Katrin Mayrhofer – Visionary Woman Founder to Watch — 2026

Women Story
Jan 13
3 min read

Category: Sustainable Aviation · Advanced Air Mobility · Aerospace Engineering · Climate-Tech · DEI Advocacy

Katrin Mayrhofer

COO & Co-Founder, ELSA Industry S.R.L.

📍 Based in: Bucharest, Romania

“The sky should belong to everyone — clean, inclusive, and accessible.”

In a sector traditionally defined by heavy engineering and slow change, Katrin Mayrhofer is redefining what the future of aviation can — and should — look like.

With nearly three decades of experience across Europe’s most complex aerospace programs, Katrin stands at the intersection of sustainable aviation, advanced air mobility, and inclusive innovation. Through ELSA Industry, she is helping build the foundations of a cleaner, carbon-neutral aviation ecosystem — while simultaneously questioning who gets access to that future.

Her work goes beyond aircraft and composites. It challenges power structures, expands participation, and reframes mobility as a social enabler — not a privilege.

Company Overview

Company Name: ELSA Industry S.R.L.

Industry: Aerospace Engineering · Advanced Air Mobility · Sustainable Aviation

Headquarters: Bucharest, Romania

Website: www.elsaindustry.eu | www.katrinmayrhofer.com

LinkedIn Profile URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrin-mayrhofer-536444a2/

What the Company Does

ELSA Industry is an aerospace engineering and manufacturing firm specializing in lightweight composite structures, advanced prototyping, and next-generation aviation solutions.

The company supports OEMs, research institutions, and innovation consortia working on:

Sustainable and zero-emission aircraft
Advanced air mobility (AAM) platforms
Hydrogen-powered aviation systems
UAVs and future-ready aerospace structures

From concept design to manufacturing and testing, ELSA Industry enables the technical backbone required to make clean aviation scalable and commercially viable.

Mission Beyond Technology

What truly sets ELSA Industry apart is the philosophy driving its leadership.

Under Katrin’s stewardship, the company aligns engineering excellence with broader systemic goals:

Sustainable Mobility: Enabling low-emission and zero-emission aviation
Inclusive Design: Advocating for diversity and accessibility in aviation systems
Future Infrastructure: Supporting vertiports, maintenance training, and next-gen air mobility ecosystems
Cross-Border Collaboration: Building pan-European partnerships for shared innovation

ELSA Industry is not just manufacturing components — it is contributing to the architecture of future mobility.

Key Achievements & Milestones

✈️ COO & Co-Founder of ELSA Industry, scaling composite manufacturing and aerospace innovation

🌍 Finalist Nominee, Climate Change Award Summit 2025

🌱 Honoured Attendee, Climate Change Summit 2025

Project & Industry Impact

Complete design and prototype manufacturing for HALIA float-and-fly UAV (LeVanta Tech)
Composite design and manufacturing support for next-generation Hyperloop train projects
Contributions to major European programs including RACER, CityAirbus, Bluecopter, Clean Sky initiatives
Strategic partnerships in maintenance training and advanced vertiport design

Thought Leadership & Advocacy

Author of the book Inclusive Sky, advocating DEI in Advanced Air Mobility
Co-Founder & Board Member, European Rotorcraft Women Network
Country Liaison (Romania), Advanced Air Mobility Institute
Patron & Jury Member, European Rotors Student Challenge (Rotorthon)
Board Member, One Billion Farmers Organization

Awards & Recognition

🏅 Finalist Nominee – Climate Change Award Summit 2025

🌍 Recognised across Europe for leadership in sustainable aviation and DEI advocacy

🎤 Regular speaker and panelist at global aerospace, sustainability, and innovation forums

Why She’s One to Watch in 2026

Katrin Mayrhofer is one to watch in 2026 because she represents the next evolution of aerospace leadership.

As the aviation industry faces simultaneous pressure to:

Decarbonize at scale
Redesign air mobility infrastructure
Address talent shortages and inclusion gaps
Build public trust in new flight technologies

Katrin brings a rare combination of deep technical execution, systems thinking, and human-centric leadership.

She does not treat diversity as a checkbox, nor sustainability as a slogan. For her, both are strategic imperatives — essential for innovation, safety, and long-term viability of aviation itself.

ELSA Industry’s positioning within hydrogen aviation, advanced air mobility, and sustainable composites places it at the heart of Europe’s aviation transformation.