Biography

Érika Souza de Melo is a Professor at the School of Management at the Université de Sherbrooke, where she teaches and conducts research at the intersection of project management, complex product development, and sustainability.

 

She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, as well as an MBA and a DBA in Project Management. Her research interests include engineering change management and the mechanisms that enable the integration of sustainability and ESG criteria into complex technological projects.

Professionally, she has worked within leading organizations such as Airbus Helicopters, Bombardier Aviation, Embraer, and Delphi Automotive Systems, contributing to the design and development of large-scale technological products with international reach.

 

Conference Description

This conference examines the development of Eve Air Mobility’s electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) vehicle—a subsidiary of Embraer—as an emblematic case study of sustainable management applied to a highly complex technological project.

 

Scheduled for launch in 2026, this 100% electric air taxi represents a major transformation in urban mobility, integrating emissions reduction, responsible innovation, and collaborative business models. With more than 8,000 aircraft delivered, Embraer is leveraging Eve to orient part of its strategy toward electrification, circular economy principles, and societal value creation.

 

Mobilizing a diverse ecosystem of stakeholders—including municipalities, regulators, operators, suppliers, and citizens—this project highlights the governance and coordination challenges inherent in complex ecosystems. Drawing on qualitative documentary analysis combined with a case study approach, this conference demonstrates how a traditional aerospace company can create sustainable value by applying the Triple Bottom Line framework: profit, planet, and people.

 

Objectives

By the end of this conference, participants will be able to:

• Understand how sustainability can be operationalized in a complex project through coherent strategic decision-making

• Recognize the role of systems thinking in managing a disruptive product such as an eVTOL

• Analyze how a long-term vision and expanded governance provide practical levers to integrate ESG criteria into development cycles

• Draw inspiration from a real-world case to adapt sustainable practices to their own organizational contexts