Satellite Executive of the Year Nominees for 2024

Since 1988, the Via Satellite Executive of the Year award has recognized outstanding leadership in the industry. This award honors an executive that has led a company to financial success, executed an innovative project, or furthered the conversation on a crucial issue facing the industry within the past year. Recent winners include Mike Greenley, Melanie Stricklan, and Tina Ghataore. This year’s six nominees represent a cross-segment of the industry from satellite operators, manufacturers, ground technology, IoT, and cybersecurity.

The winner of the award will be determined by a public vote combined with the votes of the Via Satellite editorial board. The winner will be announced during the Via Satellite awards luncheon on Wednesday, March 12, at the SATELLITE 2025 conference in Washington, D.C. Voting is open online from Feb. 18 to 12 p.m. on March 11 and can be accessed at satellitetoday.com/vote. Here are the 2024 Executive of the Year nominees.

Peter Cannito, Redwire Chairman and CEO

When AE Industrial Partners (AEI) formed Redwire in 2020, there were a lot of questions about what type of company Redwire would be. Peter Cannito, now Redwire’s chairman and CEO, was part of the founding team in 2020 as an operating partner for AEI. Over the past four years, Cannito has successfully managed Redwire’s acquisitions, building the company into a trusted supplier for the space industry. Cannito laid out the vision for Redwire in a 2021 interview with Via Satellite, about how Redwire aimed to fill the “missing middle” of offering a range of capabilities with proven flight heritage. Under his leadership, Redwire has fulfilled that goal. Through the first half of 2024, Redwire successfully integrated nine acquisitions. The company aims to grow even more, with the recent acquisition of Hera Systems to move up the value chain in national security space, and uncrewed airborne system provider Edge Autonomy to broaden its position into the defense market. The Hera Systems acquisition also brings Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) flight heritage into the company.

Redwire’s list of customers read like a who’s who list in the space industry and its hardware is supporting missions throughout the solar system. In 2024 alone, the company’s technology supported the NASA PACE mission, the European Space Agency’s PROBA-3 and Europa Clipper missions. The company is known for its Roll-Out Solar Arrays that support the International Space Station and commercial spacecraft for customers like Maxar, Thales Alenia Space, and Blue Origin. Redwire is also supporting the future of space, with its pharmaceuticals and biomedicine onboard the International Space Station (ISS), including bioprinting the first live human heart tissue. And Redwire is investing in innovative emerging missions like Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) as well.

Cannito’s strategy is paying off. In 2023, Redwire grew revenue 52 percent year-over-year, and is expected to grow around 27 percent year-over-year in 2024. While many space SPACs have declining valuations, Redwire grew its share price more than 600 percent in the past year — proving out the value Cannito articulated to fill the “middle market” in space.

Don Claussen, ST Engineering iDirect CEO

Since becoming the CEO of ST Engineering iDirect in January of 2023, Don Claussen has overseen innovative product launches and important contract wins but perhaps more importantly, has become a leading spokesperson for tech innovation and flexible business models in the satellite ground segment. 2024 was a particularly significant year for the company. ST Engineering iDirect launched its next generation ground system, Intuition — a software-defined ground system designed for multi-orbit environments that aims to change how satellite networks are deployed and how connectivity services are delivered. In another tech milestone of 2024, ST Engineering iDirect introduced a multi-orbit tracking and switching technology, to facilitate transitions between GEO and Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) satellites. The company also secured contract wins with Viasat, Arabsat, and Indonesia’s Satria-1 program, cementing its position as one of the key players in the ground segment.

One thing that sets Claussen apart is how he uses his platform to promote open standards and new ways for the ground segment players to do business. Driving change in the satellite industry is never easy but Claussen has been a prominent voice calling for more industry collaboration. He introduced the concept of “diagonalization” which calls satellite industry to rethink its foundational business models and work across the silos, among them vertical and horizontal integration, to better align satellite with the broader telecom and tech landscape. He has also championed industry standards like DIFI and WAVE. Claussen has been an advocate for greater integration and interoperability, and wants ST Engineering iDirect to be at the forefront of unlocking new possibilities for seamless connectivity across orbits and networks.

It is not an easy time to be the CEO of a ground tech company, considering how much SpaceX’s Starlink constellation has disrupted the satcom ecosystem. But Claussen shares his vision of how ground tech can move past the growing pains and chart a way forward to a more flexible, collaborative, and connected future.

Emile de Rijk, SWISSto12 CEO

SWISSto12 is a startup that has shaken up the old world order of satellite manufacturing. Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12 has built a satellite manufacturer able to compete with the traditional giants, winning votes of confidence from some of the top operators in the industry. The company is seen as one of the flagship new European space companies and thanks to its HummingSat satellite program, a Geostationary (GEO) satellite up to five times lighter than a traditional GEO, at a much lower cost. SWISSto12 has secured orders for the HummingSat from both Intelsat and Viasat/Inmarsat, marking the first investments in small GEO for both of these operators, and the first time that major satellite operators ordered GEO satellites from a startup.

In 2024, SWISSto12 worked to deliver on the HummingSat program while growing revenues by over 40 percent. The company passed preliminary design reviews for the Intelsat 45 and Inmarsat 8 missions. In 2024, the company also enhanced production capacity with the acquisition of four MetalFabG2 metal 3D printers from Additive Industries and announced the opening of its new command and control center in Georgia in the United States for its HummingSat satellites. The company also increased its workforce in 2024 by around 75 percent across the world. SWISSto12's technology also goes beyond satellites with proprietary 3D-printing technology and more than 1,000 flight-proven RF products already in orbit.

