Born on 7 March 1969 in Moscow. In 1994 Ms. Drozdova graduated from Moscow State Academy of Printing Arts. In 1996 she earned an MBA degree in Finance from Kennedy-Western University (USA). In 2012 she graduated from the Higher Business School of Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics majoring in “Corporate Management in Telecommunications”. Ms. Drozdova holds a DBA degree. In 2019 she graduated from the Graduate School of Management and Innovation of Lomonosov Moscow State University under the programme “Corporate Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Startup-Instruments for Corporations”.

From 1994 to 1995 she was employed as Senior Expert of the Department of Strategic Research at Stolichny Bank (Russia).

In 1998 Ms. Drozdova joined Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC), where she dealt with corporate finance, headed the marketing division, and in 2005 became Deputy Head of Business Development Service. In 2008 Ms. Drozdova was appointed RSCC Deputy Director General for Business Development in charge of marketing, sales of the company’s services, and public relations.

From 2009 to April 2021 Ms. Drozdova held the office of the Chair of the Operations Committee of the Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications. Since 15 June 2021 Ms. Drozdova has been in office as Intersputnik Director General.

Andrey Kirillovich joined INTERSPUTNIK International Organization of Space Communications as Director of Strategy, Marketing and Business Development in July 2021 to take responsibility over the organization’s strategy development and implementation, marketing and PR activities. Besides this he is responsible for expansion to new markets and development of new business initiatives.

Before that for almost nine years Andrey was working in Russian Satellite Communications Company (RSCC), a leading regional GEO satellite operator, as Director of Integration Services and Turnkey Projects. In RSCC he was engaged in turnkey solutions and services on the international markets. In his role Andrey has developed a portfolio of satellite communications and broadcasting services to enhance RSCC position at regional vertical markets all across the globe.

Prior to continuing his career in RSCC Andrey was Regional Sales Director in VT iDirect, Inc., where he managed sales and marketing of iDirect VSAT products in Russia and CIS countries. During almost six years in iDirect he brought this technology vendor to leading positions on VSAT market in the region.

Before iDirect Andrey spent seven years in RSCC at various sales positions, where he was responsible for sales of satellite bandwidth to international customers in EMEA and Asia regions.

Andrey holds Ph. D. degree in Economics from Moscow Technical University of Communications and Informatics.

He is also a member of the Advisory Board in Via Satellite Magazine – a leading media in satellite industry.

Virgil Labrador is the Editor-in-Chief of Los Angeles, California-based Satellite Markets and Research which publishes a web portal on the satellite industry www.satellitemarkets.com, the monthly Satellite Executive Briefing magazine and occasional industry reports called MarketBriefs. Virgil is one of the few trade journalists who has a proven track record working in the commercial satellite industry. He worked as a senior executive for a teleport in Singapore, the Asia Broadcast Center, then-owned by the US broadcasting company CBS. He has co-authored two books on the history of satellite communications and satellite technology. His articles have appeared in numerous publications including the Encyclopaedia Britannica. He holds a Master’s in Communications Management from the University of Southern California (USC). He can be reached at virgil@satellitemarkets.com

Ms. Natalia Mochu is the Regional Director of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). She represents ITU in the CIS region, overseeing actions, projects, and initiatives for 9 countries. Her portfolio focuses on developing infrastructure, promoting innovation, cybersecurity, smart cities, digital inclusion, and accessibility.

​​Ms. Mochu holds a bachelor's degree in mathematics and informatics, as well as a master's degree in information technology from the State University of Moldova.

Prior to joining the ITU in February 2020, Natalia served as Senior Manager for Global Stakeholder Engagement for Eastern Europe and Central Asia at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). From 2012 to 2018, she held the position of Deputy Head of Laboratory at the Radio Research and Development Institute (NIIR) in Moscow. Between 2006 and 2012, Natalia worked for the Executive Committee of the Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications (RCC), notably as the RCC Executive Committee Deputy Director General from 2008 to 2012. She started her professional career with the Ministry of Information Development of the Republic of Moldova in 2002. ​

Natalia has actively participated in ITU high-level conferences and meetings, including ITU Plenipotentiary Conferences, Councils, and Sectoral Conferences. She has also made significant contributions to the activities of RCC working bodies, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations and others.

