Dr. Angel Smith is a seasoned executive in the space and intelligence sector. She is the Executive Director of the SmallSat Alliance and currently serves as General Manager, Strategic Global Enablement at Microsoft.

Gen. John W. "Jay" Raymond is the Chief of Space Operations, United States Space Force. As Chief, he serves as the senior uniformed Space Force officer responsible for the organization, training and equipping of all organic and assigned space forces serving in the United States and overseas.

Gen. Raymond was commissioned through the ROTC program at Clemson University in 1984. He has commanded at squadron, group, wing, numbered air force, Major Command and Combatant Command levels. Notable staff assignments include serving in the Office of Force Transformation, Office of the Secretary of Defense; the Director of Plans, Programs and Analyses at Air Force Space Command; the Director of Plans and Policy (J5), U.S. Strategic Command; and the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Headquarters U.S. Air Force.

Gen. Raymond deployed to Southwest Asia as Director of Space Forces in support of operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Prior to leading establishment of the U.S. Space Force and serving as the first Chief of Space Operations, Gen. Raymond led the re-establishment of U.S. Space Command as the eleventh U.S. combatant command.

Sir Peter Beck is the founder and chief executive of Rocket Lab, a space systems company and the world's leading dedicated small satellite launch provider. Rocket Lab provides end-to-end mission services, including complete satellite build and launch solutions, that provide rapid, frequent and reliable access to space. Rocket Lab has been launching since May 2017, delivering satellites to orbit for commercial and government customers, including DARPA, NASA, the NRO, the United States Air Force and more. Since founding the business in 2006, Peter has grown Rocket Lab to become a globally recognised industry leader in space and a billion-dollar company employing hundreds of world-class engineers.

Dave Limp is the CEO of Blue Origin. Prior to joining Blue Origin, Limp held various executive roles at Amazon and Apple.

Commander Matthew Mitchell, U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), Retired, has more than 24 years of military and law enforcement experience, including a 20-year career in the USCG where he specialized in Search and Rescue (SAR) coordination.

As an officer in the USCG, Matthew was charged with managing four U.S. Rescue Coordination Centers (RCCs) and Rescue Sub-Centers (RSCs), developing national-level SAR policies and procedures, and overseeing a team of scientists and operations experts in developing the world's premier search planning software. Matthew has traveled extensively, training dozens of partner nation's maritime services, and has had the honor of leading teams through thousands of natural disasters, mass rescue operations, and SAR responses. His extensive career saw operations throughout the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii.

Matthew is a twice published author and has led or participated in many novel initiatives to improve the global SAR system to include the study of cognitive biases on SAR decision making, the development of a national continuous improvement program, and the mitigation of psychological impacts from SAR operations on responders.

Natalia Vicente is Vice President of Public Affairs at GSOA, where she works closely with the Director General and the CEOs of GSOA Member companies to drive high-level advocacy for the satellite communications sector. Specifically, Natalia focuses on the Development Agenda, working with international organizations to ensure nation-states understand the value of leveraging available satellite communications services to bridge digital, education, and health divides in their countries.

Natalia is also a Board Member of the European Internet Forum and a Co-Chair of the EQUALS Access Coalition. She holds over a decade of experience in the digital sector, focusing on public policy, government relations, and building international partnerships.

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

Optical Scientist and Mechanical Engineer with focus on radio antenna design and fabrication. PhD in Optical Science from UArizona in 2019.

Josephine brings more than a decade of experience in investment/equity research following the aerospace industry. Her research coverage has included a wide range of small-to-mid cap Defence and Security Technology companies, such as space (DigitalGlobe and GeoEye), drones (AeroVironment) robots (iRobot), and threat detection. She worked most recently at the Benchmark Company, where she established a Washington D.C. office prior to relocating to Paris, France. She began her equity research career covering Global Communications at JP Morgan. Josephine received her MBA from Georgetown University and bachelor's degree from the University of California, Riverside.

