After building a successful career on Wall Street as one of the foremost satellite and telecommunications industry analysts, J. Armand Musey will leave tomorrow on an expedition to scale Mt. Everest in an adventure that will both complete a personal goal and raise funds for the American Red Cross' International Response Fund (IRF).
Musey, an avid climber since graduating from business school in 1995, is a long time and widely respected securities analyst in the telecommunications and satellite industries. He was the lead industry analyst at Bank of America and later Solomon Smith Barney. In 2003 he partnered with a colleague to form the boutique investment banking firm Near Earth, LLC. Musey left the presidency of Near Earth in 2007 to train full-time for his attempt to scale Mt. Everest, the world's highest peak.
"This expedition is the culmination of an incredible challenge and adventure for me personally," said Musey. "But given the significance of the challenge, I want to make it more than about me by using my Mt. Everest expedition as an opportunity to raise money and awareness in support of the Red Cross."
A number of satellite industry firms have committed or signaled their intention of supporting Armand's climb with contributions to the Red Cross IRF. Global satellite operators SES and Intelsat signed on as challenge sponsors at the "Summit" level. Dulles-based GeoEye, a satellite imaging company, is a "Katmandu" level sponsor. Iridium and Vizada, leading global satellite communications providers, are donating SIM cards respectively for phone and BGAN applications that will enable Armand to send reports, photos and maintain a blog of his summit attempt.
"SES applauds Armand for taking on this arduous challenge to support such a worthy goal," said SES chairman Romain Bausch, "His expedition will raise awareness of the role of satellites in global disaster response, and as such, we are pleased to make a challenge grant of $15,000 in hopes that other companies in the satellite community will match or exceed our contribution to this laudable organization."
Intelsat CEO Dave McGlade said, "Intelsat is excited to be returning to Mt. Everest 10 years after our 1998 demonstration of the efficiency of satellites in connecting the world, even from the most remote locations on the planet. The satellite industry is always among the first to respond to disaster scenarios, because of our ability to provide rapidly deployable infrastructure. A long-time supporter of the Red Cross, Intelsat commends Armand's altruistic commitment to raise funds for the organization."
Musey on top of the Matterhorn.
Sponsors and supporters can follow Musey's expedition and find information about how to make a donation to the Red Cross in support of his challenge at www.museyeverest.com
Since he began climbing in 1991, Musey has scaled the highest peaks on six of the seven continents in the world. With his ascent of Mt. Everest in spring of 2008, he will complete the mountaineering challenge of the Seven Summits. Musey is paying the entire cost of the Mt. Everest expedition out of his own funds; all money donated will go directly to the American Red Cross' International Response Fund.
Musey climbed Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2002 and has since climbed Mt. McKinley (AKA Denali) in Alaska, Mt. Elbrus in Russia, Acconcagua in Argentina, Mt. Rainer in Washington, Mt. Vinson Antarctica, and the Carstensz Pyramid in Indonesia. As part of his training for the cold weather of Mt. Everest, he went on a ski expedition to the South Pole in 2007, dealing with -30 to -35 degree Centigrade weather almost the entire journey. The Mt. Everest expedition is scheduled to depart from Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 29, with the return scheduled for June 1. Musey and his group will ascend the south side of Mt. Everest, up what is known as the South Column Route. This is the same route used by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their first ascent in 1953.