Natalia Vicente is Vice President of Public Affairs at GSOA, Global Satellite Operators Association, where she works closely with the Director General and the CEOs of GSOA Member companies to drive forward high-level advocacy for the satellite communications sector. Specifically, Natalia focusses on the Development Agenda working with international organisations to ensure nation states benefit from the value of leveraging available satellite communications services to bridge digital, education and health divides. Natalia is a Co-Chair of the EQUALS Access Coalition. Natalia has over a decade of experience in the digital sector, focusing on public policy, government relations and building international partnerships.

Natalia is a qualified lawyer with an LLM from the University Autonoma of Madrid and holds a Master of Business Administration specialised in Marketing. She is a Spanish national, lives in Brussels and speaks 4 languages.

Jean-Baptiste is a Principal at Novaspace, based in Paris. In his 16 years working in the satellite connectivity business, he has advised a wide range of clients including commercial and government actors along the space value chain. Prior to joining Novaspace, Jean-Baptiste was Senior manager within Eutelsat’s Corporate Strategy and M&A team, where he notably contributed to the merger with OneWeb, and to the company’s GEO and LEO business planning exercises. He holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunication and Space Law from University Paris-Saclay and an Executive Education from HEC Paris.

Brandon Seir is the Chief Commercial Officer of the Kacific Broadband Satellites Group. He is a marketing, sales and strategic planning specialist with over a decade of experience working in leading international telecommunications, internet service providers and digital technology companies. Brandon spent more than 11 years initially as Director Sales, and then Chief Commercial Officer with Roshan (Telecom Development Company), a GSM cellular provider with over 7.9 million customers, and a subsidiary of AT&T, Talia Sonora & Monaco Telecom. Prior to that, Brandon was Director International Business Development for Singaporean company Technobiz Equipment, providing enterprise payments solutions to telecom operators, banks, internet and utility service providers. Brandon holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool and a BBA from Tashkent State University.

Agzam Tajibayev is the Head of the International Orbital Frequency Coordination Service at the State Radio Frequency Service of the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He has over 15 years of expertise in satellite communications and spectrum management. He also holds a Master’s degree in Telecommunications. With experience in the international legal protection of orbital-frequency resources, he plays an active role in negotiations on satellite system coordination and participates in research activities of regional and international organizations. Agzam Tajibayev's professional activities are focused on the development of Kazakhstan's space industry. Today, within the framework of the orbital-frequency resource declared by the Republic of Kazakhstan, several space systems are successfully operating for their intended purposes. These include the KazSat satellite communication and broadcasting system, the KazEOSat Earth remote sensing system, and the scientific and technological space system. Additionally, Agzam Tadjibayev is the Vice-Chairman of ITU-R Study Group 4 from the Republic of Kazakhstan. As part of this work, he actively participates in the research for the preparation of the WRC.

Bruce Elbert is a leading space technology and satellite industry expert, communications engineer, project leader and consultant with over 50 years experience in communications and  space-based systems in the public and private sectors. Areas of expertise include space segment design and operation in all orbit domains, systems architecture and engineering, ground segment systems engineering, development and operation, overall system performance improvement, and organizational development. He has been an expert witness in legal proceedings related to radio communication system performance, patents, construction contracts, service agreements, RFI identification and resolution, and taxation. Mr. Elbert was engaged in several satellite networking projects where he led and advised teams of engineers and managers to evolve LEO and GEO systems to better address rapidly changing user requirements. Prior to founding ATS, he had an extensive space industry career and directed major satellite system projects and service organizations, and led business activities in the US and overseas.