Sho Nakanose is the Founder and CEO of GITAI, the world's leading space robotics startup. He aims to provide safe and affordable labor in space, reducing operational costs to one-hundredth of the current levels.

In March 2024, GITAI achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully conducting a technical demonstration outside the International Space Station (ISS), showcasing advanced robotic technologies that promise to change the dynamics of space operations. The company's innovative work has attracted contracts from DARPA, major US space companies, TOYOTA, the Japanese government, JAXA, and others. These partnerships focus on developing and integrating GITAI's robotic systems into various space programs.

Nakanose has been named a key person to watch in the space sector in 2024 by AviationWeek and was selected as one of the awardees by "Innovators Under 35 Japan 2020" hosted by MIT Technology Review. He is proud to be the first Japanese selected for the main program (Global Solutions Program) of Singularity University at NASA Ames Research Center in the US. Prior to founding GITAI, he worked for IBM Japan.

Dr. Nicolas Capet, a visionary French engineer with expertise in electromagnetism and microwaves, has become a leader in space antenna technology. As President of Anywaves, he has driven the company to the forefront of the space industry, significantly contributing to the French and European new space boom.
Nicolas's journey began with his education at ENAC, Toulouse University; France, and Onera, where he earned a Ph.D. in engineering. He started his career at the French Space Agency (CNES) as an antenna engineer, leading innovation in antenna technology and overseeing advanced antenna studies for future missions.
Throughout his career, Dr. Capet has made substantial contributions to the space field, authoring over 65 scientific publications and holding 25 patents. His passion for advancing technology and knowledge is evident in his work.
In 2017, Nicolas founded Anywaves, dedicated to developing innovative space antennas. Under his leadership, Anywaves has grown to become the sole pure European space antenna equipment manufacturer, aspiring to lead the global market.
Beyond Anywaves, Nicolas actively supports the French and European space industry and serves as Vice President of the YEESS, the Young European Enterprises Syndicate for Space, promoting new space dynamics in Europe.

With a strong focus on customer experience and building value for partners, Adam leads Telstra International's satellite team within the wholesale business working with global satellite customers such as SpaceX, Amazon Kuiper, OneWeb, SES, and Inmarsat with major deployments in Asia Pacific.

Prior to this role, Adam was Head of EMEA Wholesale, responsible for developing and driving the business strategy, as well as wholesale, satellite, and OTT customer relationships.

Based in London, Adam has over 25 years' experience in the telecoms industry, having held a number of roles at Verizon, AAPT and Pacnet prior to joining Telstra. He is a dual national of the United Kingdom and Australia, where he spent a decade building his career. Outside of work, Adam is a father of four, as well as a keen footballer and coach.

Reuben Oshomah currently serves as the Regional Director for West Africa at Avanti Satellite Communications, where he drives Avanti's business vision and strategy across the region. With over 15 years of experience in the satellite and telecommunications industry across Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe, Reuben has a distinguished track record of delivering impactful projects and fostering innovation.

In his role at Avanti Satellite, Reuben has spearheaded efforts to bring reliable internet connectivity to some of the most remote and underserved regions. His leadership has been instrumental in connecting 5 million people in over 1,000 communities, resulting in significant social and economic growth in these communities. His expertise in managing large-scale projects and his commitment to digital inclusion have made him a key figure in the satellite industry.

Prior to joining Avanti, Reuben led the Consulting Services Business for Microsoft, championing digital transformation initiatives across various sectors, including finance, government, oil and gas, telecommunications, and manufacturing in Nigeria. His work at Microsoft was marked by a successful track record of helping organizations navigate the complexities of digital transformation.
Reuben's commitment to inclusivity is evident from his tenure at Ericsson, where he led the Mobile Financial Services program. This initiative provided crucial financial services to unbanked communities across multiple countries in West and Central Africa, significantly enhancing financial inclusion and economic participation.

