As May approaches, the satellite industry is preparing for one of its largest and most important events of the year — the SATELLITE 2019 Exhibition and Conference in Washington, D.C. Each year, the SATELLITE show aims to produce a more comprehensive and inclusive experience for attendees, and appeal to a larger group of new, first-time attendees and companies. SATELLITE 2019’s conference program features more end-user speakers from more enterprise and commercial markets than any previous show in its 38-year history.

Some of these speakers represent companies that are investing in space capabilities as business tools, and actively searching for innovative services such as data collection, global communications, pure bandwidth, weather monitoring, analytics, and more. Some of these fresh new faces are coming to SATELLITE to discuss dynamic shifts in tech culture and business. They will ask questions such as, “How can we cultivate diversity among decision makers?,” “How can we attract and retain young talent?,” or “How can we make our operations more efficient and sustainable?”

The following list of speakers are making their first appearance at the SATELLITE show, sharing new ideas, and presenting a range of new perspectives ranging from seasoned veterans to industry newcomers. Don’t miss their appearances on this year’s exciting program!

Kay Koplovitz, Founder and Former Chairman and CEO of USA Networks; Co-Founder, Springboard Enterprises

Kay Koplovitz is the first female in history to be the CEO of a major broadcast network. On September 30, 1975, HBO and UA-Columbia Cablevision, along with ATC, transmitted the “Thrilla in Manila” boxing event — the third matchup between Mohammed Ali and Joe Fraser, via satellite from the Philippines to cable systems in Vero Beach, Florida and Jackson, Mississippi. It was that night that Koplovitz’s former boss at UA-Columbia, Bob Rosencrans, told her that her dream was about to come true. It was then that they decided to launch a cable television network delivered to systems via satellite.

Koplovitz is a satellite technology and business visionary who was among the first to utilize licensing and advertising as two revenue streams. Most notably, she’s kept a keen eye on the satellite industry, as she wrote her master’s thesis on the impact programming delivered via satellite could have on governments, cultures, and human rights. At SATELLITE 2019, she will be speaking on the event’s Opening General Session, “Our Collective Role in Empowering Women and Cultivating Diversity in Aerospace,” on Wednesday, May 8th at 8:00 a.m. During this panel, Koplovitz will speak about the importance of recognizing talent during crucial business developments, and how the satellite and technology industries should continue to evolve their thinking on corporate culture inclusiveness.

Throughout her youth and career, Koplovitz was captivated by Arthur C. Clarke and his passion for geosynchronous-orbiting satellites when she was a student at the University of Wisconsin in the late 60s. Since 2000, Kay has served as chairman of Springboard Enterprises, where under her leadership, the non-profit venture-catalyst accelerator has been bringing women founders leading transformational businesses to full parity in raising capital. The value of Springboard Enterprises has been validated by a strong 19-year track record of success with $8.7 billion capital raised, 186 liquidity events, and 17 Initial Public Offerings (IPOs).

Klaus Bruun Egeberg, Head of Mobility & Connectivity, Future Solutions Fleet Management & Technology, Maersk

As a maritime executive, electrician, programmer, project manager, and technological strategist, Klaus Bruun Egeberg brings a well-rounded skillset to his leadership position at Maersk — one of the largest maritime satellite end-user companies in the market. He currently leads the strategic development of the company’s technology and IT capabilities, as he pushes the technological envelope for the company’s vast, and increasingly autonomous global shipping network.

Egeberg admits that shipping companies like Maersk have, up until this point, been very secretive about their technology innovation strategies. However, as shipping fleets become more autonomous and dependent on compact and agile hardware, and more massive supplies of bandwidth, Maersk now sees the need for greater industry engagement and collaboration. Egeberg comes to SATELLITE 2019 with some exciting new information about the future of autonomy and connectivity in the maritime sphere, and how satellite companies can help the company meet its goals for the next decade. Egeberg will deliver his presentation as SATELLITE 2019’s Monday Luncheon Keynote Speaker, on Monday, May 6th at 12:00 p.m. Grab lunch, take a seat, and enjoy this presentation on the future of maritime connectivity!

Shayn Hawthorne, Senior Manager and AWS Ground Station Program Lead, Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) made a monumental leap last year when the company launched its AWS Ground Station fully managed service. AWS is looking to make another splash in the ground systems market with its first speaking appearance at SATELLITE 2019.

Shayn Hawthorne, AWS Ground Station general manager, will bring insight into SATELLITE 2019’s very first general session panel, “What’s the (Next) Big Idea?” The panel, which features speakers from IBM, Orange Business Services, Boeing, Hughes, Isotropic Systems, as well as Lockheed Martin, will focus on a new generation of game-changing technologies in space, as well as trends in digitalization, automation, and miniaturization, and the next big changes that will occur within and have an impact on the evolving space industry.