Thomas Wrede is the founder and managing director of Technology Vision Consulting, a company specialized in project studies, standardization and prototype developments in the fields of satellite communications and wireless technologies. Thomas has over 35 years of professional experience in the communications industry. In his 28 years at satellite operator SES in Luxembourg he has been deeply involved in the development of digital satellite television, in-home signal distribution concepts, digital satellite radio, satellite return channel technology, Internet via satellite and High Definition as well as Ultra High Definition (4K/8K) television. Thomas currently represents SES in the DVB Commercial Module (www.dvb.org) as chair of the CM-S subgroup.  In his leisure time Thomas is an active amateur radio operator experimenting with software defined radio platforms and antenna designs.

Armand Musey President and Founder of Summit Ridge Group. He has over 15 years of equity research, investment banking, and consulting experience. Armand has completed dozens of financial valuation, strategic analysis, business development, corporate governance, and business plan creation assignments in the communications industry and has experience working on numerous financing and M&A transactions. Prior to founding Summit Ridge Group, Armand led the satellite industry research teams for Banc of America Securities, and later Solomon Smith Barney where he also covered the wireless tower industry. He earned numerous honors as a research analyst including being named to the Institutional Investor “All American” team three times (2000-2002) and the Wall Street Journal “All-Star” team. He was ranked as the top satellite industry analyst by Greenwich Associates. He was previously president of a boutique investment bank specializing in the satellite, media, and telecom industries.

Dr. Mark Dickinson is Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Neo Space Group. With over 25 years of expertise in satellite communications, he is set to drive NSG’s technological innovations and strengthen its position as a key enabler in the space industry. Dickinson has held pivotal leadership roles at Inmarsat and Viasat, where he spearheaded advancements in satellite technologies. His portfolio includes managing a fleet of 15 geostationary satellites, overseeing approximately $1 billion in spacecraft and launch procurement, and leading the acquisition of Onesat, Airbus' pioneering software-defined satellite. His collaborations with industry giants such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin have significantly enhanced global satellite capabilities and promoted sustainable space operations. During his tenure at Inmarsat, Dickinson directed the design, procurement, and deployment of future-ready space assets. Inmarsat’s innovative work with Aramco on precision navigation spacecraft and 4G network augmentation demonstrates his ability to fuse cutting-edge technology with practical applications. As Chairman of the Space Data Association, he championed space safety and sustainability initiatives, earning recognition as a visionary leader in the industry.

Jose del Rosario is a senior member of the consulting team of NSR (an Analysys Mason company) where he focuses his research on quantitative modelling, data verification, and market forecasting for the commercial and government satellite communications sectors. He conducts ongoing research with specialisation in policy analysis, economic indicators, regulatory initiatives and end-user demand trends. In addition to authoring numerous syndicated reports in his areas of focus, Jose has been involved in a wide range of strategic consulting projects. He has advised clients on market trends, implications, and strategies on such diverse topics as high throughput satellites (HTS), hosted payloads, wireless backhaul, SCADA/M2M/LDR and multi-mission satellite programmes.

Jose worked with Frost & Sullivan as Program Leader of the Mobile Communications Group, as Senior Analyst & Program Leader of the Satellite Communications Group, and most recently as Country Manager for the Philippines. Other experience includes being the Development, Outreach & Communications Specialist at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in the Philippines where he contributed to USAID/Philippines’ various programmes in energy, environment, health, education, economic development and governance. He was also the Public Affairs Officer of the European Commission’s Delegation in the Philippines, co-managing the Commission’s programmes on economic co-operation and development assistance. He performed economic and political risk assessment of the Philippines and ASEAN, for use by Delegation officials in the Philippines and in the Commission’s headquarters in Brussels. Jose also worked as a congressional aide for the Malaysian Embassy and as a telecoms legal researcher for Irwin & Lesse in Washington, D.C. Jose holds a Master of Arts degree in Applied Economics from The American University, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science/International Relations from the University of Santa Clara.

