CEO MONTHLY / ISSUE 11 2024 15 UAV LATAM , Advanced Drone Solutions Across Latin America Striving to provide nothing less than best-in-class drone and anti-drone services and solutions throughout Latin America, UAV Latam is a business built on the cornerstones of safety, efficiency, and an unrelenting drive to operate at the forefront of this market. By embracing change, intelligently navigating risks, prioritising partnerships, and nurturing an inclusive environment, this company is a beacon of trust in this setting – something that starts with its CEO, Juan Bergelund, who has been recognised as the Drone Technology CEO of the Year 2024 - Latin America. In the ever-evolving drone industry, UAV Latam distinguishes itself through its offering of bespoke and technology-driven solutions across the likes of the energy, telecommunications, and security sectors, as a Drone As A Service business model. All of the company’s drone services are scalable and professional in equal measure, and they benefit from a network of skilled operators at the helm, overseen by Juan Bergelund, who has been in this leading role for close to 3 years, as well as the owner of his former company, UAV del Perú, for more than 10 years. As a former immigrant, Juan’s life has been defined by resilience, adaptability, and a keenness to thrive in new and challenging environments. For Juan, a strong mindset only goes so far, and hard work, continuous learning, maximising opportunities, and a discernible attitude – combined with remaining grateful and optimistic about life, are equally important in laying the foundations for lasting success. Throughout his career, Juan has leveraged these qualities and an enthusiasm for technology, especially new technology, to get ahead. Graduating from the Peruvian Navy Academy with a major in nuclear engineering, it was after a more than 15-year stint in the Navy that Juan caught the entrepreneurial bug, and this career change resulted in him entering the telecommunications sector, focusing particularly on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) in the very early days of this development. For his next challenge, Juan turned to establishing several new businesses across this region, one of which was UAV del Perú, which would eventually lead him to UAV Latam. Since UAV Latam today operates in nine countries across Latin America, Juan’s duties as CEO revolve around him being an effective leader across a number of diverse cultural and economic market landscapes. By thinking globally and operating locally, the team under Juan uphold the company’s customer-first approach, one that encompasses agility in decision making and clear and consistent communication across the board. The result is that UAV Latam today partners with such clients as Repsol, Panama Canal Authority , Cosco Shipping Ports Chancay and World Food Programme. “I strive to exemplify leadership that drives both organisational success and personal excellence”, says Juan. “This requires a visionary approach that not only inspires but also cultivates a motivated team focused on talent development, mentorship, and team cohesion.” Having nurtured such a strong team, Juan is able to delegate responsibilities as he works towards achieving the company’s financial, operational, and strategic goals. This stems from a piece of advice Juan once received from his business mentor, Jack Welch, who told him to: “Entrust responsibilities to people better than yourself.” Like with all great leaders, the greatest lessons that Juan has been taught over the years have stemmed from the mistakes that he has made. It is inevitable that the occasional foot will be put wrong when traversing a developing landscape and growing a business, and what matters is taking responsibility and moving forwards with the information that has now been learnt. This reflects a commitment to growth, and growing UAV Latam is something Juan remains entirely passionate about as we move into 2025. As for what the coming year has in store for UAV Latam, Juan explains that the plan is to create an efficient ecosystem for using drones as a digital platform, something that will allow the company to become the “Uber of drones”, as he puts it, with a focus on the defence and security markets, as well as control center and aerial surveillance. On the back of this, UAV Latam is currently seeking series A funding to scale its drones-as-a-service platform, accelerating its growth and allowing for expansion into new markets, mainly on the Defence and Security , Business Analytics and Drone Cargo sectors. In closing, Juan tells us: “Our goal continues to be to become the largest drone security provider in Latin America while maintaining innovation and operational excellence.” With his loving family on his side, including a wife of 40 years, two children, and a granddaughter, this CEO is continuing to pioneer, even after a more than 40-year career, making Juan Bergelund more than worthy of inclusion in the CEO of the Year Awards 2024. Contact: Juan Bergelund Company: UAV Latam Web Address: https://uavlatam.com/ Sep24348
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