SES appoints new US government subsidiary leader
By
Ross Wilkers
The satellite network operator chooses its next chief executive from the business it just acquired to double in size.
On the heels of doubling in size thanks to an acquisition, the U.S. government subsidiary of satellite network operator SES has appointed a new chief executive to steer the combined entity.
Nearly three-decade defense industry veteran David Shields has moved up from his prior role leading the division SES acquired from Leonardo DRS to become the new CEO of SES Government Solutions.
Shields succeeds Pete Hoene, who has retired after 11 years as chief executive of SES GS.
That transition in leadership coincides with SES' announcement Monday that it has completed its $450 million acquisition of the DRS Global Enterprise Solutions business, an integrator of satellite communications networks from multiple providers such as SES into a single managed service offering for federal agencies.
When SES first disclosed the transaction in March, the company said its Government Solutions business would double in expected annual revenue from $250 million to $500 million with the addition of DRS GES.
SES is headquartered in Luxembourg with the hub for Government Solutions located in Reston, Virginia. The subsidiary also has its own executive team proxy board of directors given that the parent's headquarters are outside the U.S. in order to work on classified programs.