Reuben holds a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Benin and a Master of Engineering Project Management from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom

Dr Xavier Bertrán was appointed as Chief Product & Innovation Officer in April 2024 to oversee the innovation, development and delivery of SES's products and systems.
In 2022, Xavier joined SES as Senior Vice President to lead European Programmes that included strategic projects with the European Commission, European Space Agency, and other New Space initiatives. His extensive experience in the sector includes 20 years at Airbus where he held several executive positions in Upgrade Services, Diversification Programmes, Airbus ATR SAS and was also the Deputy Director for the Galileo PPP programme.
Xavier also served as a Member of the Board of Directors of several companies including Airbus Interior Services S.A.S, ATR GIE, KID Systeme GmbH and Skytra Ltd.
Xavier earned a doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Technology (RWTH) in Aachen and a Global Executive MBA from the IESE Business School in Barcelona.
Xavier is a British, German and Spanish citizen.

Robert R. Cleave has over 37 years' experience in the space industry as an engineer, program manager and executive leader with profit & loss responsibilities. He has worked nearly every mission area, from rovers on Mars to remote sensing and communication satellites. Robert has also worked every segment of the value chain, spanning spacecraft and payloads, launch vehicles and ground systems. He managed over $2B in business at Lockheed Martin, was President and Chairman of Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services business unit, and successfully delivered secure networking solutions to the US Government, and the Governments of Spain and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He managed investment portfolios and led multiple strategic investments into several emerging companies in the space ecosystem.

I am a Partner at Wiley Rein--a Washington D.C. based firm with an elite telecommunications, media, and technology practice that has been repeatedly recognized for its depth of experience and knowledge in space and satellite industries. In my practice, I help clients avoid, navigate and resolve complex, cross-border disputes, primarily involving investments in emerging markets, satellite and space issues, or renewable energies. My experience in earth-bound emerging markets (for example, in countries where the rule of law remains elusive) gives me unique insights in how to establish an efficient and sensible legal framework to govern corporate ventures in space, how entities and individuals can protect their investments and assets, and how to deal with disputes as they arise. I have a JD and LLM in international and comparative law from Duke University School of Law, where I graduated with high honors and a BA from Northwestern University.

HORACIO RANDAZZO PMP CISM CGIET MSITM
Horacio Randazzo has worked in the Information Technology field for over 20 years.
Employed by IBM, Productivity Point International, Microsoft, AvMed, Memorial Healthcare, ABC Technology Group and Carnival Corporation. My last 3 years have been dedicated to 5G and satellite connectivity.
Horacio has specialized in Project Management, IT Security, Infrastructure and IT Governance for the past 15 years. He incorporates Risk, Process Improvement and Return on Investment (ROI) on all of his projects. As an Infrastructure Architect, he is devoted to business continuity and disaster recovery.
His moto is: "downtime should be a thing of the past". In keeping with the changing times, Horacio has incorporated documentation practices for HIPAA, PCI and SOX compliance. He keeps current by learning the latest technologies and techniques, and has taught at local Technology Schools, Colleges and Universities in South Florida.
As a volunteer, he is devoted to children and education, managing events for Joe DiMaggio's Children's Hospital and Children's Diagnostic & Treatment Center. He has a deep passion for education, formally serving on the board of trustees of the Imagine Charter School in Weston and Family Central. He has served as a judge for the past seven years for the 211 Nonprofits Academy Awards in Ft. Lauderdale. He is a proud graduate of Leadership Broward Class XXX. He has also served on numerous boards and committees at Memorial, including the founding board of "Tour de Broward".
Horacio Randazzo
MCSE | MCT | PMP | CGEIT | CISM | MSITM
Solutions Architect / CTO / Project Manager

Matt joined Kymeta in 2021 after a 30-year career as a U.S. Marine. At Kymeta, Matt analyzes Department of Defense operating concepts and requirements and meets with operators from all Services to help align Kymeta's products to meet the operational needs of warfighters. Matt's Marine Corps career included a mix of operational tours with the Marine Air Command and Control community and more than a decade in capability development positions within Headquarters, Marine Corps. Matt's career has been wildly varying to include providing security to villages, bases, and convoys in Somalia and Iraq, controlling the airspace over the western half of Afghanistan, assisting the Australian Defence Force with amphibious capability development, and developing new capability requirements to inform the Marine Corps' five-year investment plan.

