Azorra VP Eliane Cotran: Leadership in Aviation Starts With Self-Awareness
Why It MattersThe remarks reflect a broader push within business aviation to widen mentorship and leadership pipelines for women across manufacturing, certification and aircraft leasing roles.
Eliane "Elly" Cotran, vice president – commercial at aircraft lessor Azorra, argues that effective leadership begins not with confidence-building but with self-awareness — understanding both one's strengths and areas for growth. Drawing on her background as a former health and wellness coach and her career across manufacturing, certification, airline support and aircraft interiors in commercial and business aviation, she says she has repeatedly seen talented women underestimate themselves, not from lack of ability but from waiting until they felt completely ready before taking the next step.
"One of the biggest things that holds us back is ourselves," Cotran said, adding that when women walk into a room where they are in the minority, it is easy to second-guess themselves, though their perspectives bring value and make companies stronger. She encourages women to communicate career aspirations openly, speak up in meetings, volunteer for stretch assignments and pursue opportunities outside their comfort zones, saying growth happens when people challenge themselves rather than waiting to feel perfectly ready.
Her philosophy traces to an early experience in her engineering studies, when she considered leaving the program until her sister, also an engineer, asked her whether she had honestly given it her all. Cotran recommitted, improved her grades and graduated with a degree in Industrial Engineering from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, where she took part in the Aerospace Design and Innovation Program. She says the experience taught her that growth begins with honesty about whether one has fully committed, not a lack of ability.
On mentorship, Cotran says the best mentors help people recognize blind spots and challenge their thinking, and she advises women to build mentoring relationships with both men and women, inside and outside their organizations. For business aviation leaders, she emphasizes creating environments where all contributors feel heard and investing consistently in team development, saying different perspectives and a focus on skills, ideas and character make teams stronger. At Azorra, Cotran focuses on aircraft trading and leasing while helping build the company's business aviation platform.
