Celebrating Women in Satellite 2024: Part 2

In 2024, more than 45 people wrote to Via Satellite celebrating the contributions of their colleagues, mentors, friends, and bosses. It was more than we could fit in the March edition for Celebrating Women in Satellite, so we are bringing you Part 2 in the April edition.

Now in its third year, Celebrating Women in Satellite recognizes the contributions of women who have made a difference for the space and satellite industry, and in the lives of their colleagues. This is a community-generated feature, with real stories of the women who drive this industry forward.

Breanne Tuttle, Director of Production, LeoStella

Breanne Tuttle leads our satellite Production team at LeoStella. A tireless performer and consummate professional who loves the mission of transforming parts into satellites, delivering those satellites to the launch site, and sending them to space, Breanne is the proverbial space-grade glue that keeps our manufacturing operation running smoothly. Breanne has a clear focus on mission assurance and quality. A former U.S. Air Force Intercontinental Ballistic Missile combat crew commander, Breanne brings assured leadership to our satellite assembly, testing, and final delivery to our customers and the stars. — Tim Kienberger, LeoStella CEO

Naomi Kurahara, CEO, Infostellar

Naomi is an inspirational leader and visionary. She created Infostellar in Tokyo, Japan as a Ground Segment as a Service company with the vision of becoming the "Airbnb of the satellite sector” by connecting satellite operators with ground station owners with spare capacity on their antennas.

When I was in the recruitment process with Infostellar five years ago, I came across a Slush Tokyo talk that Naomi gave in 2018 in which she talked about her ambitions as a child to go to space and her journey to found Infostellar. She spoke with such passion and enthusiasm about her mission that I felt Infostellar was definitely the place I wanted to be. As part of that Slush presentation, Naomi mentioned the Japanese folk story "Momotaro", which is about a boy who builds his team with a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, as he sets out to defeat the monsters on "Ogre Island." I wanted to be part of the Infostellar team, and I said in an interview "I want to be Infostellar's dog.” Which was probably a strange thing to say when taken out of context, but such was Naomi's energy that it had a lasting impact on me. Like Momotaro, Naomi has built her team and led us with determination and courage. She leads Infostellar with never-ending energy, and enthusiasm that just keeps bubbling over. — Andy Fry, Director of Customer Development, Infostellar

Flavia Tata Nardini, CEO and Co-Founder, Fleet Space Technologies

As co-founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies, Flavia Tata Nardini's leadership has been instrumental in advancing satellite technology and communication infrastructure, making connectivity more accessible for various industries such as mineral exploration, defense, and space exploration. Flavia's vision extends beyond technological innovation; she actively advocates for sustainability, aiming to achieve net-zero emissions through the company’s products. She serves as a role model in the predominantly male-dominated space industry, breaking barriers and inspiring women and girls to pursue STEM careers.

Personally impacted by Flavia's leadership, I have been empowered to take a management role and advocate for diverse perspectives in this male-dominated world. Thanks to Flavia, I believe that diversity is an asset, benefiting both the company and the space industry as a whole. — Chloe Leclerc, Fleet Space Technologies

Kavitha Bonthu, Senior Engineer, ETL Systems

Kavitha Bonthu now has 13 years of experience in high-speed design and implementation on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), an area of expertise that is still traditionally dominated by men. She has been integral to the Genus Digital 500 project which is set to launch in 2024. Kavitha is always pushing the digital boundaries, questioning the way things are done and existing specifications, whilst being highly detail oriented — exactly the type of mindset I need within my team. You can see that Kavitha thrives when she’s challenged, and this attitude has been integral throughout the Genus Digital 500 project, the results of which will be truly groundbreaking.” — Simon Swift, Engineering Director, ETL Systems

Nataliya Nakonechna, Advisory Board Member, Ukrainian Association of High-tech Enterprises and Organizations, KOSMOS

Nataliya has enormous energy and desire to bring changes, create opportunities for the space industry of Ukraine and to lead the space industry in Ukraine to sustainability. Despite difficulties and tragic times that Ukraine is going through now, Nataliya is promoting the Ukrainian space industry on the international market, searching for partners, projects and opportunities. Nataliya has devoted more than 15 years to the space industry and helped to launch a number of space projects, involving Ukrainian and international companies. She’s an inspirational role model for others and a female leader in the sector. — Julia Petryk, Ukrainian PR Army

June McAlarey, President and CEO, CATALYST

Under June’s leadership, PCI Geomatics, a 40+ year old company, has been transformed into a modern, agile organization able to leverage its deep and rich science to deliver value to customers using new and innovative platforms. June is deeply passionate about the role Earth Observation plays in monitoring climate change effects. She has created an environment within our company that fosters creativity and also a deep level of empathy for what our clients seek to accomplish to better their businesses. Her passion and energy has created a sense of urgency within our team that is unparalleled. — Kevin Jones, CATALYST

