Q&A with Francisco Zozaya – Aerolíneas Ejecutivas

Francisco Zozaya, Director of Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales, Aerolineas Ejecutivas

How long have you been at your current organization?

I started working for ALE in November 2004, 13 years ago. I was 20 years old and undergoing my 2nd year of Industrial Engineering at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City.

What are your responsibilities within your organization?

I’ve always been on the sales / commercial side of the business. Today I run the Preowned aircraft sales & acquisitions business unit (AlePreowned), overseeing Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, along with our partnership with Jetcraft for that same territory.

Describe a typical day or week in your role.

My favorite part about my role is there’s no typical day or week. One day I might wake up at home, drive to the office and do emails, proposals, calls, staff meetings, etc. The next day I might wake up in Singapore buying a wide body aircraft for a customer, or even a small fleet. Or I might be visiting clients across the territory, doing our famous “Mexican lunch”, which goes from 2:00pm to midnight in the same restaurant.

What do you love most about your job?

It’s definitely the people. Every day I learn something new: from my team, my senior management, our industry colleagues, and of course our clients. There is no doubt we’re dealing with the most interesting and intelligent business people on earth, which makes every call, every email and every meeting a new and exciting challenge.

Why did working in the Business Aviation industry interest you, and how did you get started?

At the very beginning, I never really understood what I was getting into as a young student. I needed a job, and my profile was definitely that of a sales guy. I saw a post at my university for a sales trainee position at ALE, and was very fortunate to get hired. I had never been exposed to business aviation, and when I first heard the price of a new Beechcraft or Hawker (we were the exclusive dealers back then) I thought “Jeez, selling an airplane is going to be challenging”.

Who or what has been your greatest professional influence?

I would definitely narrow it down to 2 people. The first one is my grandfather who taught me how to work hard since I was a kid, from doing house improvements on the weekends, to working every summer since I was about 12 years old. My second mentor would be Alex Alonso, the CEO of Aerolíneas Ejecutivas, who has the great ability to bring out the best you’ve got and push you to your fullest potential.

Describe yourself in 3 words.

Trustworthy, fun, workaholic.

What one item would you never travel without on a long haul flight?

Pajamas & slippers

Finally, what is your hidden talent or hobby?

I love being outdoors. I’m not a pro, but I love mountain biking, hiking, running, and I also enjoy trying new sports or activities like skiing, paragliding, scuba diving, etc.