Finance

ABS has looked to one of the Middle East’s biggest operators for its new CEO. The company announced Sept. 9 that it had appointed Yahsat’s Chief Strategy Officer Amit Somani will become its new CEO. Somani will take up the role in mid-October. He brings over 25 years of experience as an operational and strategic...

Kacific Broadband Satellites Group (Kacific) has appointed Ivan Fong as its new Managing Director of the Pacific. The company announced the appointment on Sept. 8. Based in Fiji, Fong will oversee and direct business operations, helping to drive strategic growth and Kacific’s overall performance in the Pacific Island markets. Fong has over 28 years in...

SpaceX, OneWeb, and Iridium jointly released a document of best practices for orbital safety on Thursday afternoon. The best practices guide was facilitated by industry group the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA).  The document encompasses practices for all phases of satellite including design; launch and early orbit; on-orbit operations; and disposal. It describes...

Eutelsat Communications has made a series of new appointments as CEO Eva Berneke reshapes her team. The company appointed Laurence Delpy as general manager of the Video business unit and Cyril Dujardin as general manager of the Connectivity business unit, announcing the appointments Sept. 5. Eutelsat said the two appointments are at the core of...

Kevin Steen, CEO of ST Engineering iDirect, is leaving the company to lead OneWeb Technologies. Steen succeeds former OneWeb Technologies CEO, Bob Roe, who previously announced his retirement. OneWeb Technologies, formerly TrustComm, is a satellite service provider for the U.S. government. OneWeb acquired the company as a subsidiary last year.  “Kevin stood out as a...

Eutelsat will be looking for a new CFO as Sandrine Téran, who has been CFO for more than five years, is stepping down from the role. Eutelsat announced the update Sept. 2. The operator said Téran will step down by the end of November to “pursue other professional endeavors.” The recruitment process of a successor...

Firefly Aerospace has named Bill Weber as its new CEO after Tom Markusic stepped away from the role in June. Web was previously CEO of cyber and geospatial satellite firm KeyW Corporation, which was sold to Jacobs Engineering Group during his tenure.  This leadership transition comes after private equity firm AE Industrial Partners (AEI) acquired...

Satellite IoT company OQ Technology closed a 13 million euro ($13 million) Series A funding round led by Wa’ed Ventures, the venture capital arm of Saudi oil and gas company Aramco and Phaistos Investment Fund, managed by 5G Ventures in Greece. CEO and Founder Omar Qaise told Via Satellite the company’s IoT technology is geared...

SES expanded the leadership team for subsidiary SES Government Solutions (SES GS), hiring Ben Pigsley as senior vice president for Defense Networks and Jim Hooper, senior vice president for Space Initiatives.  Pigsley joins SES GS after 15 years at DRS GES, most recently as the vice president for Growth and Strategy. He has experience with...

Consulting and Technology company Accenture is making a strategic investment in hyperspectral satellite imagery startup Pixxel. Terms of the investment were not disclosed in Tuesday’s announcement.  Pixxel is based in Bangalore, India, and has a presence in Los Angeles, and Accenture has a number of Advanced Technology Centers in India, including one in Bangalore. This...