Vaibhav Magow, vice president at Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), leads the company’s broadband systems sales effort in the Asia Pacific, Middle East/Africa, Europe and Russia/CIS regions. Mr. Magow works closely with satellite operators, mobile network operators, and national and local government agencies to tailor and implement high performing and efficient satellite solutions to help connect the unconnected and enable enterprise digital transformations. A satellite communications and IT professional with more than 25 years of experience, Mr. Magow has held positions of increasing responsibility in sales, product development, marketing and program management over the course of his career. Prior to joining Hughes in his regional role, Mr. Magow focused on the Indian satellite market at Hughes Communications India, Ltd. (Hughes India). Mr. Magow obtained a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Computer Science from the University of Pune in Pune, Maharashtra, India. He speaks frequently at regional industry conferences and panels. Consumers, businesses, governments and communities around the world benefit from the connected experiences enabled by Hughes technologies and services. To learn more, visit our website at www.hughes.com or follow us on Twitter @HughesConnects and on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/HughesConnects

Profile at Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaibhavmagow/

Majdi Atout is Senior Consultant for IoT at APPLIOT. He has over 20 years of experience and expertise in the satcom industry which he leverages to provide innovative solutions for Aero, Mobility, and IoT over VSAT markets. He has a strong track record of developing and evolving various verticals in the ME&A region, such as Banking, Oil & Gas, Military & Government, Telco's & GSM, and Satellite operators.

Jose Horta (Madrid, 1963), actually is INTEGRASYS’ EMEA Senior Sales Director. With large expertise in Telecoms, has been involved in ground infrastructures for more than 30 years, terrestrial (wireless and wired) as well as aerial (satcoms). Always from sales positions, has developed markets creating teams and consolidating alliances oriented to expand technologies and deploy sales & service networks within geographical areas. With worldwide expertise, has special skills in EMEA region, where has developed markets of telecom infrastructures, as well as systems integration and smart solutions for airports, maritime, government and defense. He represents and manages the expansion of INTEGRASYS products portfolio in the region, in direct and 1 tier sales models.

Sirojiddin Usmanov, Senior specialist, Division of mobile communications and broadcasting networks, Department of telecommunications infrastructure development, The Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan

More than 20 years of work in the field of Radiocommunication, television and broadcasting sphere, including elaboration rules for regulation and licensing, developing programs and projects for air and cable TV, radio broadcasting, multimedia content distributions, radio-, mobile and satellite communications networks. Took party in establishing 3G, 4G, 5G mobile networks, modernization analog TV network, introducing digital terrestrial television broadcasting, and digital cable networks. For the last ten years, has been working in the field of regulation activities in the field of telecommunications, television and radio broadcasting, radio-, mobile and satellite communications networks, coordinating issues of standardization and coordinating development projects in this area. Elaborated laws, government decrees and programs, organized international negotiations and partnerships, practical application of the Geneva 06 Plan for digital terrestrial television broadcasting.

Jaume Sanpera, founder and CEO at Sateliot, is a serial entrepreneur backed by over 30 years of experience and deep expertise in the telecommunications industry. During his career, Jaume founded several companies, including the global business group Eurona, a leading satellite operator in Europe.  In 2018, he founded Sateliot the company that is launching commercially the first 5G NTN NB-IoT LEO constellation to offer 100% connectivity everywhere on the planet, providing service to commercial cellular NB-IoT RF modules able to support the newly introduced Non-Terrestrial-Network (NTN) features as per latest 3GPP Release 17

Sean Yarborough is a Vice President of Product Management at ST Engineering iDirect. In this role, Yarborough oversees the strategies for iDirect’s platform portfolio which includes managing the entire lifecycle from conception to end of life. Prior to joining ST Engineering iDirect, Sean was a Vice President of Service Assurance, with Spirent Communications, where he managed a portfolio of mature and new service assurance solutions for voice, video, and data services in the telecommunications and enterprise markets. These solutions ranged from traditional hardware appliances to SaaS based solutions. At Spirent, Sean advised leading service providers around the world on best practices for activating, monitoring, and troubleshooting business, wireless, and residential services. With over 25 years of experience in the IT, mobile, telecom, and satellite markets, Sean offers a unique blend of knowledge and cross-functional experience to educate the global community on the importance of satellite technology and its continued alignment with telco initiatives. He has a BS in Electrical Engineering (University of Virginia) and an MBA (University of Maryland - College Park).

