Patrick Biewer, appointed CEO of LuxGovSat. Photo: SES

[Via Satellite 06-05-2015] The LuxGovSat board of directors appointed Patrick Biewer to be Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective July 1, 2015. Biewer, 48, is a senior SES executive that has worked with the company for 22 years, holding positions in the areas of IT, operations and engineering. Since 2010 he has been managing director of SES Broadband Services (SBBS). As CEO of LuxGovSat, Biewer will lead the development of commercial activities and customer relations management.

Jointly held by SES and the Luxembourg Government, LuxGovSat’s objectives are the acquisition, launch and operation of a satellite for the provision of governmental and military communication services. Earlier this year SES ordered the SES 16/GovSat satellite from Orbital ATK, which SpaceX is scheduled to launch in the second quarter of 2017. The multi-mission satellite will use dedicated X-band and Ka-band military frequencies to provide high-power, fully steerable spot beams for multiple government-specific missions with coverage over Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“With LuxGovSat created and the new satellite ordered a few months ago, the appointment of a CEO was the next step in our joint project with SES. This public-private partnership will enable Luxembourg to meet its expanding obligations in European defense and to further diversify the national economy in a key technology sector,” said Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence and Minister of the Economy Etienne Schneider.