Matt holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech and master's degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College.

Welcome to AstroBen, where the cosmos comes alive through the passionate narration of Ben Gamble. Whether you're deeply rooted in the space industry or nurturing childhood dreams of interstellar exploration, AstroBen stands as your weekly gateway to the vast universe. Ben's cosmic journey, fuelled by the dream of launching his own space enterprise, unfolds each week, fostering connections across ages and inspiring a collective engagement with the wonders of space exploration. From delving into the future of the space economy to unravelling UFO mysteries, AstroBen, one of the top space podcasts to emerge from the UK, invites you to join the exploration of the cosmos.

Natalia Larrea is the U.S. Director at Novaspace. Previously, she served as Principal Advisor at Novaspace in Canada. Since joining the firm, Natalia has advised numerous government and private stakeholders worldwide in the space sector. Her expertise spans strategic planning, the development of national space policies and programs, international and public-private partnerships, investment strategies, as well as technology and global space market assessments.

Before joining Novaspace, Natalia worked as a Systems Engineer at MDA, a Research Associate at NASA Ames, and a trainee at the European Space Agency (ESA). She holds a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from McGill University (Canada), a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Telecommunications Engineering from Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio (Spain), and a Diploma in Astronomy and Planetary Science from the Open University (UK). Natalia is also a graduate and faculty member at the International Space University (ISU).

Natalia has received prestigious global awards for her leadership and contributions to the space sector. She is a frequent speaker and moderator at leading space industry conferences worldwide.

As the CEO and founder of Aerospacelab, Benoit Deper has led the emerging satellite manufacturer for 6 years. With Benoit's leadership, the start-up has achieved 8 satellites in orbit, 60 million euros in funding and is growing on a global scale. Benoit brings engineering expertise to entrepreneurship, with experience working both NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) programs.

After graduating from UCLouvain with a degree in mechatronics, robotics and automation engineering, Benoit first joined NASA Ames Research Center, and later ESA as a systems engineer. He transitioned to industry with Swiss Space Systems (S3) for three years as their CTO, where we oversaw research and development and engineering.

Dr. Vigeant-Langlois is Managing Director at AE Industrial with a primary focus on new business development and portfolio management across AE Industrial's funds in private equity, venture capital, and aircraft leasing, where she serves on the Investment Committee of AE Ventures, and on AEI's Origination Guidance and Sustainability Committees. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of AEI portfolio companies: Alpine Air, Applied Composites, Columbia Helicopters, Edge Autonomy and G.S. Precision, and on the Boards of Directors of AE Ventures portfolio companies: Eos Aircraft, FLYR, Gamma Alloys, Near Earth Autonomy and Revolution Space. In addition, she also serves as a Senior Commercialization Advisor with DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of the US Department of Defense focused on breakthrough technologies for national and economic security.

Prior to joining AE Industrial, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois worked for GE Aerospace as Chief Executive Officer of the GE Passport joint venture with Safran and IHI, and as program management executive responsible for the Passport, CF34-3 and CF34-8C engines on Bombardier and Mitsubishi's aircraft. Previously at GE, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois played a key role on the founding team that launched and grew GE Additive as a leading force in industrial 3D printing, and led the strategy and global field marketing teams supporting the sale of GE Aviation's engines, systems and services across commercial, business and military aviation.

Before GE, Dr. Vigeant-Langlois led commercial, product and engineering teams in aerospace and high-tech industries. At Sikorsky Aircraft (Lockheed Martin), she launched new engineering innovation, ran defense offset programs and led the Operations Analysis and contract R&D teams. At aircraft lessor CIT (Avolon), she gained increasing responsibilities in acquiring $9B of aircraft and engines. At The Weather Company, she led the democratization of cockpit weather information and the launch of SiriusXM Aviation Weather. She also previously transported air freight flying Learjets across North America.

