Pedro Heilbron Keynote Speaker

Pedro Heilbron is CEO of Copa Holdings and Copa Airlines, which offer service to more than 70 destinations in 31 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean from its Hub of the Americas at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama.

Heilbron joined Copa Airlines in 1988. Under his leadership, Copa established the Hub of the Americas in Panama, the most successful hub in Latin America. One of the leading airlines in Latin America, Copa has received considerable international recognition, including 2016 ranking by FlightStats as the most on-time airline in Latin America for the fourth consecutive year, and No. 2 worldwide by OAG for the second consecutive year. In addition, Copa received the award for “Leading Airline in Mexico and Central America” at the World Travel Awards and earned three Skytrax 2016 awards: “Best Airline in Central America / Caribbean,” “Best Airline Staff Service in Central America / Caribbean,” and “Best Regional Airline in Central America / Caribbean.”

Latin Trade Magazine awarded Heilbron a BRAVO Award for CEO of the Year in November 2006. In July 2009, Heilbron accepted the Airline Business Lifetime Achievement Award from the internationally renowned magazine, Airline Business. He received the Tony Jannus Award from the Tony Jannus Distinguished Aviation Society for “outstanding achievements in the aviation industry” in 2014. Heilbron was elected Chairman of the Star Alliance Chief Executive Board in December 2016.

He currently is a member of the advisory board of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and President of Panama´s National Tourism Council.

He graduated from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., with a bachelor’s degree in economics, and earned an M.B.A. from George Washington University in Washington, D.C.