Rafael Santana

Rafael Santana currently is the President and CEO of Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corp. (WAB), also known as Wabtec Corporation. Wabtec Corporation, a Delaware corporation, has its headquarters at 30 Isabella Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Santana previously worked at GE Transportation, a Wabtec company as the President and CEO.

He holds 121,457 equities valued at $12.12 million at Wabtec Corp.

Santana told Latino Leaders Magazine: "Growing up in Brazil, my parents taught my sister and I the value of hard work and sacrifice. These values were evident in my community and in its resilience. At a young age I was exposed to sports, which opened up an opportunity for me to move to the United States for a year during high school and compete as a swimmer. At the time, I could hardly speak or read English. That experience taught me grit, how to be resourceful, how to adapt to an unfamiliar environment, and that no challenge is too big to overcome."

He said that several experiences helped shape him as a person and leader. "The one that stands out the most is when I was tapped to serve as president and CEO of GE Oil & Gas’ Turbo Machinery Solutions business, based in Italy."