Hamid Akhavan

EchoStar Corporation has appointed Hamid Akhavan as the company’s next CEO and president. EchoStar announced Wednesday that Akhavan will succeed CEO and President Michael Dugan, who will be retiring at the end of March after over 30 years of service to EchoStar and its predecessors. 

Dugan will remain on the board of directors and will serve as a strategic advisor. 

Akhavan is a partner at Twin Point Capital, where he led several of the firm’s recent investments in communications companies. He was formerly the CEO of Unify, Inc. (formerly Siemens Enterprise Communications), and CEO of T-Mobile International, where he also served as a member of the board of management of Deutsche Telekom. 

EchoStar offers satellite communication solutions through Hughes Network Systems and EchoStar Satellite Services business segments. The company is a satellite owner/operator with a fleet of 9 satellites. 

“EchoStar is an incredible technology and services company which has been a pioneer since its inception,” Akhavan said. “I am looking forward to a close collaboration with [Charlie Ergen, chairman of EchoStar’s board of directors] and the team at EchoStar, and continuing Mike’s relentless focus on operational excellence.”