AST & Science Names Chris
Ivory to Leadership Team
Jan. 24, 2019
AST & Science has named
satellite-industry veteran Chris Ivory to serve as chief
commercial officer (CCO) and also chief executive
officer (CEO) of the newly formed AST & Defense
subsidiary.
Abel Avellan, chairman and
CEO of AST & Science, said Ivory will develop and manage
relationships with key customers and strategic partners
worldwide, while also taking responsibility for all
aspects of the company’s U.S. government business.
In addition, Ivory has been
appointed U.S. general manager for NanoAvionics, a
European satellite manufacturing company in which AST &
Science acquired a controlling interest last year. In
that role, he will spearhead NanoAvionics’ growing
business in the Americas.
Ivory has more than 26 years
of senior-level experience in the satellite and
telecommunications industry. Most recently, he was
executive vice president and general manager of
commercial solutions for Globecomm. In that role, he
served as business unit leader for satellite services
across all commercial vertical market segments.
Prior to joining Globecomm,
Ivory served as vice president of land solutions for
Global Eagle and senior vice president of government,
enterprise and channel partners for EMC. He also held
leadership positions with several other
telecommunications companies in the U.S., Mexico and
Argentina. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the
State University of New York at Courtland and also
studied at Universidad de Oviedo in Spain.
“Chris Ivory is a seasoned
veteran and proven leader with a deep and broad
understanding of the global satellite and
telecommunications industry,” said Avellan. “He will
play a pivotal role in steering our company’s growth as
we move into commercialization of our technologies.”
AST recently unveiled its
plan to establish its $30 million corporate headquarters
and manufacturing plant at the Space Port Business Park
in Midland, Texas. The Midland plant will be one of the
largest “NewSpace” high-volume manufacturing factories
in the United States. Avellan said the company’s
proprietary patented technology will enable high-volume
production of low-cost, ultrapowerful, low Earth orbit
(LEO) satellite modules for commercial and defense
applications. The company will commence manufacturing
operations at Midland in 2019.
In April 2018, AST purchased
a controlling interest in NanoAvionics, a European
manufacturer and system integrator of nano-satellites.
The company’s flagship multi-purpose M6P is the first
preconfigured nanosatellite bus designed to serve
emerging commercial space markets. Its core engineering
team has implemented over 40 successful satellite
missions during the last several years.
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