Prior to joining Gilat, Hagay served as VP Strategic Accounts - Cyber Security at Allot Communications (Nasdaq – ALLT) where he was instrumental in transforming Allot to be the market leader of network- based cyber-security as-a-service for communication Service Providers. Previously he served as Gilat's Head of the VSAT Line of Business. In this period Gilat became the world leader for LTE cellular and commercial In- Flight broadband Connectivity over satellite. Earlier in his career, Hagay held senior positions in Sales, Marketing and Product Management at Modu Mobile, PacketLight Networks, which he co-founded (Acquired) and Telstra Research Laboratories. Hagay started his career in an elite technology unit of the IDF and is the co-author of nine granted patents. Hagay holds a BSc and MSc in Electronic Engineering from Tel-Aviv University and an MBA from Monash University.

Since January 2020, Sylvia Poll is the Head of the Digital Society Division in the Telecommunication Development Bureau of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). This Division focuses on digital inclusion, and digital innovation ecosystems. Before that, she was for five years the Head of the ITU Project Support Division.

Sylvia Poll was the Deputy Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations Office in Geneva and other International Organizations in Switzerland from 2010 to 2014, where she was the main focal point for Costa Rica, on sport for development and peace, as well as ITU, WIPO, WHO and IOM. Prior to this position, she was the Latin America Regional Manager of Executive Programs at the INCAE Business School and a manager at a Costa Rican communications company.

Ms. Poll was also an accomplished elite swimmer. She represented Costa Rica in two Olympic Games, Seoul, Korea 1988 and Barcelona, Spain, 1992. She won a silver medal, the first Olympic medal ever at that time, for Costa Rica and Central America, in addition to winning over 600 medals at national, regional and world swimming competitions. She was chosen the Best Athlete in Latin America two years in a row, in 1988 and 1989. Since 2010 she is a Member of the international organization “Peace and Sport”, as one of their “Champions of Peace”, a special Sport Ambassador, to help build sustainable peace through sport. She has also written on sport in different media outlets and worked as an expert swimming commentator during the broadcasting of the recent Rio Olympic Games 2016. Ms. Poll holds a Master in Business Administration and an Executive Master in International Negotiations and Policy Making.

JEAN-BENOIT LAITHIER, Principal Advisor, NovaSpace

Jean-Benoit joined Novaspace in 2021 as Principal Advisor focusing on the satellite communication ecosystem. Since he joined the company, Jean-Benoît has led strategic consulting mandates for a set of government and commercial clients. Jean-Benoit has been the editor in chief for Novaspace’s Market Intelligence report Ground Segment Market Prospects for the last two years. He also contributed to Satellite Connectivity & Video Market. Prior to joining Novaspace, Jean-Benoit was Manager, Sales & Business Development at the satellite operator SES, responsible for business development, pre-sales, sales and post-sales activities in the Government & Institution domain. From 2007 to 2019, Jean Benoit was Marketing Manager and Bid coordinator at Thales Alenia Space, working on Satellite communications and Navigation fields.

Jean-Benoit holds an Aeronautical Engineering Degree from ENAC, a Master’s Degree in Microwaves and Optical Telecommunications from Université Paul Sabatier and an MBA from EDHEC Business School.

Mr. Ekachai Phakdurong, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), Thaicom Public Company Limited

Mr. Ekachai Phakdurong is a professional business executive in satellite and telecommunications industries. He is currently Thaicom Public Company Limited's Chief Strategy Officer (CSO), overseeing the company's corporate strategy, business development, and corporate communications.

With his strong engineering background and more than 20 years of experience in the industry, he held several leadership positions at Thaicom, including director and head of business units overseeing subsidiaries in Thailand and overseas, regulatory and government affairs, business strategy, business development, engineering, operations, customer services, and corporate communications.

Ekachai has a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Southern California in Los Angeles and a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honors in Electrical Engineering from Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.

