For Dickran Ouzounian, Managing Director of Toyota Cyprus, mountain biking is more than just a hobby. It has become a philosophy for leadership, a tool for resilience and a path to deeper connections, balance and purpose.
From adrenaline-fueled windsurfing to longboarding, tennis, hockey, rugby and even cricket, sport has always had a magnetic pull for Dickran Ouzounian. “You might wonder where I found the time for all this!” he laughs. “I was fortunate to attend public school in the UK and, after a brief and ill-fated attempt at music – I was politely removed from piano class after just two notes – I quickly found myself on the sports fields and never looked back.”
Now Managing Director of Toyota Cyprus, Ouzounian grew up in Engomi, Nicosia in the 1970s, inseparable from his Chopper – wheelies, jumps and all. But life got in the way and the bike was eventually parked, collecting metaphorical dust for nearly four decades. That changed in 2015 when what began as a way to decompress after work – casual rides along the Linear Park – soon reignited something much deeper. “It rekindled a real love for the ride,” he recalls, “and, eventually, for mountain biking.”
As the rides got longer and the terrain rougher, he convinced friends and business peers to join him every Saturday, capping each ride with a hearty breakfast and good conversation. “When we moved to electric mountain bikes (eMTBs), everything changed,” he says. “We could explore remote single tracks, push further into the mountains and do 70-80km in a day.”
From those rides, the Lexus Cyprus Dream Team was born, initially a tongue-in-cheek name for the Saturday crew, which morphed into something much more meaningful. Through annual two-day charity rides, the Dream Team has raised nearly €50,000 for local charities such as Elpida and TELETHON. “What started as a personal escape has evolved into something that brings balance, camaraderie and contribution,” he says.
While the values he developed at Toyota, like Kaizen (continuous improvement), strong teamwork and deep respect form the bedrock of his management style, mountain biking, he says, has given him additional experiences and tools. “On the trail, things rarely go as planned; tough climbs, punctures and moments where you’re tempted to ease off,” he says. “But you push through. Not recklessly but with patience and adaptability. That mindset carries over directly into how I lead teams,” Ouzounia states.
He draws a clear parallel between the two: leadership, like biking, is not about speed: it’s about pacing, resilience and reading the terrain. Tough times call for calmness under pressure and the ability to adjust course while helping the team move forward, even when the path is steep. “And just like on a ride, you don’t leave your teammates behind,” he stresses.
Mountain biking has also become one of his most reliable tools for managing the psychological weight of leadership. In an industry as competitive and fast-moving as automotive, the constant barrage of decisions, deadlines and disruptions can be overwhelming. But out on the trail, the noise fades. “You’re forced into the present moment,” he notes, “focused on the next turn, the trail under your wheels. That immersion isn’t just physical; it’s mental recovery.”
That reset, he explains, is what enables clarity, perspective and sustained performance. It helps him return with a clearer head and make better decisions under pressure – not by escaping responsibility but by recharging his ability to shoulder it.
More than just stress relief, biking has taught Ouzounian the importance of creating a hard boundary between work and life. “In our industry, it’s easy to be consumed by performance, deadlines and nonstop connectivity,” he says. “But biking forces a real disconnect from screens, stress and structure, and a reconnection with nature, my own rhythm and people I enjoy being around and having loads of fun with.”
The physicality of the sport doesn’t just clear his mind – it grounds him. “It reminds me that I’m not just a business leader,” he reflects. “I’m also a person who values health, friendship and freedom. It’s become not just a balance to work but a vital support to it.”
(Original photo by TASPHO)
