all situations, promoting a positive and professional attitude in all circumstances.

Graham is a RIBA qualified architect and urban designer, working as our in-house Principal Architect and playing an integral part in the design of our site masterplans.

With a Diploma in Architecture from Oxford Brookes and a Master’s in Urban Design from the University of Westminster, Graham has over 12 years of industry experience working as an architect for top international design firms, such as Broadway Malyan and KSS. In 2016, Graham established himself as an architectural and urban planning consultant to provide high end residential architectural services to a number of private clients in and around London.

After delivering several successful projects, Graham joined Driven in 2017 bringing a skillset that enables us to offer architectural designs and site plans from concept, through detailed design and construction phases. Graham also heads up our virtual reality and augmented reality design work.

Chris is Driven’s Principal Civil Engineer and leads our civil engineering planning and design work.

​He has been working in engineering consultancy since graduating university in 2015 where he obtained a MEng in Civil Engineering. After spending almost 5 years with a large engineering consultancy working across a wide range of sectors, he joined Driven International in 2020 to enhance our multi-disciplinary offerings.

Chris has provided advice on civil engineering projects from concept through to construction and has experience from small highway improvements up to nationally significant infrastructure projects.

He has experience in a wide range of engineering sectors, with his core skills focusing around highways, drainage and earthworks. He also maintains a good working knowledge of industry standard modelling software and standards for use on Driven projects.

Dan is responsible for ensuring that our track designs and layouts meet the required technical and safety standards, using our in-house CAD and track simulation software.

He started his passion for track design and motor racing through online gaming and worked for many years as a freelance graphic designer, before joining Driven in 2017.

Dan is responsible for the design of race tracks and driving courses from concept level through to schematic design as well as assisting the team in the final detailed design phases. He has also taken his online racing into the real world, holding an ARDS License (Association of Race Driver Schools) which allows him to compete in race events and continually expand on his track knowledge, bringing that back to the design team and applying his creative flair on our projects, whilst meeting the requirements of governing bodies such as the FIM, FIM and CIK.

Matt is our Communications Lead, playing a key role in the initial stages of projects in producing design concepts and presentations as well as maintaining Driven’s marketing content.

​He joined the company in 2018 with a degree in BA (Hons) Visual Communication from Arts University Bournemouth, and in his role Matt combines his graphic design prowess with a lifelong passion for motor racing and track design.

Matt’s expertise in editorial design, typography and visual communication sees him working alongside some of our clients to design additional graphics and marketing material for projects, such as bespoke brochures, coffee-table style books and presentations, all produced to an exceptionally high level of attention to detail.

Alongside his project responsibilities, Matt also maintains Driven’s company brand including the website, brochure, video content and social media. He also works closely with the directors in client liaison and business development, frequently attending industry networking events and conferences representing Driven.

Keegan works alongside our engineering team to provide assistance with engineering designs, utilising his background in highways and drainage.

​After graduating in 2018 from Loughborough University with a MEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering, Keegan started his career working for an engineering consultancy, spending 4 years working in a multi-disciplinary team using his core skills in highways, drainage and earthworks to lead residential development projects from concept to construction. In that time he developed his knowledge of national standards and legislation, as well as honing his skills in CAD and 3D modelling software, and in 2022 he joined Driven to enhance our civil engineering offerings.

With his background in architecture and industrial design, and a lifelong passion for motorsports, Sangam joined Driven in 2022 as an Architectural Designer.

​After completing his Masters in 2019 at Coventry University, Sangam moved back to his native India to work as a full-time architect for a new race track project. During this period, Sangam worked alongside an FIA Circuits Commission member where he acquired a breadth of knowledge about race track design and safety, whilst progressing his architectural design and visualisation skills.

Sangam now works at Driven as an Architectural Designer, working alongside our Principal Architect and the visualisation team on concept designs, developing visualisations, sketches, masterplans, FIA track design and schematics.

Joe joined Driven in 2024 and supports the creation of reports, presentations and design documentation for our projects.

He is also passionate about sustainability, and as our Environmental Champion he is responsible for setting goals and actions for our team to actively implement in our strive towards carbon neutrality as a business.