New executive appointments have occurred at ST Engineering iDirect since the company's acquisition of Newtec Group NV. 

Thomas Van den Driessche

Thomas Van den Driessche has been named as President of the Executive Strategic Board and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Frederik Simoens has been appointed to the role of Chief Technology Officer.

Thomas Van den Driessche comes with a wealth of management experience, most recently as Newtec’s Chief Executive Officer, Thomas will lead the newly-formed Strategy Group which comprises product lifecycle management (PLM), vertical market development, marketing and strategic business development. In this role he will spearhead the company’s efforts to establish a new standard in ground infrastructure to propel further transformation and market opportunity across the satellite communications (SATCOM) industry. As CCO Thomas will steer the global sales organization to better serve customer needs as the industry evolves.

Frederik Simoens

Frederik Simoens will draw upon his history of innovation, which will be invaluable to ST Engineering iDirect as it further harnesses its pioneering role in leading the satellite industry forward. Frederik has served as Newtec’s CTO since 2015 and brings with him invaluable expertise in satcom, standardization, physical layer technologies, networking and network virtualization.

The appointment of these two industry leaders will add a greater depth of knowledge and experience to the ST Engineering iDirect management team. Both Thomas’ and Frederik’s success in spearheading one of the fastest-growing players in the industry will ensure that the company is further strengthened to meet demand across the full spectrum of the evolving satellite communications market. 

Kevin Steen, President and CEO, ST Engineering iDirect stated that they are in the midst of a pivotal time in the satellite communications industry, and the combination of Newtec and ST Engineering iDirect has created a company with unparalleled expertise at the forefront to the industry transformation. With Frederik and Thomas’ vast experience and dedication to the industry, they are well positioned to grow their market position, expand their customers’ opportunities and lead the broader ecosystem into a new era of innovation.