De Rijk’s vision for the Hummingsat is to strengthen the competitiveness and cost-effectiveness of GEO against increasing pressure from Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations. It gives traditional operators more options to replace aging satellites in their fleets at lower levels of capital expenditure. As CEO, de Rijk has shown that it is possible to disrupt one of the most traditional segments within satellite with contract wins with the likes of Intelsat and Viasat.

Erin Miller, Space ISAC Executive Director

Over the space of a short few years, the Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) has become an essential organization in the space sector. The cyber attack on Viasat’s assets three years ago ushered in a new reality where space assets are now seen as fair game in this volatile geopolitical era. At the time, the satellite industry seemed ill-prepared for these changes in dynamics. Thanks to the leadership of Erin Miller and Space ISAC, the industry now has a prominent organization providing a forum for companies to collaborate and share information on cyber defenses.

In a short space of time, Space ISAC has rapidly expanded its reach by securing the confidence of space companies and partners around the world. The organization announced a slate of new global partnerships in 2024, including partnerships with the UK Space Agency (UKSA), France’s Centre National D’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the Israel Space Agency, and opening the Australia Global Hub. Also in 2024, Space ISAC reached the milestone of its 100th member.

There is more discussion than ever before about the security threats facing space networks. Miller and Space ISAC have worked tirelessly to bring as many of the space companies together in order to help face these threats. It provides a valuable service to the community through the latest threat intelligence, tabletop exercises at industry events, and training for members. Miller is not a typical Satellite Executive of the Year nominee — Space ISAC is not about revenue growth, landmark deals, or new platform launches. However, what Miller and her team have done is perform such valuable services to the satellite community that its impact cannot be understated. This industry needs Space ISAC and needs someone with Miller’s drive to make sure that the organization is not just paying lip service to the cyber problem. Under Miller’s leadership, Space ISAC has become a vital resource for space operators all over the world.

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

As CEO and co-founder of Fleet Space Technologies, Flavia Tata Nardini has built a sustainable small satellite business serving the unique needs of the mining industry, while raising the profile of Australia’s growing space industry. Nardini led the development of Fleet Space’s Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, which provides connectivity for the company’s ExoSphere platform. ExoSphere combines satellite connectivity, 3D subsurface data-acquisition, and AI to aid the discovery of critical minerals while reducing environmental impact. While many satellite companies want to bring satellite technology to the mining sector, Fleet Space is set apart by its success here. Its list of customers includes top mining companies like Rio Tinto, Barrick, Gold Fields, and Ma’aden.

Under Nardini’s leadership, Fleet Space has become the standard-bearer company of Australia’s small satellite market, launching Australia’s first LEO constellation. Nardini is a national leader as chair of the Australian Space Agency Space Industry Leaders Forum, and mission chair of the 7 Sisters Moon Mission to send nanosatellites and sensors to the Moon to search for water and resources. She is one of the few female CEOs in both the space and mining industries — both of which remain male-dominated at the highest levels of leadership.

In other 2024 milestones, the company launched its next-generation Centauri-6 satellite, which demonstrated full duplex satellite communications for the Australian Defence Force, and continued to expand globally with a footprint across the U.S., Canada, Chile, and Luxembourg. Fleet Space closed out 2024 with a milestone $100 million Series D funding round that more than doubled the company’s valuation to $525 million, demonstrating how the company has secured the confidence of its customers and investors. Satellite companies in communications, IoT, and imagery and sensing often face the challenge of wanting to be all things to all markets. But under Nardini’s leadership, Fleet Space shows how focusing deeply on one market and building a solution that truly meets its needs is a path to success.

David Wajsgras, Intelsat CEO

In the nearly three years since Intelsat emerged from bankruptcy, CEO David Wajsgras has driven a turnaround at the company that transformed Intelsat from providing bulk capacity to managed services, while embracing a multi-orbit strategy and reaching new markets. After taking the helm of Intelsat in April of 2022, Wajsgras went through a strategic reset for Intelsat to move up the value chain and become a managed services provider. After this turnaround, 40 percent of Intelsat’s revenue now comes from managed services.

While Wajsgras was not part of the management team that made the decision in bankruptcy to acquire Gogo’s commercial aviation business, the in-flight connectivity (IFC) business has thrived while he has led the company. In late 2023 and into 2024, Intelsat’s aviation business secured important deals with American Airlines, Air Canada, and Japan Airlines in an increasingly competitive IFC market.

Wajsgras also moved to invest in Intelsat’s future with a commitment for Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) capacity from OneWeb worth up to $500 million, and giving Intelsat direct design and functionality input into the second generation of OneWeb. Intelsat has also made critical investments into terminal companies, and its work with terminal company hiSky is an integral part of why agriculture giant CNH tapped Intelsat to supply a satcom solution for its tractors.

Wajsgras also demonstrated leadership during the IS-33e satellite loss crisis in late 2024. Colleagues described his leadership during the crisis as “stalwart,” as he guided the team to restore service to 80 percent of customers within one week. Wajsgras then gave credit to how the team pulled together and how customers and competitors worked together to restore service. Finally, part of Wajsgras’ leadership is his vision for how Intelsat needs to evolve, embracing the deal to combine with SES to form a larger, more competitive operator that can invest more aggressively into the future of satellite communications. The fact that Intelsat was a viable target for the acquisition speaks to the operator’s turnaround under Wajsgras’ leadership. VS