World Teleport Association Names Global Eagle’s Abel Avellan 2017 Teleport Executive of the Year

New York, NY, March 1, 2017--The World Teleport Association (WTA)  announced that Abel Avellan, President and Chief Strategy Officer of Global Eagle has been named as its 2017 Teleport Executive of the Year. Mr. Avellan will be honored during WTA’s Teleport Awards for Excellence luncheon on March 7 during SATELLITE 2017 in Washington, DC. The Teleport Executive of the Year award is presented to an individual for demonstrated entrepreneurship, leadership and innovation in the development or operation of a teleport-based business.

Mr. Avellan is Global Eagle’s President and Chief Strategy Officer. Mr. Avellan was previously Chief Executive Officer of Emerging Market Communications (EMC), which he co-founded in 2000. Mr. Avellan has over 25 years of experience as a trained engineer and played a major role in developing several of EMC’s patented applications designed for bandwidth re-utilization, noise reduction and reduction of antenna sizes for fixed and mobile networks.  

“Abel is one of the industry’s best deal-makers but equally important, one of its chief innovators," said WTA director of development Lou Zacharilla. "His inventions have enabled the entire industry to enjoy more efficient bandwidth utilization, better applications for the new world of mobility and new ways to push HTS payloads further.  He has also helped make a “better satellite world” through the delivery of his technologies to the United Nations and other NGOs where mission-critical communications make all the difference.”

During the 2017 Teleport Awards for Excellence luncheon ceremony hosted by Crystal, WTA will also honor its Independent Teleport of the Year and Teleport Technology of the Year. The luncheon begins at noon on the 7th of March and is free to WTA members who register. Attendance is also available on a paid basis to non-members. Registration is available online on WTA's website.

In addition to Mr. Avellan, the list of Teleport Executive of the Year alumni includes Pierre-Jean Beylier, CEO of SpeedCast, Avi Cohen, CEO of RR Media; Bill Tillson, Co-CEO of Encompass Digital Media; Adrian Ballintine, Founder and President of NewSat Ltd.; Jaime Dickinson, President of NewCom International; Doug Tutt, Chief Operating Officer and President of Global Energy Services, CapRock Communications; the late Kenneth Miller, President and Chief Operating Officer, Globecomm Systems; David Rivel, Founder & CEO, RRsat Global Communications Network; Nick Thompson, Managing Director, Arqiva Broadcast & Media; Brent J. Gale, Vice President of Satellite and Broadcast Operations, EchoStar; Norberto Alvarez Vitale, President, Teleport Internacional Buenos Aires; and Jorge Luis Villarreal Schutz, CEO of Elara Comunicaciones. Click here for a complete list.