Ronald van der Breggen, Chief Commercial Officer of Rivada Space Networks, has more than 30 years’ experience in the terrestrial data-networking and satellite industry where he worked in leading management positions. A native of the Netherlands, van der Breggen began his telecom career at Dutch Telecom incumbent KPN. From 2003 to 2013, he served as Vice President Customer Account Management at SES, one of the world’s leading satellite operators. Having worked in both the fiber and satellite industries, Ronald knows first-hand the traditional limitation for data on satellites as compared to fiber. With Rivada’s unique constellation network this will now change as it brings opportunities for customers they never had before. Ronald holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Nijenrode University as well as a Master’s in Business Telecommunications from the Technical University of Delft, both in the Netherlands.

Miss. Ekaterina Pereponova, Senior Manager, Commercial Department, Intersputnik – experienced specialist with master’s degree in management and extensive knowledge in the satellite communications industry. With over 7 years of experience at Intersputnik, she is responsible for opening new markets, developing global strategies, implementing projects with a high degree of complexity and providing alternative solutions with a high level of efficiency.

Ms Revathi Manneppalli is working as a Joint Wireless Adviser in the Wireless Planning and Coordination Wing of the Ministry of Communications of the Government of India. She is currently serving as a Member of the Radio Regulations Board (RRB) of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). She has actively contributed for the development of ICT in various meetings on spectrum management at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Asia Pacific Telecommunity (APT) including World Radiocommunication Conferences and World Telecommunication Development Conferences. She has over 25 years’ of experience in Satellite Filing, Frequency Coordination and Spectrum Management. She played a lead role in the first ever spectrum auction conducted by India during the year 2010 for 3G and Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum and the subsequent spectrum auctions during the years 2012 to 2016. Since 2015, Ms. Revathi has been advising Director General, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (ITSO) as a Frequency Expert from the Asia Pacific Region on all matters related to the Space Spectrum. She also played a pivotal role in obtaining the orbital rights for South Asia Satellite launched by India during the year 2017 to provide essential services viz. telemedicine, tele-education and connectivity to remote areas in SAARC Countries.

Ms. Revathi received her Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communications Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technology University, Hyderabad and Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy Management from Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, India.

Caroline De Vos, Co-Founder and COO at neXat

With master’s degrees in physics, Space Science and a Space Executive MBA from the International Space University, Caroline has also been an astronaut candidate at the European Space Agency (ESA). Caroline Co-Founded Satellite Service Provider, Nexat which designs innovative satellite networking solutions for areas where terrestrial infrastructure is not reliable.

From early on, Caroline had an interest in science and a desire to be different. Not interested in dolls, she was fascinated by space and engineering. She spent her childhood wondering what was outside of her world and how she could make the most of her time on the earth.

A free spirit, Caroline would often find her imagination racing, understanding how vast the world was and dreaming of adventures. Reality was safe but there was a huge world to be uncovered.

Caroline enjoyed studying engineering and used any opportunity she could to learn how things worked.

Caroline’s dreams were big, she felt a strong calling to push the boundaries - to break away from her happy, if somewhat traditional background. Convention wasn’t attractive to her, she knew that if she ever had the chance to get involved in something unique, she was determined to do so.

Space exploration presented quite a level of intrigue for Caroline. Being based in Belgium had its advantages and it seemed a natural progression for her to make her way to the ESA to take her fascination with space to the next level.

Intellectually an engineer, Caroline’s journey at the ESA, quickly led her to the prestigious position of candidate astronaut. This was to be a key moment in her life, it opened her eyes to possibilities far from the world she knew.

During her time at the ESA, in 1998 Caroline became involved in contributing to two ESA projects: ‘Robotic Outpost Missions to Mars and Habitability & Ergonomics of Space Flights to Mars. While in this position she completed a Space Executive MBA and subsequently achieved the prestigious position as a candidate astronaut.

Despite this love of physics taking her to significant new heights, Caroline still longed to be able to apply the skills she was learning in some way, on earth rather than space and ultimately, much closer to the ground. When she narrowly missed out on reaching a position as an astronaut, she was surprisingly not deflated but instead she felt driven. Driven towards different height - mountains. Feeling the need to be challenged, Caroline embarked upon an adventure of exploration in the mountains, gaining a qualification in mountaineering and an expertise at great heights. She quickly became a coach trainer in companies to teach self-leadership, team efficiency and communication. Her love of high altitudes continued as she took on advanced exploration challenges and adventures covering places of extreme altitude.

