Tom Choi, former CEO of ABS. Photo: ABS.

Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) officially announced on Oct. 30 that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Thomas Choi is transitioning his role to a board director. According to the company, Choi wishes to pursue “other interests and opportunities,” but will remain a significant investor in the business.

“I announce that the time of my servitude as CEO of ABS has come to an end,” Choi said in a post on LinkedIn. “It’s time for me to move on to other interesting projects.”

Winner of Via Satellite’s 2012 Satellite Executive of the Year award, Choi garnered a reputation for his outspoken personality and controversial opinions. Most recently, he lambasted Intelsat and Intel’s joint proposal to share C-band spectrum with mobile operators as “simply ludicrous and ridiculous.” Choi has also pushed back against the trend toward Low Earth Orbit (LEO) megaconstellations, describing global networks as “throwing away … capacity.”

Current ABS chairman Jim Frownfelter will step as interim CEO as the company commences a search for Choi’s replacement.