Your Daily Briefing Of Satellite Industry News

Stephen Rich Appointed VP for Africa of SES ASTRA

Betzdorf, Luxembourg/November 6, 2003/Satnews/ Stephen  Rich  has  been  appointed  Vice  President & General Manager  responsible  for  the African region of SES ASTRA.  The appointment took effect on November  1st,  2003. Stephen Rich reports to Alexander Oudendijk, Senior Vice President Sales & Marketing of SES ASTRA.

Steve Rich joins SES ASTRA from the satellite operator PanAmSat, where he  held  the  position  of  Regional  Vice President - EMEA for PanAmSat Africa Ltd since 1998.

Alexander  Oudendijk,  Senior  Vice President Sales & Marketing of SES ASTRA,  comments:  "We  appreciate  Steve's in depth market knowledge. He combines  more  then  10  years  professional experience in the satellite industry  with  extensive  market intelligence of the African markets. In his  new  role, Steve will be responsible for building the company's core Broadband and Broadcast businesses throughout the African region. He will work  in  close  cooperation  with the marketing department of SES ASTRA. Steve will also be strongly involved in the further rollout of IP Direct, a new partner company of SES ASTRA, based in Johannesburg, South Africa."

Prior  to  joining  PanAmSat,  Steve  was Chief Engineer and Founder Member of ELCOR, an  established satellite  network over Africa for rural telephony. From 1991  to  1997, he served as Technical Director and General Manager within Plessey  South  Africa  Limited  where  he  managed  the  design,  market development and sales of VSAT networks.

Steve,  a  South  African national aged 49, holds a Bachelor degree in Science,  Electrical  Engineering  from  the University of Natal, Durban, South Africa. He is married and father of two children.

Back to the Home Page