Sonaca takes flight

Originally from Wallonia, Belgian at heart and international by conviction, Yves Delatte embodies a new generation of industry leaders, who combine technical precision with a long-term vision and human-centric values. 

After working at Glaverbel Building and McKinsey & Company, Yves Delatte joined Sonaca in 2012. Having trained as a civil engineer, he climbed the ranks and in 2021, aged 40, he took over as head of the company. This passing of the torch from Delvaux to Delatte took place at a time of great change, in the uncertainty of a post-Covid world. But Delatte’s ambition is clear to all: “to make Sonaca an innovative and resilient player on the global scene.” His sights are set on aeronautics, defence, space… and sustainability. “Now isn’t the time to keep a low profile. Valuing sustainability may seem counterintuitive, given the pollution emitted by the aviation sector. But we aim to be leaders in the field. We won’t change the world alone, but we can take responsibility and be pro-active in decarbonisation within aviation.” Yves Delatte’s approach relies on having both a clear strategy and trust in the people around him. He provides perspective, takes responsibility for his choices, and gets people on board. “Everyone rolled up their sleeves!” he says, with pride in his workforce. Today, Sonaca is back to making profits, and has just seen its second-best year ever. 

A discreet visionary, Yves Delatte has established a culture of high standards, responsibility, self-reflection and, most of all, a search for meaning. “We’re about to reach the strategic vision we created in 2021: becoming the 3rd largest player globally, achieving €1 billion in turnover, and diversifying.” It is this dynamic that has made Sonaca a key player worldwide. “In Wallonia, we have great companies and institutions, as well as solid training programmes. It’s also important to give back to the ecosystem which has given me so much,” he says. Delatte is also the president of two Walloon federations in the sector, both of which are under GIWAS, the Walloon grouping of the aeronautics and space industries. Their end goal is to attract young people to the sector. https://www.sonaca.com/ 

Sonaca Today 

• Sustainability: designing 3 innovative and high-performance wings to help reduce aircraft fuel consumption. 

• Diversification: landmark projects, notably for the defence sector. 

• International expertise: the recent acquisition of 51% of Spanish group Aciturri will enable us to become the world leader in designing the aircraft of tomorrow. 

WAB Magazine