As she scaled the mountains, Caroline had more time to dream. She soon realised that there was an intriguing link to be made between physics, geography and the detailed knowledge she had gained around space.

While still working at the ESA, Caroline identified a unique way to combine all three concepts. Following a market study, she was contributing to at the time, Caroline realised that there was a way to provide satellite services to new markets, in all parts of the earth, to connect communities and embark on a new adventure.

Nexat was formed in 2011, in part out of an idea coming from a market study Caroline and Nexat Co-Founders, Thierry Eltges, Co-Founder & CEO, Fulvio Sansone, Co-Founder & CTO and then Michel Dothey Chief Commercial Officer had while working at the ESA on a satcom study (https://artes.esa.int/projects/use-satellite-triple-play-services-emerging-countries). The team realised that there was a way to channel their expertise to new places to find communities in need of connections using satellite communications. These connections could transform ways of life and enterprise beyond all recognition.

In 2011, some places on earth, especially in Africa, had little or no access to online communications. Exploration to parts of Africa had given Caroline a sense of urgency as they could see such huge potential for communities to reach a better way of life socially and economically, if reliable connections could be developed.

Caroline ensured that to search for these new markets, the team must take a hands-on approach, searching for places and needs that could potentially be catered for. As was so often the case in Africa, political and financial constraints meant that any deployments of new technologies had to be carefully implemented, sensitively in relation to the needs of each individual community.

To date, Nexat has installed more than 4,000 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks in more than 90 countries. Its tailor-made solutions are based on customers’ specific requirements with flexible service plans to meet budgets. Nexat is the creator of the innovative Cloud-based Platform which serves as a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) solution, enabling operators to deliver satellite-based connectivity without investing in additional physical infrastructure.

As a woman in telecoms, Caroline feels she has a strong level of sensitivity to spot challenges and rationally come up with solutions. Whether it be due to her empathy towards humankind or her passion to help, she decided that wherever Nexat took its services, it would do it as flexibly as possible – even if that meant that each individual village in Africa would need a slightly different approach.

Caroline’s need to be different has translated into all aspects of her career and within the structure of Nexat she found herself naturally adopting the role of orgnaisational manager, using her logical side to begin to hire the right people to work within her team while allowing colleagues to apply their individual skills at the same time.

Although she sees change happening, Caroline feels sometimes challenged as a woman, but this challenge is no longer a barrier. The challenge is a springboard to success, no matter what the situation. She believes that if it’s too simple it’s just not worth it – challenges make women stronger and this is something to relish.

Caroline feels her empathy to relate to challenges and applications of insight are what keeps her relevant and growing. She looks forward to a time when the strength to shine for women should be expected and not the exception.

“From our work together at the ESA, to our fast-paced mission today at Nexat, Caroline continues to play an integral part as we take our unique approach to new places, developing and delivering affordable and accessible satellite services to unite customers and communities.” - THIERRY ELTGES, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nexat

“As proficient communicators, at Nexat we understand the importance of empathy in everything we do. It has always been apparent to me that Caroline has an acute ability to interpret need and translate it into a solution. Being able to do this so well has always been the driver to her success as she has excelled in her achievements.” - MICHEL DOTHEY, Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), NeXat

“I admire Caroline’s flexibility in that one minute she is in Africa working with partners on intricate and technical projects and the next where she’s back in Belgium being a dynamic & sporty mum of 2 great girls!” – FULVIO SANSONE, Fulvio Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

Caroline De Vos has more than fifteen years’ experience in the aerospace industry and international satellite satellite services companies, in particular in the satellite telecommunication field.

At the moment Caroline is one of the owners and serves as Chief Operations Officer of SatADSL, a satellite service provider offering satellite broadband services in Sub-Saharan Africa.

In the past Caroline worked with the European Space Agency as system engineer trainee, and at Space Application services (SAS) where she was project manager. Caroline was also the former operation manager of the satellite communication service company Space Checker. Caroline joined Sea&Space Exploration before founding SatADSL, being Strategic Business Consultant responsible for market studies in the field of satellite communications.

