Spacecom (Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: SCC), operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, announces that  Dan Zajicek has been appointed by the board of director’s as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. His appointment officially begins on April 1, 2020. Itzik Shnaiberg, who has served as Acting CEO since 1 January 2020, will return to his Deputy CEO position at that time. The board of directors wishes to thank Shnaiberg for filling the CEO position during this transition period.

International Launch Services (ILS) has hired a longtime United Launch Alliance executive as its new president as the company expands to offer Soyuz launch services and potentially human spaceflight missions. ILS announced March 11 that Tiphaine Louradour is the company’s new president, effective immediately. ILS had been without a full-time president since the departure of Kirk Pysher last October.

Viasat today announced the expansion of its global leadership team with the addition of Jim Dodd, as president, Global Mobile Solutions; Peter Langkilde, as vice president and Head of Broadband Services for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Dr. Krishna Nathan, as chief information officer (CIO).

Satellite Executive Briefing invited executives from the main manufacturers of satellite antennas to participate in a virtual roundtable and we received responses from the following companies: Tony Wilkey, Senior Vice President- AvL Technologies; Drew Klein,Vice President-C-COM Systems; Roni Stoleru, VP Antenna Products-Gilat Satellite Networks; Brian Billman, VP Product Management-Isotropic Systems; Dave Helfgott,CEO-PHASOR; and Bill Milroy, Chief Technology Officer-ThinKom Solutions, Inc. Follows are excerpts of the exchange:

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) a leading provider of products, systems and services for advanced communications solutions, today announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Lisa Lesavoy as a Director.

The teleport business is a dynamic part of the satellite industry. Satellite Executive Briefing spoke with Mitja Lovsin, General Manager of STN, a full service teleport located in Slovenia in Central Europe, who gave us an update on his company and his views on trends in this vital segment of the industry.

Groung equipment manufacturer Kymeta today announced the appointment of David Geiling as Vice President of Sales, Asia Pacific. In this role, Geiling will be responsible for all direct sales and reseller management for Asia Pacific, including India.

This month, Satellite Executive Briefing invited the Chairperson of the Satellite Industry Association (SIA) Stuart Daughtridge to share his views on trends in the industry.  Daughtridge is also the Vice President of Advanced Technology for Kratos. He takes a closer look at the revolution taking place in the satellite industry, up in space – and on the ground. Follows are his insights: 

The World Teleport Association (WTA) today announced that it will present the 2020 Teleport Executive of the Year Award to Mauricio Segovia, CEO of AXESS Networks at the 25th annual Teleport Awards for Excellence Ceremony and Luncheon on March 10 during the SATELLITE conference in Washington, DC.

Neil Fraser has just been appointed as Director of Defense and Space Programs at NSSLGlobal. Fraser has made the move to NSSLGlobal to help shape and grow the defense communications side of the business. He seeks to connect his military experience with emerging technology and industry best practice to deliver improvements.