Maurizio Cheli has forged a distinguished career in the aviation and aerospace industry, having worked as a test pilot, astronaut and member of the Italian Air Force. Having accumulated an impressive 380+ hours of space activity and 4500+ flying hours, Maurizio has been recognised with several prestigious awards and has passed selection into the Italian Space Agency. Having performed at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget, Maurizio is now booked as a keynote speaker covering topics such as risk and error management, communication and change management.
Best known for his career in space and aviation, Maurizio is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Italian Air Force, a Chief Test Pilot for Alenia Aeronautical and a European Space Agency Astronaut. With an impressive number of space and flying hours to his name, Maurizio has since been awarded the McKenna Trophy, the Hawker Hunter Trophy and the Sir Alan Cobham Award. He has also made headlines as the first Italian Mission Specialist who was on the Space Shuttle Columbia STS-75 Tethered Satellite Mission and for racing Ferrari F1 driver Michael Schumacher in the Eurofighter jet.
Maurizio began his training to become a pilot at the Italian Air Force Academy back in the 1980s. Since then, Maurizio has trained tirelessly to become the pilot and astronaut he is today, having also achieved a degree in Geophysics and a Masters degree in Aerospace Engineering. Upon graduation, Maurizio went on to train with the United States Air Force where he gained recognition and was selected to become a European Space Agency astronaut. Since then Maurizio has been a test pilot for Alenia Aeronautica and made various missions into space.
Outside of flying and journeying into space, Maurizio is also a budding entrepreneur, having worked with and founded CFM Air, Headapp, DigiSky and Space4Mind. Such companies are working to pioneer the sector of aviation and space travel, focussing on aspects such as producing high-quality and high-performance aircraft, researching and producing electronic devices for assisting pilots and vocational training.
With a distinguished career behind him, Maurizio is now booked as a keynote speaker for a range of corporate events. From scaling the heights a test pilot to exploring things out of this world, Maurizio has built a plethora of life experiences which he shares as a speaker. Maurizio has also been the Patron of the Bachelor of Management Programme for the ESCP Business School and was invited to speak at a TEDx event with the speech Collaboration In Space. As a speaker, Maurizio is versatile and covers topics such as passion, collaboration, risk management, authority and leadership. An inspirational figure in the aviation and space sector, Maurizio Cheli is the perfect speaker for a range of events.
