From defence aviation to Tactical Communications
When Bernardo joined EID in October 2025, he brought with him nearly five years of experience in defence aviation and a clear ambition: to keep learning, take on new challenges and help develop business opportunities in international markets.
EID stood out as an opportunity to explore a different area of defence technology: tactical communications. The prospect of working with new markets, particularly across Asia-Pacific and North Africa, made the move even more appealing. Joining EID offered the opportunity to build on his existing industry knowledge while gaining a broader perspective on the international defence business.
Today, his work focuses on the Asia-Pacific and North Africa regions, where understanding different markets, identifying customer needs and building lasting partnerships are central to his role.
Understanding Markets Starts with Understanding People
Throughout his professional career, Bernardo has worked in international environments spanning the Nordic countries, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the United States. These experiences have helped him develop an appreciation for the cultural differences and human connections that shape business relationships.
Technical knowledge is essential, but it is only one part of the equation. Building trust, communicating appropriately and understanding each customer’s context are equally important when developing partnerships across different markets.
As Bernardo explains:
“Building solid relationships based on trust, proximity and respect is just as important as technical knowledge.“
For him, every market requires a tailored approach. Recognising different priorities and expectations helps create the conditions for meaningful cooperation and long-term relationships with customers and partners. This people-centred perspective is particularly valuable in international business development, where relationships take time to establish and a strong understanding of local realities can make a difference.
Turning Customer Needs into Business Opportunities
What he enjoys most about business development is being close to the action: working directly with customers, understanding their challenges and identifying opportunities to address them. The process involves more than presenting a product or negotiating a deal. It means understanding operational and strategic requirements, identifying where EID’s solutions can add value and finding the right approach for each customer and market. This combination of problem-solving, strategic thinking and international engagement keeps the work challenging and dynamic. It also creates opportunities to learn continuously from different cultures, business environments and customer perspectives.
A successful commercial relationship does not begin and end with a signed contract. Bernardo believes that understanding customer priorities, managing expectations and maintaining transparency and mutual respect are essential throughout the relationship.
Reflecting on what makes a successful commercial approach, he emphasises:
“A good commercial relationship is built over time, through genuine relationships, not isolated moments.”
Meet the people behind EID. Discover more stories from our team and the experiences that shape our work.