Katrin Bacic, CEO of UNIO Enterprise

As one of the few female CEOs in the European new space sector, Katrin has been a trailblazer, championing diversity, equality, and the empowerment of women in technology. Throughout her year-long tenure as the CEO of UNIO, she has not only demonstrated strong leadership and strategic vision but has also actively fostered an inclusive and diverse workplace culture within UNIO. Katrin's commitment to breaking gender barriers and promoting women in tech has had a profound impact on the industry, inspiring positive change and paving the way for a more inclusive and innovative future in the space sector. — Liina Kalamees, UNIO Enterprise

Alessia Tomatis, VP of Asset Management and Presales, Eutelsat

I have had the pleasure of knowing Alessia since her early days in the space industry. From the very beginning, her passion and engineering expertise set her apart as a trailblazer in the development of cutting-edge satellite missions. She played a crucial role in the creation of groundbreaking high throughput satellites and flexible satellites, pushing the boundaries of what was thought possible. Her hands-on involvement and expertise have been instrumental in shaping the future of Eutelsat’s satellite business. Throughout her remarkable career, Alessia's dedication to preserving our space environment has only grown stronger. She has championed sustainable practices and advocated for the protection of space resources. Her commitment to driving positive change and introducing a circular economy in space is truly inspiring. — Bernard Kasstan, Independent Consultant, Satellite Communications

Carla Filotico, Partner and Managing Director, SpaceTec Partners

Carla has been active in the satellite and wider aerospace and defense industry for over 25 years and I have known her for 20 of those. Her key contributions have been her unwavering commitment and innovative thinking to enable the sector to succeed. By combining her background in space systems engineering with an in-depth understanding of the economy and public policy, she has been strategically supporting players and projects across the satellite value chain, involving companies from small startups to large system integrators, satellite operators and service providers. She has been deeply involved in public policy with major institutions particularly at EU level, and national governments from around the globe including developing national space strategies with dedicated satcom initiatives, thus helping to shape the sector in a holistic way.

To every project, she brings a unique combination of enthusiasm, ambition, a drive for innovation, and strategic focus, while also maintaining a sense of realism. As a joint leader of our company for over 20 years, she has been instrumental in building our strong reputation, an incredibly wide network, and a dedicated, diverse, professional and highly motivated team. Her door is always open, whether for clients, company leadership or juniors. — Rainer Horn, SpaceTec Partners

Juliet Correnti, CEO and Owner of Radeus Labs, Inc.

I've had the privilege of knowing Juliet for many years, and working for her has been more than just a job — it's felt like home. Juliet's genuine care for others creates a safe environment where people can be themselves and fearlessly pursue new endeavors. She empowers others to take ownership of their careers, inspiring them to reach their goals. When I started, I was unsure of my career direction, but Juliet helped me recognize my natural aptitudes and encouraged me to pursue them. Her dedication to excellence and passion for quality serve as beacons, guiding us toward continuous improvement in both ourselves and our products. Under her leadership, we've built a community grounded in integrity and driven by a commitment to excellence. — Kelsey Miller, Radeus Labs

Neha Chohan, Lead Systems Engineer, ReOrbit

Neha leads a team of space engineers at ReOrbit, a Helsinki-based manufacturer of autonomous, networking, and reconfigurable satellites. Together with the team, Neha brings a new perspective to the space industry — software-first approach in the New Space economy, which is agile, disruptive. Neha is an amazing colleague to work with, always supportive, thoughtful, and a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the vast terrain of space. She genuinely strives to make the company an enjoyable place to work at and an effective launch pad for those who start their careers. Neha is a wonderful team player, but an unbeatable warrior in most board games and sports. — Jana Avdeeva, ReOrbit

Catharine Parnell, General Counsel, Skyloom

Catharine spent years on active duty as a Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAG) for the Army, including in warzones. She left to become a Department of Justice attorney/prosecutor, after which we were extraordinarily lucky to win her to the private sector. She is an absolute dynamo. She is not just a lawyer — she’s a savvy natural businessperson — all while working on her MBA. I have no idea how she does it. Catharine is leading and lighting the way for future businesswomen in our horribly male-dominated sector. She mentors, she actively and thoughtfully tries to overcome the obstacles that exist for women in the space industry and business in general, not just for herself but for others. I truly look up to her on a daily basis. —Campbell Marshall, Skyloom COO

Danielle Demmon, FPGA Design Engineer, Leostella

As one of our senior design engineers supporting the LS-200 and LS-300 small satellite programs, Danielle has helped the company develop and expand the capabilities of our on-orbit satellites by leading the digital design of our power control electronics. She’s an incredibly capable digital electrical design engineer from concept to build and test, and is a great team player working collaboratively with our software and test teams as well. She’s also been a tremendous advocate for advancing new leaders through her work with the Society of Women Engineers. — Paul Nitsch, LeoStella

Ana Molina, Corporate General Director, Hispasat

Ana María Molina has been part of Hispasat in two stages of her professional career. In the first she was part of the commercial team and acquired experience that was very useful in her subsequent stages in the Spanish Administration and as Strategy Director of Hisdesat. Upon her return to Hispasat as Director of Strategy and Transformation and, now, as Corporate General Director, Ana María has been able to provide the company with a crucial strategic vision to redefine Hispasat in the current environment, as well as a culture of effort and commitment. She is always governed by concern for her teams. — Iñaki Latasa Errecart, Hispasat VS