São José dos Campos – Brazil, March 15, 2024 – 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.

Photo: Embraer DAM (bynder.com)

Biography

Luís Carlos Affonso has been Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technological Development at Embraer since July 2020, reporting to the Company's President and CEO. Additionally, since May 2022, he has served as President of the Board of Directors of EVE Air Mobility, a company dedicated to Urban Air Mobility.

After holding several positions of increasing responsibility, Luís Carlos Affonso was appointed in 1995 as Engineering Director and Chief Engineer at Embraer and was responsible for the development and certification of the ERJ-145 family of regional jets, which entered service in 1996, allowing Embraer to recover after the privatization that occurred two years earlier.

From 1999 onwards, Affonso led the development of the Embraer 170/190 family, the E-Jets E1, from launch until entry into service in 2004. These aircraft became one of the greatest successes in the history of global commercial aviation, positioning Embraer as a leading company in this market segment.

Between 2005 and 2011, Affonso was the first President & CEO of the newly established executive aviation business unit, launching the Phenom and Praetors jet families and structuring all functions of the new unit. He later took over as Vice President of Operations and COO of Commercial Aviation until 2017, when he led the development and launch of the E-Jets E2s until their entry into service. He was later also responsible for the areas of Corporate Strategy, Innovation and Digital Transformation, collaborating with the launch of EVE, a company dedicated to urban air mobility.

Affonso graduated in aeronautical engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) and obtained an MBA from Fundação Instituto de Administração (FIA), in connection with the University of São Paulo (USP) and completed executive programs in management and strategy at the University of Michigan Business School and MIT Sloan School of Management.

A four-time Brazilian gliding champion, Affonso is an experienced glider pilot. He also has a commercial pilot's license with multi-engine and IFR qualification and is qualified to fly the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 business jets and the E-Jets.

About Embraer

Embraer is a global aerospace company headquartered in Brazil. It manufactures aircraft for Commercial and Executive aviation, Defense & Security, and Agricultural customers. The company also provides after-sales services & support through a worldwide network of wholly owned entities and authorized agents.

Since it was founded in 1969, Embraer has delivered more than 8,000 aircraft. On average, about every 10 seconds an aircraft manufactured by Embraer takes off somewhere in the world, transporting over 145 million passengers a year.

Embraer is the leading manufacturer of commercial jets up to 150 seats and is the main exporter of high value-added goods in Brazil. The company maintains industrial units, offices, service and parts distribution centers across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.