Caroline got a Master in Pysics at the University of Brussels, ULB, a Master in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Liège and is an International Space University Alumni.

She speaks fluently French, Dutch, German and English.

Vivek Prasad – Principal Analyst, Analysys Mason

Mr. Prasad been involved in the Space Industry since 2010, joining NSR in 2019. At NSR, now An Analysys Mason Company, he heads the Satellite Capacity program and leads the research & consulting efforts covering Satcom Capacity supply & demand, Consumer Broadband, Enterprise VSAT & Constellations markets. Prior to NSR, he was leading the Frost & Sullivan Space Research Program as Industry Principal. At Frost & Sullivan, he spearheaded research areas encompassing Small-satellites, Mega-constellations, Enterprise broadband & Satellite Communication markets and led multiple client-centric consulting assignments including the UK Space Agency Spaceport business model. Mr. Prasad is an ex-ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) scientist and has worked in the System Integration Group of ISRO Satellite Centre Bangalore for 7 years (2010-2017), executing System engineer to Project manager roles. His responsibilities included Satellite Configuration analysis, System Integration, Mass properties management, Launch interface studies, and Project Management. During his tenure at ISRO, he has worked on seven satellite projects including SARAL: An Indo-French Satellite and ASTROSAT: India’s first dedicated astronomy satellite. He was also a core team member responsible for the design and development of ISRO’s first Nano-satellite platform, INS-1A & INS-1B.

For more details: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vivek-suresh-prasad-4b9638b6/

Sahiba Hasanova, Leading advisor for technology development at the Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Member of the ITU Radio Regulations Board (RRB), the Board vice-chair and chair of its Working group for RRB Rules of Procedures. Member of the Advisory Board of the Network of Women in ITU-D from CIS region. She is responsible for the satellite frequency coordination issues of the Azerbaijan Communications Administration (Ministry of Digital Development and Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan). Sahiba Hasanova was vice-chairperson of ITU-R Study Group 4 (Satellite Services) and member of the Frequency working Party of ITSO. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan awarded Sahiba Hasanova with “Medal of Progress” for her special achievements in the Azerbaijan telecommunications. She was awarded with 3 honorary certificates by the Azerbaijan Minister of Digital Development and Transport, and “RCC Medal” and 2 honorary certificates by RCC.

Aichurok Maralbek kyzy, Chief Specialist Of The Spectrum Management Department, Regulatory body in Communications sector of the Kyrgyz Republic

In 2013 graduated Kyrgyz State Technical Universitynamed after I. Razzakov specializing in «Radiocommunications, Broadcasting and Television».

Since 2013 working at Spectrum Management Department of the Regulatory body in the Communications sector of the Kyrgyz Republic.

As a chief specialist of Spectrum Management Department, responsible for proceeding electromagnetic compatibility analysis of fixed and fixed satellite services (as defined by ITU Radio Regulations). In other words: EMC analysis of applications for radio relay stations, wireless broadband systems, earth stations of satellite communications, their international coordination, ITU filing procedures and other works related to frequency assignments.

Moreover, spectrum management, foreign affairs, exploring the regulatory/technical and other aspects associated with radiocommunications.

My name is Khadra Farah Mohamed, I am telecommunication engineer done both my bachelor degree and master in Telecommunication engineering and currently working with the Dalkomsomalia submarine cable station and Dalstat global Satellite teleport. I work as an engineer in transmission and network department. the company provider End-to-end connectivity between Africa and the rest of the world. On the other hand, I work with some projects which is in tech industry for the girls ,especially young ladies,the ones who join tech innovation, we encourage girls how to code and develop their ideas , digital security and safety ,graphic designs and other tech relevant topics.

Kamal Antoun has more than 22 years of experience in Telecommunications and IT, predominantly in emerging markets with a particular focus on Middle East and Africa. Kamal is the regional head of Middle East and Africa for Hughes, driving Sales and Business Development to expand the company’s presence across the region, and has been in this role since 2018.