The international association of the satellite communications sector has confirmed that seven key industry executives have been elected to the Global VSAT Forum (GVF) Board of Directors, through which they will lead the organisation’s continuing efforts to advance the provision of satellite-based solutions throughout the world.

The new GVF Board of Directors was elected by the Full Membership during the organization’s Annual General Assembly, which was held on October 13, 2008, in New York City . The new Board of Directors is comprised of the following executives...

• Matteo Altobelli, Marketing Director, Eutelsat
• David Bettinger, Chief Technology Officer, iDirect
• John Miller, Head of Satellite Engineering, Cable & Wireless (re-elected)
• Bryan Olivier, Chief Operations Officer, Broadpoint
• Joslyn Read, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, SES New Skies (re-elected)
• Arunas Slekys, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, and General Manager, Russia/CIS Business, Hughes Network Systems (re-elected)
• Jay Yass, Vice President, Network Services Marketing, Intelsat (re-elected)

“With this election, the international satellite sector has sent a clear signal that their commitment to enabling the delivery of state-of-the-art communications solutions has never been stronger,” said David Hartshorn, Secretary General of GVF. “These leaders were elected and, in some cases, re-elected by the industry because they have the experience and vision needed to guide the association through the next successful phase of the industry’s history.” The organization is also responsible for creating greater awareness of the commercial, economic, political and technological advantages that satellite-based communications provide. This is achieved through the creation of informative online and print resources, as well as through dozens of conferences held each year. GVF’s award-winning Education and Training Program — which has trained thousands of professionals throughout the world — is another important means by which these aims are achieved. Select this link to view GVF's online course listings...