Media Links, manufacturer of Media over IP transport technology, has appointed Tsukasa Sugawara as its new CEO, effective April 1, 2020. Tsukasa was previously Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for the company and succeeds John Dale III, who will remain actively involved in the role of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Dale also remains a board member of Media Links.

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) announced the promotion of Mark Toppenberg and Jeff Harig, each to Co-President of Comtech’s Tempe, Arizona-based subsidiary, Comtech EF Data Corp., the promotion of Mark Schmeichel to President of its Santa Clara, California-based subsidiary, Comtech Xicom Technology, Inc. and the appointment of Michael Plourde as Comtech’s Vice President Global Engineering and Programs.

Kleos Space, a space-powered Radio Frequency Reconnaissance data-as-a-service (DaaS) company, has appointed Sean McKay as senior business developer for US and Middle East operations.

Sean McKay is a retired Colonel and a graduated Senior Materiel Leader with over 22 years’ experience in program management for various Department of Defense, Foreign Military Sales, and Intelligence Community activities in command and control, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, space, cyber, ground integration, operational systems and operational test.

Space & Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) today announced that Isotropic Systems Co-Founder and CTO Jeremy Turpin will join the SSPI Board for his first full term, pending an election by the membership in June. Jeremy is a member of the 2019 “20 Under 35” cohort of outstanding space and satellite employees and entrepreneurs under the age of 35.

Spacecom (Tel Aviv Stock Exchange: SCC), operator of the AMOS satellite fleet, announces that  Dan Zajicek has been appointed by the board of director’s as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. His appointment officially begins on April 1, 2020. Itzik Shnaiberg, who has served as Acting CEO since 1 January 2020, will return to his Deputy CEO position at that time. The board of directors wishes to thank Shnaiberg for filling the CEO position during this transition period.

International Launch Services (ILS) has hired a longtime United Launch Alliance executive as its new president as the company expands to offer Soyuz launch services and potentially human spaceflight missions. ILS announced March 11 that Tiphaine Louradour is the company’s new president, effective immediately. ILS had been without a full-time president since the departure of Kirk Pysher last October.

Viasat today announced the expansion of its global leadership team with the addition of Jim Dodd, as president, Global Mobile Solutions; Peter Langkilde, as vice president and Head of Broadband Services for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and Dr. Krishna Nathan, as chief information officer (CIO).

Guido Neumann, Co-Founder and CEO of CETel, and now the Chief Development Officer and President EMEA of AXESS Networks. He has a very interesting background which served him well and CETel, the company he co-founded with a partner in 2004.  After serving in the German Armed Forces and NATO as an officer in Command, Control, Communications and Information Systems, he moved to a then IT consulting firm, IABG in 1997. At IABG, he started a new Teleport division in 1999 to serve the newly launched LMI-1 satellite.

Satellite Executive Briefing invited executives from the main manufacturers of satellite antennas to participate in a virtual roundtable and we received responses from the following companies: Tony Wilkey, Senior Vice President- AvL Technologies; Drew Klein,Vice President-C-COM Systems; Roni Stoleru, VP Antenna Products-Gilat Satellite Networks; Brian Billman, VP Product Management-Isotropic Systems; Dave Helfgott,CEO-PHASOR; and Bill Milroy, Chief Technology Officer-ThinKom Solutions, Inc. Follows are excerpts of the exchange:

Comtech Telecommunications Corp. (NASDAQ: CMTL) a leading provider of products, systems and services for advanced communications solutions, today announced that the Board of Directors has appointed Lisa Lesavoy as a Director.