She received SM and PhD in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a BEng in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University, is a graduate of the International Space University space studies program, UTC's Darden executive program, several GE Crotonville programs, the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and completed the CFA Level 1. She is a certified FAA commercial pilot with Learjet privileges and a flight instructor in gliders. She also serves as Board Advisor to health tech company Triangulate Labs, and is a member of The Wings Club and PEWIN.

Dr. Sethu Saveda Suvanam is the founder and CEO of ReOrbit, a Finland-based company with the mission of building the next generation of LEO and GEO software-enabled satellites. Educated in India and Sweden, Sethu Saveda Suvanam is an aerospace engineer. He holds a PhD in Aerospace Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden.
In November 2019, he founded ReOrbit with the aim of changing the way satellites are designed and used. ReOrbit develops satellites, going software-first and treating hardware as a commodity, thus making them reconfigurable, scalable for different missions, and equipped with optical communications capabilities.

Ahsun Murad is the President and CEO of Optimal Satcom, which he co-founded as a spin-off from Lockheed Martin and Comsat in 2002. Over the last 22 years since its founding, Optimal Satcom has grown to support a large segment of the satellite industry with industry-leading enterprise-level software products and systems for resource management, service planning, optimization, and business intelligence. Over 15 satellite operators, 20 of the largest satellite service providers, and major US Government DoD and civilian agencies use Optimal Satcom products and systems today.

As a world expert in satellite communications technology with over 30 years of experience, Mr. Murad advises satellite companies and governments on satellite system design, application of emerging technologies, and formulating policy decisions. Before founding Optimal Satcom, Mr. Murad held management positions at Lockheed Martin and COMSAT Laboratories. In these positions, he headed the development of products for transmission planning and satellite capacity management and was the lead system architect for a number of commercial SATCOM and MILSATCOM projects.

Before joining COMSAT Laboratories, Mr. Murad worked at the NASA Center for Satellite and Hybrid Communications Networks where he was involved in research and development related to hybrid satellite-terrestrial mobile communications systems, and complex multi-satellite systems. Mr. Murad graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, India, with a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Paweł Bernat, PhD, is a Senior Lecturer at the Polish Air Force University.
His current academic interests focus on (1) strategic aspects of outer space, i.a., militarization and weaponization of outer space, commercialization of outer space and its impact on national and international safety and security, (2) tactical use of space assets, (3) the military space sector of the Russian Federation, (4) space terrorism, and (4) irregular, proxy, and hybrid warfare, especially in Eastern Europe.
Dr. Bernat closely cooperates with the George C. Marshall Center for European Security Studies, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, where he occasionally teaches on space security. He also teaches space security for the Master of Science in Space Studies program at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France. Additionally, Dr. Bernat collaborates with the European Security and Defence College and serves as an assessor in the European Initiative for the Exchange of Military Young Officers (EMILYO) Olympiad.
Dr Bernat has published dozens of scientific articles. He has presented his research at over thirty international conferences, invited lectures worldwide, and carried out many scientific projects, i.e., in Israel, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

Yudhajeet Dasgupta is the Head of Solutions Architecture at the Aerospace & Satellite division of Amazon Web Services (AWS). Over the past six years at AWS, he has led technical teams that deliver advanced technologies and solutions to government and commercial aerospace customers worldwide. With a Master's degree in Machine Learning from the University of Michigan, Yudhajeet helps organizations adopt Generative AI to accelerate space missions while navigating the unique challenges of the aerospace sector.

Peter Wilczynski joined Maxar Intelligence as the Chief Product Officer in June 2024. He is a proven technical product management leader who has led the development of first-of-a-kind products and geospatial solutions for highly complex and demanding customer environments, including the U.S. defense and intelligence community.

Prior to joining Maxar Intelligence, Peter spent twelve years at Palantir Technologies, most recently overseeing the development of the company's flagship Ontology System, a comprehensive decision-centric enterprise modeling platform designed to deploy AI directly into real-time operations. Prior to that, Peter led the revitalization of Palantir's Gotham platform, expanding the platform from a pure-play intelligence analysis solution into a comprehensive defense and intelligence product.