Prior to joining AWS in 2017, Hawthorne worked at MITRE Corporation as the Technical Director of its Missile Defense Agency (MDA) program division. In this role, he directed the execution of MITRE’s $4.5 million, 120-plus staff, MDA work program, providing innovative solutions to challenges in defense and intelligence, aviation, civil systems, homeland security, the judiciary, healthcare, and cybersecurity.

Balazs Bertenyi, RAN TSG Chairman, 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)

Considering the satellite industry is gearing up for the deployment of 5G services, it’s no wonder that companies are looking to be a part of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards releases for 5G. As the RAN TSG chairman of 3GPP, Balazs Bertenyi is immersed in this spectrum journey. He brings years of first-hand experience to the stage, ranging back to his initial work at Nokia in 1998.

Bertenyi was elected RAN Chairman of 3GPP in 2017, succeeding Dino Flore of Qualcomm. The RAN group is responsible for radio aspects, functions, requirements and interfaces for all 3GPP networks. He has participated in 3GPP for more than 16 years, gaining technical experience as a contributor in SA groups and in RAN. He previously served terms as Chairman of 3GPP’s SA Working Group 2 (2007-2011) and as Chairman of the 3GPP SA Plenary (2011-2015).

At SATELLITE 2019, Bertenyi will be speaking on a session titled, “Standards for Integrating Satellite into the 5G Future,” scheduled for Monday, May 6th at 1:30 p.m. He will be joined by speakers from the European Space Agency (ESA), Inmarsat, iDirect, and EchoStar.

Tara Bamburg, Associate Manager, Product Development, Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines’ Tara Bamburg is one of our guest moderators for the SATELLITE 2019 Tuesday opening general session, featuring CEOs from the largest satellite companies in the world. She will be asking questions specific to the development of satellite In-Flight Connectivity (IFC) services. More and more airlines are expanding their IFC offerings, so it’s only fitting that Bamburg brings her expertise from Southwest Airlines to the stage.

Bamburg began her career at Southwest Airlines as an intern in customer experience, and is now the associate manager of product development for its Wi-Fi/In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) team. She is responsible for ensuring the best possible experience for customers while engaging with Wi-Fi/IFE services onboard Southwest aircraft. Tara grew up in Texas, graduating with a B.S. in Marketing and a B.S. in Management from Oklahoma State University. She rounded out her education with an M.S. in Logistics and M.B.A. concentrated in Operations Management from the University of Texas at Arlington. She will also be making an appearance on the panel session, “In-Flight Connectivity: Next-Generation Service from New Satellites,” on Wednesday, May 8th at 1:45 p.m.

David Reichert, Global Business Development, Electronics and Imaging, Interconnect Solutions, DuPont

David Reichert not only holds an impressive array of degrees (a Ph.D. in Materials Science with a background in chemical engineering), but has a 29-year track record at DuPont, where he is responsible for the global business development of its Electronics and Imaging Interconnect Solutions defense segment, creating the business unit growth strategy, identifying technology gap opportunities, and executing top programs. He holds five patents from his corrosion, fuel cell, and ballistics work, and was the leader of the team that won the U.S. Army Million Dollar Fuel Cell Challenge sponsored by the U.S. Army’s Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center. Fittingly, he will be speaking on Wednesday’s closing session, “From the Outside Looking In: Industry 4.0 in Space,” on Wednesday, May 8th at 4:15 p.m.

DuPont develops the composite materials used to build space-ready hardware and satellites. However, the company is also looking at space connectivity and services to increase operational efficiencies. As major Fortune 500 companies see space as a business investment, Reichert will pull from his experience executing global business development for DuPont’s Electronics and Imaging Interconnect Solutions defense segment.

Lauren Penneys, Director of Business Development and Sales, Descartes Labs

Lauren Penneys is the director of business development and sales at Descartes Labs, where she handles new business for government and commercial enterprises. Descartes Labs is a blossoming startup in the agriculture satellite technology space, with a satellite sensor data-driven product described as a, “platform for complex global systems.” The company collects, cleans, and calibrates data on a daily basis from public and commercial sources, and then stores it in an easy-to-access catalog, ready for scientific analysis.

Featured as a speaker on the Finance Forum session, “Startup Finance Roundtable: Choosing the Best Path to Growth,” on Monday, May 6th at 2:45 p.m., Penneys will bring her business development experience to speak to ins and outs of satellite startup financing. As she represents the startup that managed to contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), she will share valuable insight onto government investment, strategic partnerships, venture capital financing, and more.

Lauren received her M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and her B.A. from Dartmouth College. Prior to Descartes Labs, she managed account strategy and growth across the federal civilian government for Palantir. She also worked on business and investment strategy at Opera Solutions and managed for-profit social impact investing at the Pershing Square Foundation. VS