André Borschberg
Encyclopedia
An engineer by education and a graduate of the MIT Sloan School of Management
, André Borschberg has solid experience in creating and managing companies. His passion for aviation
and his interest in innovative solutions have led him to team up with Bertrand Piccard
as CEO
of the adventure to fly right round the world
in a solar
aircraft (Solar Impulse
)
. He first joined McKinsey & Company
, one of the world’s leading business consultancies, as a consultant for 5 years, before starting his own entrepreneurial activities.
His strong points are business organization, management and development. From finance to marketing, from engineering to human resources, André Borschberg has acquired solid experience as an entrepreneur, manager and consultant for over 20 years. He went initially into partnership with a venture capital company, Lowe Finance. His vast range of professional skills, his versatility and his perseverance enabled him to successfully launch two start-ups in the Internet and new technologies field. With a technical team from EPFL, he co-founded Innovative Silicon, a technology company in the field of microprocessor memories.
with Bertrand Piccard, André Borschberg brings the essential skills of an entrepreneur who contributes to convert vision into reality. As the CEO, he has put together and motivated a team of 65 top specialists and numerous partners, all from very diverse horizons and origins. “This diversity we have sought at every level stimulates their creativity and gives them their strength. It is from this pooling of experiences that original and totally-new solutions arise.”
- European Solar Flights: Solar Impulse HB-SIA, piloted by André Borschberg, completed three international flights during the European campaign: Payerne to Brussels on 13 May (630km), Brussels to Paris-Le Bourget on 14 June (395km) and Paris-Le Bourget to Payerne on 3 July (426 km). With a round the world flight scheduled for 2014, these flights have provided good learning opportunities in terms of slotting the solar aircraft into international air space and landing at international airports.
MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in Cambridge, Massachusetts....
, André Borschberg has solid experience in creating and managing companies. His passion for aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
and his interest in innovative solutions have led him to team up with Bertrand Piccard
Bertrand Piccard
Bertrand Piccard is a Swiss psychiatrist and balloonist.Born in Lausanne, Vaud canton, Bertrand Piccard, along with Brian Jones, was the first to complete a non-stop balloon flight around the globe...
as CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
of the adventure to fly right round the world
Circumnavigation
Circumnavigation – literally, "navigation of a circumference" – refers to travelling all the way around an island, a continent, or the entire planet Earth.- Global circumnavigation :...
in a solar
Solar power
Solar energy, radiant light and heat from the sun, has been harnessed by humans since ancient times using a range of ever-evolving technologies. Solar radiation, along with secondary solar-powered resources such as wind and wave power, hydroelectricity and biomass, account for most of the available...
aircraft (Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse
Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range solar powered plane project being undertaken at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg. The project eventually hopes to succeed in the first circling of the earth with a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar...
)
Pilot career
Fascinated by aviation from his earliest youth, André Borschberg trained as a pilot in the Swiss air force, flying first Venoms and then Hunters and Tigers for over 20 years. Today he holds both professional airplane and helicopter pilots’ licences and also does aerobatics in his spare time.Engineer and management career
After graduating from the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in mechanics and thermodynamics, André Borschberg has constantly developed and led numerous technology projects, companies and start-ups, as both investor and entrepreneur. He very quickly supplemented his training with a Master's in Management Science from the Sloan School, MIT Boston, preceded by certificates in financial management and business management at HEC LausanneHEC Lausanne
HEC Lausanne , also called the Faculty of Business and Economics of the University of Lausanne in English, is the affiliated business school of the University of Lausanne...
. He first joined McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company
McKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
, one of the world’s leading business consultancies, as a consultant for 5 years, before starting his own entrepreneurial activities.
His strong points are business organization, management and development. From finance to marketing, from engineering to human resources, André Borschberg has acquired solid experience as an entrepreneur, manager and consultant for over 20 years. He went initially into partnership with a venture capital company, Lowe Finance. His vast range of professional skills, his versatility and his perseverance enabled him to successfully launch two start-ups in the Internet and new technologies field. With a technical team from EPFL, he co-founded Innovative Silicon, a technology company in the field of microprocessor memories.
Management and Entrepreneurship
At the head of the project Solar ImpulseSolar Impulse
Solar Impulse is a Swiss long-range solar powered plane project being undertaken at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, by Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg. The project eventually hopes to succeed in the first circling of the earth with a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar...
with Bertrand Piccard, André Borschberg brings the essential skills of an entrepreneur who contributes to convert vision into reality. As the CEO, he has put together and motivated a team of 65 top specialists and numerous partners, all from very diverse horizons and origins. “This diversity we have sought at every level stimulates their creativity and gives them their strength. It is from this pooling of experiences that original and totally-new solutions arise.”
Engineering
As a mechanical engineer and pilot, he is directing the construction of the aircraft and the preparation of the flight missions. “We need to find a way to build an aircraft that is super-robust and super-light at the same time, and above all extremely efficient with energy consumption, so as to need only minuscule amounts of energy in order to fly. But with the same degree of resistance as a normal airplane. Hence the great complexity of the project, which gives the true measure of its philosophy and its objectives.”HB-SIA Missions
- Solar Night Flight:on July 7th 2010 André Borschberg has, for the first time in history, flown 26 hours with the Solar Impulse airplane, demonstrating at the same time the possibilities to fly day and night with only solar energy to propel the airplane.- European Solar Flights: Solar Impulse HB-SIA, piloted by André Borschberg, completed three international flights during the European campaign: Payerne to Brussels on 13 May (630km), Brussels to Paris-Le Bourget on 14 June (395km) and Paris-Le Bourget to Payerne on 3 July (426 km). With a round the world flight scheduled for 2014, these flights have provided good learning opportunities in terms of slotting the solar aircraft into international air space and landing at international airports.