Early in his career, Peter led the initial prototyping and development efforts for Gaia, a next-generation collaborative GIS platform which ultimately became the cornerstone of Palantir's U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) product portfolio.

Peter earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University, has published research focusing on concept-centric product development and holds more than 25 patents.

Christian Patouraux is the CEO at Kacific Broadband Satellites Group.

Christian has 28 years of experience in the satellite industry where he previously held senior positions in Engineering and Business Development.

In 2013, Christian founded Kacific, a new generation broadband satellite operator bringing affordable, high speed and highly accessible internet to Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Christian holds a Master's in Electromechanical Engineering from the University of Brussels, Belgium, a Master's in Fluid Dynamics from the Von Karman Institute, Belgium and an MBA from Insead Business School.

Mina Mitry is the Co-Founder and CEO of Kepler Communications, a company on a mission to build Internet connectivity for space to improve access to space-generated data. Kepler was founded in 2015 after Mina and a group of graduate students recognized a gap in the global space market and set out to create the infrastructure to support the current and future communication needs of the space industry, ultimately empowering human reach outside of Earth.
Under Mina's leadership, Kepler has raised over $200 million USD in funding, growing to the largest Canadian satellite operator. Kepler was the first company in the world to launch Ku-band in low Earth orbit and has received notable industry recognition, being named one of the most innovative space companies in the world by Fast Company in 2020 and a "Top 10 in Satellite" from Via Satellite in 2023.
Mina has helped to shape Kepler into a company that understands the full lifecycle of satellite operations and the many challenges customers face when executing their missions. The company is vertically integrated, designing, building, and operating the current network of 21 satellites, with an optical constellation in development. Kepler's next-generation optical constellation will modernize on-orbit communications with a network infrastructure designed to act as Internet exchange points for space-to-space data relay. The Internet-ready constellation will deliver data to and from spacecraft in near-real-time, enabling high-speed, low-latency data relay through SDA-standard optical terminals. Kepler launched its first two optical Pathfinder satellites in the Fall of 2023, with full operations expected in 2025.
Mina currently serves as a mentor at Creative Destruction Lab and is on the advisory committee for RSSSA.
Prior to Kepler, Mina commercialized his graduate research work on numerical methods and machine learning at a major aircraft engine manufacturer. He also built and scaled a not-for-profit at the University of Toronto from 5 to 100 volunteers and 28M in annual sponsorship, and Directed Engineering at TeaBOT, helping to build and scale the business in food and beverage automation.
Mina holds a Master of Aerospace Engineering degree from The University of Toronto. He lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife Maya, son Mason, and dog Toby.

20+ years in Satellite Industry
Designed Semiconductors/ASICs for satellite ground segment, Managed strategic business unit focused on optical/wireless ASICs for Coherent and Free Space Optics.
Currently managing Free Space Optics Unit focused on Coherent Laser Optical Communication terminals between various orbits (LEO. MEO, GEO and HEO)

Emile de Rijk is the CEO and Founder of SWISSto12, a leading manufacturer of advanced satellite payloads and systems, including the HummingSat: a small yet powerful geostationary telecommunications satellite. The company's satellites and payloads benefit from unique and patented 3D-printing technologies and associated Radio Frequency (RF) product designs that deliver lightweight, compact, highly performing, and competitive RF functionality. Besides its space portfolio, the company is also active in telecommunications, surveillance and radar applications for the aeronautic industry. Customers and partners include the European Space Agency, Intelsat, Inmarsat, Lockheed Martin and Thales. SWISSto12 has developed commercially with success in Europe and the USA and is amongst the fastest growing aerospace companies in Europe.

In 2022, SWISSto12 became the first ever scale-up company to sell a geostationary telecoms satellite -HummingSat - to a global satellite operator. To date, Emile has co-invented 50+ patents, raised €50Million in capital from prestigious European investors and signed €200m+ worth of commercial contracts with leading aerospace and telecommunication customers for the delivery of RF products & solutions as well as HummingSat.