Luís Carlos Affonso

Aviation Week Network's 66th Laureate Awards presented Embraer's Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology Development, Luís Carlos Affonso, with the inaugural Pathfinder Award. The prestigious award recognized his significant contributions to the development of the aerospace industry for more than 41 years. The event is one of the largest annual award ceremonies in the aerospace sector and was held in the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.

"It is a great honor to be chosen for the first Laureate Pathfinder Award. This recognition is a tribute to all Embraer members and the spirit of one team that makes us fly higher. I would like to dedicate this award to my family and to the Embraer collaborators of today and the past, whose competence, creativity and passion to make a difference made all our projects possible," said Affonso, who joined Embraer in 1983 and has led, in different capacities, the launch and development of the company's new commercial and executive aircraft since its privatization in 1994.

"I am extremely proud of the strong culture we have developed at Embraer, which has been inspired by our founders to think big with a lot of empathy for our customers, come up with innovative, differentiated, and safe products, and then have the competence and passion to make it happen. I would like to thank the employees, leaders, customers, and partners that I've had the privilege of working with, as they were very important players in this journey and have enriched my professional and personal experiences."

As Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology Development, Luis Carlos Affonso is part of the team that led the successful turnaround of the company's business in the last few years. He currently leads the development of new technologies that will promote more sustainable aviation in the future, as well as innovative solutions for urban air mobility.