Samer Hawali, CCO of Intelsat. Photo: Intelsat.

Intelsat has appointed satellite industry executive Samer Halawi as its new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). Assuming the role effective Jan. 9, 2018, Halawi will lead the company’s global commercial operations, including the broadband, mobility, media, and government businesses, as well as the sales and marketing teams.

Intelsat created the new role to accelerate the commercialization of its Intelsat Epic High Throughput Satellite (HTS) fleet and build additional focus on the introduction of new managed services, unlocking new applications to drive company growth. Halawi will also be responsible for leading Intelsat’s engagement with key business partners such as OneWeb and Kymeta, as well as with leading distributors and Value-Added Resellers (VARs) across sectors.

Halawi joins Intelsat with more than 20 years’ experience in business development, telecommunications and global satellite communications. Most recently he served as CCO of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) start-up OneWeb for nine months. Halawi also served for six years as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Thuraya Telecommunications. Other career experience includes positions at Inmarsat, Flag Telecom and ICO Global Communications.

“As we seek to expand our share of the growing global telecommunications sector, Samer’s extensive background and expertise in mobility services and in bringing new products and services to market will be instrumental in guiding our commercial operations to capitalize on new, fast growing applications,” said Intelsat CEO Stephen Spengler.