As pioneer Little low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite operator Orbcomm Global L.P. continues to develop its data messaging system, the Dulles, Va.-based company has decided to make some big changes at the top. The company announced last week that it is reassigning longtime President and CEO Alan Parker to the position of president of global development and replacing him with a pair of other executives.

Parker is being replaced as CEO by Scott Webster, president of Orbital Communications Corp., the Orbital Sciences Corp. [ORBI] unit which owns half of Orbcomm. Webster also has been named chairman of the Orbcomm partner board.

Meanwhile, Orbcomm elevated Scott Latham to the post of president and chief operating officer (COO). Latham formerly was executive vice president.

In an interview, Webster said the shakeup does not reflect an effort to push Parker out of Orbcomm, where he was at the helm for nine years. To the contrary, "Alan deserves enormous credit [for his past accomplishments]. He is also our best [international] pioneer and developer."

Parker also sounded upbeat about the shift. "Orbcomm clearly is a global enterprise these days, which makes my new role a challenging one," he said. "We have 13 licensees covering almost 100 countries and we’re spending millions of dollars building facilities throughout the world. My focus, as head of global development, will be to lead a team that makes sure these facilities are set up properly and that all the regulatory work, around the world, gets done."

Still, the changes come as other companies prepare to give Orbcomm a run for its money in the fledgling Little LEO industry. Leo One USA Corp., a second-round applicant for an FCC Little LEO license, received regulatory approval to begin constructing its $150 million system (SN, Feb. 23). Other Little LEO hopefuls also are waiting in the wings to challenge Orbcomm.