Advantech Wireless Promotes Former Hughes Exec to VP of North, South American Sales

Canadian-based satellite hardware manufacturer Advantech Wireless promoted Paul Sandoval to vice president of sales for the Americas region, effective immediately.

Sandoval initially joined Advantech Wireless as vice president of sales for Latin America. The company said it promoted Sandoval after he had been instrumental in expanding its current sales force and capturing additional market share.

Sandoval previously served as ViaSat’s director of Latin American business and as director of technical marketing at Comstream/Spar. He also was a senior director at Hughes Network Systems.

GlobeCast Hires New Chief Marketing Officer

GlobeCast named Philippe Rouxel chief marketing officer, with responsibilities to develop GlobeCast’s global product strategy for its business units in France, United Kingdom, Italy, South Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Rouxel also will lead the implementation of a strategy focused on value-added products in the broadcast market, particularly in response to the latest developments in the multiplatform management and delivery of audiovisual content worldwide, the company said.

Rouxel previously served as vice president of international distribution for France 24.

ICO, Pendrell Fills Key Management Positions to Prepare for Rebranding

ICO Global Communications has added several key members to its senior management team.

Clearwire co-founder Robert Mechaley has been appointed chief scientist — a position he previously held at AT&T Wireless — and Timothy Dozois has been appointed corporate counsel and corporate secretary.

ICO also announced that CEO Ben Wolff and chief strategy officer Gerard Salemme resigned from their positions with Eagle River, the company’s largest shareholder, in order to focus their full attention on ICO’s business.

The moves follow ICO’s previous announcement that it was changing its name to Pendrell Corp., which became effective in January.

SpaceX Names Former Orbital Sciences Executive Senior VP of Government

SpaceX has hired Mark Bitterman, the former senior vice president of government relations of its U.S. launch market rival Orbital Sciences, to join its Washington D.C. office.

Bitterman will serve as SpaceX’s senior vice president of government affairs. SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell said Bitterman would help promote SpaceX capabilities to critical policymakers.

Bitterman spent nearly two decades at Orbital Sciences. He also served for four years at the U.S. Department of Defense as special assistant for intelligence, special operations and counter-drug policy, as well as on numerous boards and advisory groups, including the International Trade Advisory Committee to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce.

Skyware Global Makes Key Engineering Management Promotions

Satcom terminal solutions provider Skyware Global appointed Steve Strong as senior vice president of engineering.

Strong will be responsible for correlating all of the company’s engineering operations, including its antenna and electronics engineering in the United Kingdom and Skyware’s team based in Washington, D.C.

Skyware’s Allan Kennedy, who has been promoted to vice president of engineering, manages the company’s core engineering teams.

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