Enrique Miguel Cueto Plaza was born, raised and educated in Chile.
He graduated from the Catholic University of Chile in 1981 as a commercial engineer. Two years later he entered the airline industry as director of finance and executive vice-president at FastAir, a Chilean-registered international air cargo carrier owned by the Cueto family, which he managed for 10 years.
His family bought a third of LanChile in 1994. FastAir becamea LanChile subsidiary and Cueto became a LanChile director.
A year later he was appointed LanChile's executive vice-president and chief executive officer. He continues to hold both positions.
Early on, Cueto successfully dealt with the firm's takeover of Ladeco, a challenge filed by Iberia, conditions imposed by the anti-monopolies commission and stock deals insulating LanChile from Ladeco's bankruptcy.
He has overseen LanChile's growth, listing overseas, initial public offering, fleet renewal, and alliances with American Airlines and oneworld.
LanChile was restructured in 2001, and Cueto now manages the holding company that oversees all activities. A younger brother heads the LanCargo division. The Cueto family stake in LanChile stands at 30%.
The airline remains its principal investment. Two Chilean partners also hold stakes.
Source: Airline Business
