Riedel Communications today announced that Marcus Wheelwright has joined the company as vice president of customer success for the Americas. In his new role, Wheelwright will manage customer success operations for the Americas, increasing customer satisfaction by creating frictionless experiences for customers throughout their journey with Riedel, including initial demos, training, delivery, and post-sales support.

Today Zero Density, an industry leader in real-time virtual production and broadcast graphics products, has appointed Ofir Benovici as new Chief Executive Officer. Benovici will oversee the company’s commercial and product strategy, operations, and ongoing geographical expansion. He’ll also manage the company portfolio as Zero Density targets new verticals and markets.

Arianespace has appointed Steven Rutgers to serve as its next Chief Commercial Officer.

Astroscale Japan Inc. (“Astroscale Japan”), a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc. (“Astroscale”), the market leader in satellite servicing and long-term orbital sustainability across all orbits, announces Eddie Kato as President and Managing Director, effective February 1, 2023. 

Moving to further strengthen its presence and support capabilities in the Middle East, Riedel Communications has appointed Abdul Hadi to serve as regional sales manager, with a focus on Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Abdul Hadi will manage key accounts for Riedel in the install sector and help the company to continue building its footprint in the AV market and other verticals.

ST Engineering iDirect, a global leader in satellite communications, has named Don Claussen as its new CEO, effective January 2, 2023. Claussen will lead the company in expanding its global leadership and technology vision against a backdrop of rapid satcom industry transformation. Based in the U.S., Claussen brings with him over 15 years of industry experience, and has transformed solutions development and delivery for global satcom companies. “A respected innovator and leader in the satcom industry, Don’s impressive experience and track record will help to accelerate ST Engineering iDirect’s growth during this pivotal period of change in the industry,” said Low Ka Hoe, President of the Satellite Communications business group at ST Engineering. “Don has led major growth initiatives for satcom leaders, driving significant gains in customer impact. We welcome Don as he joins a strong leadership team in place at ST Engineering iDirect and will play a key role in creating new growth opportunities for ST Engineering’s satcom business unit.”

At the Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-22) of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) held in Bucharest, Romania in September 2022, Doreen Bogdan-Martin was elected as the first woman to be the Secretary-General of the ITU (to view the full conference report on the PP-22: http://www.satellitemarkets.com/events/highlights-itu-plenipotentiary-conference-2022).  The ITU is one of the oldest multilateral international organizations founded in 1865 and based in Geneva, Switzerland.   

Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP (WBK) is pleased to announce Davina Sashkin has joined the firm as a Partner. Davina joins the firm with extensive experience in Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulatory compliance, strategic policy advocacy, and FCC-regulated transactions, and is widely recognized as an industry leader in broadcast media law.

Doug Abts, formerly a senior executive at Viasat, has been hired byAstranis as its new Chief Commercial Officer.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of Eng. Tukur Funtua as the new Managing Director of Nigeria Communications Satellite, NIGCOMSAT, following the retirement of Dr Abimbola Alale.