College Values // RESPECT
Building an Ethical Career: Alumni Spotlight on Santiago Saltos
Ethical behavior and safety are non-negotiable aspects of aviation. They influence everything we do. Given the demanding and volatile nature of this industry, upholding these values — and the respect embedded within them — is crucial for success in this field. My name is Santiago Saltos. I’m the Regional Safety Director for Latin America and the Caribbean within Airbus. Over my more than 20-year career, I have been fortunate to work with incredible mentors. These mentors played a vital role in guiding me both professionally and personally. Born into aviation, my father was my first mentor and the person who introduced me to ethical business practices. His company, Icaro, started as a flight school in 1971 and became the second-largest airline in Ecuador by 2007, where I was born and raised. My first job was washing planes. As I grew alongside Icaro, I gained experience in different fields, from maintenance, to procurement, marketing, logistics, flight operations and more. Interacting with staff from various backgrounds — listening to their stories and hearing their dreams, goals and challenges — allowed me to learn from their diverse perspectives and instilled a humble mindset, which became one of my core values. This combination of respect, ethics and humility was crucial in my early years as I navigated the aviation industry, from flight school (with my older brother as my instructor) to learning the day-to-day challenges of airline operations as a ticket agent.
Santiago Saltos B.S. Business Administration in Airline Management, ’05
Santiago Saltos is the Regional Safety Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at Airbus. Saltos assists with and coordinates safety initiatives that impact Airbus customers, and he collaborates with industry stakeholders to improve the safety record of the region. Saltos is an active member of the ICAO Regional Aviation Safety Group — Pan America, where he is currently the co-chairman for the Regional Aviation Safety Team. Saltos comes from a family of aviators. He holds a private pilot certificate, a Bachelor’s in Business Administration focused on Airline Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Master’s in Travel and Tourism from Florida International University.
14 | Worldwide College of Business
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