...Chairman of the Board of the European Satellite Operators Association (ESOA), taking over from Eric Béranger, former CEO of Astrium Services and now CEO of Astrium Satellites. Michel de Rosen, CEO of Eutelsat was confirmed as Vice-Chairman, and David McGlade, CEO of Intelsat, was elected as second Vice-Chairman.

As ESOA Chairman during the past 18 months, Eric Béranger has led the association and promoted the interests of its members to key interlocutors of European institutions. During his tenure, ESOA commissioned the Booz & Company report, which provided an independent vision of how satellites contribute to the EU 2020 strategy. The report Why Satellites Matter, launched at the inaugural European Satellite Day in Brussels on September 27th, successfully highlighted the key role of satellite in the future distribution of communication services.

In accepting the appointment, Cato Halsaa thanked Eric Béranger for his leadership over the last 18 months and reiterated his commitment to continue to champion the positive efforts and awareness of satellite services that the association has already achieved. ESOA remains the only CEO-driven satellite organisation to represent the world’s largest operators together with all regional European players.