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Inside the Customer Support Team
If you ask André Luis Vieira de Sousa where he’d like to be, and at what time, he’ll probably answer, “at the beach, at sunset.” He views it as a good place to de-compress after a busy day and to develop ideas and ways to accomplish future goals. It’s also a pretty good answer when your newest professional assignment includes the largest ocean in the world! Since May, André has been Director of Customer Support and Services — Executive Jets for Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. He heads a team that is, in his words, “dedicated to support and serve Embraer’s growing list of Asia Pacific based executive jet customers through effective and value-added solutions, building strong and close relationships, and aimed at growing both their loyalty and Embraer’s profitability” in the region.
Since replacing André de Castilho Silva, who assumed the role of Director of Customer Support for Latin America,
André Sousa has been working hard at demonstrating Embraer’s “strong customer care attitude” to the Embraer Executive Jet customer base that has already seen significant growth since he first arrived in the region three years ago as Manager of Training Service. That assignment helped him get to know both the customers and his Embraer colleagues since he was responsible for developing the business plan, setting up and operating the first Embraer International Customer Training Center. “I had the opportunity to identify and develop strategic alliances with a variety of companies to support our company operation and expand its business base and, in that training role, I was also part of the team that defined and implemented the process, policies and strategies we used for improving customer satisfaction throughout the Asia Pacific region. It was a position that really helped prepare me for my current post,” he noted.
A native of São José do Campos, André Sousa holds an undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from the University of São Paulo State - UNESP in Guaratinguetá and an advanced degree in Project Management from the University of São Paulo - USP. He joined Embraer in 2000, working as a Planning and Control Analyst in the company’s defense market segment before moving to the Commercial Jets Training department in 2005 as contract administrator and later on as Business Development Coordinator, where he was responsible to support the creation of the strategy and network for E-Jets training. From there he moved to Singapore in 2007.
In his new role, besides overseeing Customer Support for Embraer’s growing family of executive jets in the region, his responsibilities include managing the region’s Customer Support organization, field support, warranty administration, and oversight of Asia Pacific’s authorized service center network, as well as developing sales of special programs. Still, he does his best to find time for his other interests, too-- participating in triathlons, mountain biking, capoeira and surfing—activities that keep him physically and mentally sharp and, coincidentally, don’t lead too far from the beach, either.
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