New York City, June 24, 2013 – The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) has opened nominations for its eighth annual Promise and Mentor Awards. Promise Awards honor young leaders in the satellite industry for outstanding achievement. The Mentor Award recognizes an industry executive for mentoring rising young professionals.
The Awards will be presented at the Future Leaders Dinner in Manhattan on Tuesday, November 12, which is the opening night of the SATCON and Content & Communications World (CCW) events. A portion of the proceeds from the dinner will go to SSPI's Educational Fund.
On the November 14, the second day of SATCON, the Promise Award winners will join CEOs of the satellite industry for a keynote panel that will explore the most profound trends shaping technology, markets and business models in coming decades and ask what a drastically different industry might look like.
Nomination criteria and forms can be downloaded at. Nominations close September 13, 2013.
Since 2006, SSPI's Future Leaders Dinner has honored men and women under 35 with the talent and motivation to advance into leadership positions in the satellite industry, as well as one executive recognized for mentorship of the next generation. If you would like to nominate an up-and-coming satellite professional for a Promise Award, you can download the form here. The Mentor Award nomination form can be downloaded here.
Nominees for the Promise Award must demonstrate initiative, innovation, creativity and problem-solving skills that positively impact their company’s financial performance, marketing effectiveness, technical advancement or research capabilities. Past winners of Promise Awards have included young employees of SES, Intelsat, SpaceX, Hughes Network Systems, the Space & Missile Systems Center of the United States Air Force, RRsat Global Communications, Space Systems/Loral, CNN, Boeing Satellite Systems, CapRock Government Solutions, Willis Inspace, Intelsat, Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems, and Futron.
Mentor Award nominees are distinguished by their voluntary contributions to industry causes and track record of coaching, motivating and fostering young professionals to elevate their professional capabilities and leadership potential. Past Mentor Award winners have included Richard Wolf of ABC Television Network, Tom Eaton of Harris CapRock, Satellite Hall of Fame member Dick Tauber of CNN, Dom Stasi of Avail/TVN, Francesco Frenza of the Cisneros Group, and Andrew Werth of Hughes Network Systems.
“For anyone who has ever worried about the future of the satellite industry, the Future Leaders Dinner is the cure,” said Robert Bell, SSPI’s Executive Director. “Each year, we showcase an amazing group of young executives who are driving the industry in new directions, and honor a mentor who is helping them succeed. And at the same time, we are helping to fund the educational and outreach programs that bring more new talent into our business.”
The SSPI Future Leaders Dinner, sponsored by Intelsat, will be held on the opening night of Satellite Week in NYC, which includes SATCON and the other events of Content and Communications World, including HD World and 3D World. SATCON and CCW are proud supporters of the Future Leaders Dinner.
SSPI promotes the growth of the satellite industry by educating current and potential end-users and the general public about the indispensable contributions of satellites to business, government and human welfare, and by connecting satellite professionals worldwide through education, knowledge-sharing and fostering professional relationships.
In carrying out this mission, SSPI provides an on-ramp for students looking to start careers in the satellite business, educates today’s and tomorrow’s customers on the enormous and unique value of satellite technology, and promotes excellence and innovation among satellite professionals and the companies they work for, ensuring that our industry stays strong.