[SatNews] SES (NYSE Euronext Paris and Luxembourg Stock Exchange: SESG) has announced that the company's President and CEO Romain Bausch informed the Board of Directors that he plans to step down from his position at the next annual general meeting of shareholders in April 2014. In its meeting last week, the Board has appointed Karim Michel Sabbagh as the successor to Romain Bausch. Mr. Sabbagh will join the company on September 1st as CEO Designate and, following a transition period, will officially take up the position of President and CEO on April 3, 2014.

Karim Michel Sabbagh has been a member of the Board of Directors of SES as well as of its Audit and Risk Committee since April 2011. Until recently, he was a Senior Partner and served as global and regional practice leader for Communications, Media and Technology along with other leadership forums at Booz & Company, which he joined in 1998. Mr Sabbagh was based in Dubai over the past 15 years. He is widely recognized for his vast expertise in the industry and for his focus on the emerging markets.

At Board and Chief Executive levels, Mr. Sabbagh has shaped and served the strategic agenda of global players in the communications, media and satellite sectors. He has led multinational teams in long-term, large-scale privatisations, international expansion, mergers and acquisitions, growth acceleration and strategy-based transformation programmes. He was also directly responsible for the structuring of global companies and played an essential role in building their capabilities over multi-year programmes.

Romain Bausch has been President and CEO of SES since 1995. Before joining the company, M.r Bausch had a distinguished career in the Luxembourg Ministry of Finance and occupied key positions in the banking, media and communications sectors. He was appointed in April this year to the Board of Directors of SES, where he will continue to serve as a non-executive Director.